Flight of the Thestrals
by GD-7
Summary: Plagued by insomnia, Draco spends his nights soaring through the sky over Hogwarts. What happens when he runs into Ginny one night? R for reason. DMGW, some 'slash' between BZRW (but these chapters are well marked)
1. Default Chapter

Flight of the Thestrals

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the plot. The characters and setting are, of course, J.K. Rowling's. I just take a bit of artistic license with them....

Spoilers: up to and including OOTP.

Rated R for reason. This story contains adult language, & sexual situations (straight and slash). Also has implied abuse and suicidal thoughts. May have disturbing imagery later. Don't read if you can't handle all of these things.

A/N: I just want you to know that I **DO** like Harry and Hermione, but you might not get that impression from this story. Sorry. Nor do I usually do anything remotely 'slashy'... I think the blame for that goes to dracademented, who has a great story on here called Unexpected. Check it out. I'm not nearly as into it or descriptive of course. Overall, my muse got in a REAL weird mood, and this is what happened :) I am using what seems to be the generally accepted description of Blaise Zabini (male, good looking, black hair, dark eyes) but I have not been able to find him in the actual HP books other than as the last name in the sorting ceremony in first year. If you know where J.K. describes him, by all means send me the book # and page #! I would greatly appreciate it!

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Chapter 1

Draco secured his invisibility cloak around him. It wasn't the most ideal form of concealment, but it was all he had. These little late night flights had become his favorite way of dealing with his chronic insomnia... and the pressures that caused it. It was almost as if he only felt like himself while cutting through the night sky... Hogwarts, even when only amongst his 'friends', had become so unbearably stifling... Besides, why be cooped up in Slytherin House when he could be out in the open air? The cloak didn't cover the broom perfectly when in flight, even with the many binding spells he had on it, but it should leave little enough showing to keep people from noticing... or if they did, they would be unlikely to figure out what it was they were seeing.

He looked at his watch. Almost midnight. Surely everyone else would be asleep by now anyway. He slipped his broom under the cloak with him and made his way silently out of the dungeons and up into an unused classroom. He went over, slipping the window open. He'd learned a while back to avoid the doors. He was almost certain they had started setting alarms on them, because Filch always seemed to be there within seconds if someone opened one after dark nowadays.

He preferred to have a secure way back in.

He shifted his broom around, mounting it, and glided silently out the window. He sighed happily as he slipped through the night. It was so peaceful out in the night... up in the air with no one watching... no one constantly judging him. He steered towards the Forbidden Forest. It had always terrified him... not so much for the fearsome creatures that dwelt there... but more for how much it looked like the forest near Malfoy Manor... and what he'd had to endure at his father's hands there... He darted over the forest defiantly. It had become the main attraction of his nightly flights.

He skimmed close to the dark trees, tempting fate. It gave him a rush to be so near to mortal peril. He looked over as he heard an eerie cry. A Thestral broke through the canopy, flying parallel to him. Draco was flying at near breakneck speeds, but the Thestral made it look like a lazy glide, easily keeping pace with him.

He smiled over at it. They always seemed able to see him without any trouble. He, of course, had been able to see them since his father had murdered a muggle in front of him when he was no more than a toddler. He had never admitted this of course. If he had, he would have to tell them whom he'd seen die.

He began swerving his flight path back and forth. It matched. From the corner of his eye he saw a couple more join them. By the time he curved around as they past over the heart of the forest, a small phalanx of Thestrals flew in his wake. He couldn't help but smile. It had always given him an unexplainable rush to fly with them. They swooped and dove, twisting and undulating their flight with unearthly grace for nearly twenty minutes before they started breaking off.

He watched sadly as the last one glided back down into the forest. They were such elegant creatures really... and eerily beautiful when flying in the moonlight. He gave them a little smile, feeling his spirits lifted. He glided back towards the castle.

He sighed as the edge of the forest hove into view. He wasn't ready to call it a night yet... He combed the grounds with his eyes, looking for something else to do. A wicked smirk slipped over his lips as he shifted course.

He pressed down close to the broom, speeding up. As he approached, he made sure he could easily get his hand free. With a dizzying rush he swooped down, diving through the branches of the Whomping Willow. As he passed the main trunk, he darted his hand down and snatched off a twig. The tree was instantly in motion, though it didn't know what to swat at. He dodged it's huge, club-like branches and managed to dart back out unscathed.

He did a cannonball roll, letting out a laugh of exhilaration. When he settled back, slowing, he looked at his prize. The little twig was writhing around in his grasp like a thin snake. He fastened it securely to his belt and flew on, still riding the adrenaline rush.

As it ebbed a bit he sighed, realizing that he once again didn't know what to do next. Another buzzing of the Willow would be blatantly suicidal at the moment. It usually kept up it's swinging for a good twenty minutes after he did that... and even after it settled it was just waiting for movement and more than ready to take down anyone foolish enough to come near.

Well... so he'd done the Forest and the Willow... there was the lake, but there was very little actually dangerous about that... nothing likely to get him killed at least... so what was the fun in that? He sighed. Well, he could always fly around and see what the other houses were up to...

In his opinion, Slytherin House was the only House that had any common sense. They had no windows. The other houses made such a big deal about guarding their doorways and using passwords... and then left their windows open! It just didn't make any sense...

He drifted over to Ravenclaw house. Sleeping. Sleeping. Sleeping... how boring. Didn't any of these people ever get insomnia? Or study late? They were supposed to be these brainiacs who were constantly cramming their heads with any information they could get their hands on... and yet none of them even had the dedication to study into the night?

He sighed and was about to fly off when he spotted one of the windows with a feeble light coming from it. He drifted over, then sighed again. Just some seventh year prat taking a bath by candlelight. Like he wanted to see some GUY in a tub. He started to turn away when the door into the room opened. He paused, seeing a fifth year girl slip into the room. She saw the boy and smiled.

Now this could get interesting....

He smirked evilly and drifted closer to the window, glancing back and rearranging his cloak quickly to make sure he was completely out of sight. His eyes darted back over as she started undoing her robe. Draco's jaw dropped in a very uncivilized manner. It was quite obvious this wasn't the first time they had done this. She stripped her robe off without hesitation or even so much as a blush.

She was... wow... He wouldn't have guessed it from her school uniform, but she was quite well developed for a fifth year.... Riding the broom suddenly became a bit uncomfortable, but he ignored it. He had to stifle his groan of irritation when she slipped into the tub, the foamy suds hiding her up to her shoulders. This of course became less upsetting when she drifted over to the boy and they started a heated snogging session.

Draco shifted a bit on his broom. He was most definitely uncomfortable now, but wasn't about to leave. He watched as the boy shifted her around and pushed her up against the side of the tub, pressing against her. He shifted around some and her head jerked back. She gasped, then bit her lip. Despite the irritating obscuring suds, Draco had no doubt they were well beyond snogging by this point.

It was confirmed almost immediately as he started thrusting up against her rhythmically, letting out a low, stifled groan. Draco watched the girl's face in fascination. Her eyes were closed with a rapturous look on her face. He watched as she bit her lip again to stifle her moans. It was entrancing... he'd never really just watched the girl's face when he was shagging one... of course he had been distracted by other things... but just that look on her face... he wondered if the girls he'd shagged had looked like that while he was taking them...

He watched as the girl arched against him, her eyes springing open but unfocused as a cry of pleasure escaped her when she came. The boy grunted, obviously finishing up as well.

Draco looked over, noticing with amusement as a light came on in one of the other rooms. As Ravenclaws, they really should have been smart enough to put a silencing spell on the room before shagging. He glanced back at the couple. They were just holding eachother and kissing softly, blithely unaware that they were about to be discovered.

He smirked. Well... they had given him a good show... and he was feeling generous... besides, if they were caught, he was much less likely to get a show on future outings. He drifted forward and gave one swift rap against the window pane. He watched in amusement as they jerked, looking around wildly for the source of the sound, then scrambled out of the tub dripping suds and grabbed up their robes.

Draco drifted away from the window and glided around the building. Well that was certainly more fun than hanging around in his room!

He flew over to Hufflepuff. Nothing. He sighed. Surely all the little goody goody Gryffindors would be safely tucked in bed as well... he swung around, drifting up to their tower anyway. He circled it, drifting up another level with each pass. All asleep. He smirked as he saw the sleeping students in their pajamas. The moonlight was pale, but he spotted at least a couple with very amusing patterns. He paused at the sixth year boys' window. There was his age old enemy... sleeping away... blithely unaware that there was a Malfoy just a few feet from him. The window was cracked open... it would be so easy to slip in there and finish him off... and no one would even suspect him... how could they? He wasn't a Gryffindor...

It would make his father very happy. That thought wiped the smirk off his face. He sighed. No reason to make THAT happen... even if it would make Draco happy as well... His father didn't deserve happiness. He started to drift away from the window. He couldn't help but smirk as he recognized the pattern on Harry's pajamas... little golden snitches... What he would give to be able to tell the whole school... but then they would ask him how he knew... how vexing!

He continued his circumnavigation of the tower. No signs of life. He drifted up, passing a turret. He nearly gasped as he suddenly found himself within inches of a girl.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Draco jerked his broom away, but then paused. She was asleep... but what the bloody hell was she doing up there?

He looked over her perch. He had passed it countless times of course, but he'd never ventured this near to it for some reason. It looked to be an ancient observatory or an old, unused owlry... yes... that would be fitting... they had always favored Gryffindor, so why not give them their own owlry? They had such redundant and abandoned areas all over the castle. They probably used less than a third of the castle really.

The owlry was pretty small... barely eight feet in diameter... the 'walls' were little more than columns holding up the roof. The 'windows' ran the whole length, ending just perhaps six inches from the floor.

She was laying in a little untidy pile of quilts and blankets, her head resting on the 'window sill', her long, straight dark hair flowing over the edge and drifting lazily in the breeze.

He drifted closer. There wasn't much light... He shifted the cloak aside a bit so he could see better... he thought he caught a hint of red in her hair... a delicate spatter of freckled across her nose... he suddenly realized who it was. He smirked. The littlest Weasley... and all on her own... His eyes trailed down the curves of her body showing through the blankets. He knew she had been looking much... 'older' this year... and to tell the truth, he'd always found her oddly fascinating... He'd been eyeing this brazen little crumpet since well before she showed any real potential as a suitable conquest... since before he'd even HAD his first conquest... In fact, he used to dream about her sometimes... of course that was back when he still slept... he couldn't remember the last time he had slept long enough to have a dream.

He made sure she was deep asleep, then reached forward, shifting her blanket down some... Her nightgown was of a very thin material... he could see the shape of her body clearly. He reached out, gently cupping her breast. It was hot and firm in his grasp. He fought the urge to squeeze it, not wanting to wake her. He ran his thumb over the little nipple, smirking as it hardened under his touch. She let out a little moan in her sleep. He stifled a groan. His previous discomfort, which had just begun to flag, was almost instantly back to full life.

She may be a Weasley, but she was a pureblood... and a very attractive pureblood at that... in fact, if it hadn't been for her brothers, he probably would have already had a go at her, despite her last name... The though suddenly held a great deal of interest for him... he was always flirting with death... what girl would put him in more danger? But this would take some finesse... He couldn't simply take her, even if he were inclined towards such things, or he'd end up in Azkaban... and that was not an interesting prospect by any means. Besides, what was the fun in simple, muggle-like brute force? It had never held any appeal for him. If he couldn't charm or con his way into a girl's pants, he didn't deserve to get in them.

Still... it was probably just the earlier 'excitement'.... but he was definitely in the mood to do more than just sit there and stare at her... the feel of her warm, pliant flesh sent whispers of desire through his entire body... he let his hand drift down under the blanket, feeling her flat stomach. He knew he would be discovered if she opened her eyes... his arm was completely out of the cloak, and therefore visible.

He couldn't resist letting his hand drift down further. He smirked. Her nightgown was shifted up on the side... he slipped his hand under the hem and slid it up against her knickers. She shivered as his hand caressed her. He had no doubt his hand was cold from being out in the biting wind of the night... and it was incredibly hot between her legs... He drifted forward, letting the silk-like material of the cloak part a bit, kissing her gently as his fingers rubbed her. She moaned into his mouth and he took the opening, slipping his tongue in. He knew he had decided not to make his presence known... but the taste of her sweet mouth was intoxicating.... and she was kissing him back...

He was lost in the kiss, his hand moving of it's own accord as it slipped into her knickers. Suddenly she let out a gasp and he came to his senses, immediately pulling his hand back and closing the cloak as her eyes fluttered open. He dropped down below her view, quickly rearranging the cloak to make sure he was completely invisible before cautiously drifting back up some.

She was looking around wildly, clutching the blanket to her. "Tom?" She whispered in a soft but terrified voice.

He blinked, suddenly remembering what his father had done to her in her first year. He began to wonder what exactly Voldemort's spirit might have done to her... At the evident fear in her voice, he drifted back level with her. If she thought that spirit had come back she may never return to this place again... he didn't want THAT.

"No..." He said in a soft gentle voice. He had no worry she would recognize his voice... he never spoke like this in front of others.

She started, her eyes darting around searchingly, but finding nothing. "Who are you?" She asked fearfully.

He thought quick. He obviously couldn't tell her the truth... he had to make something up... a smirk slipped onto his lips as a thought suddenly blossomed in his mind. "No one... just a passing spirit..." He said, keeping his voice soft and gentle, making it sound like the kind of whispering voice a ghost might have.

"But... I... you..." She said uncertainly, touching her lips. She had obviously woken in time to feel him.

"I'm sorry..." He breathed, letting his broom drift a bit, "You just... reminded me of someone... and I couldn't help myself...."

She blushed so brightly he could see could see the change in skin color even in the relative darkness. "I... see..." She said uncertainly, "Who do I remind you of?"

He paused. Hmmmm.... "A girl I once loved... we would meet here at night..." he whispered. The answers just seemed to be springing into his mind. This was getting fun...

"But... this only connects to the girls dorm... boys can't get up here!"

Good point, but he already knew the way around that one, "I flew here... on my broom..."

She blinked, just realizing that a boy could have indeed gotten around the wards that way. "Oh..." She said softly, then looked up, her eyes once again searching for a focal point. "Why do you haunt this place?"

"Because this is where I died... or the ground below to be more specific..." He said without hesitation. It seemed to be getting easier as he went along.

She leaned her head out, looking down at the dizzying distance to the hard cobblestones below. "How?" She breathed in morbid fascination.

"I jumped." He said simply.

Her head jerked up in shock. "Why?"

His storytelling and acting capabilities were certainly getting a workout tonight... "She didn't come." He said in a soft, infinitely sad voice. "One night she just stopped coming... I waited and waited... after the third night I couldn't take it any longer..."

Ginny put her hand over her mouth and Draco had to smirk. He was just too good!

"That's terrible..." She breathed, "But... why did your spirit linger then?"

"I couldn't help thinking maybe some day she would return to me... so I wait..." He paused, then went on softly, "Tonight... when I saw you... I thought for a moment she had finally returned... but I know that is impossible... it has been so long.... over a hundred years at least... I have lost track..."

Ginny was silent for a long moment. Finally, she spoke again. "Why can't I see you? The other ghosts are visible."

It took him a second to figure that one out. He covered with a sad sigh. "I choose not to be seen. We can do that... just fade away..."

"Oh..." Ginny said thoughtfully. "Could you... become visible? I'd like to see you." She requested softly.

Uh oh... "No..." He said, thinking furiously, "I've... long since forgotten how..."

"Couldn't one of the ghosts in the castle tell you how?"

"I do not go in the castle... I merely fly around the grounds... they probably don't even know I am here... I prefer it that way... otherwise they would try to get me to come in... I can't bear being around others... I do not wish their company."

"But... you are here with me..." She pointed out.

"No..." He said softly, "YOU are here with ME... you came to the place of my last moments... to me... I did not seek you out..."

"But... I've been up here many times since I found the passage to it last year... why haven't I met you before?"

"I tend to avoid this place... roaming the grounds instead... every time I come here I hope to see her... and every time that I don't..." He sighed sadly.

"Oh... do... you want me to leave?" She asked delicately.

"No..." He said quickly, then reigned himself back, "I mean... it's... been a very long time since I've had anyone to talk to... I've been.... sort of lonely..." He smirked. That HAD to tug on those pretty little heartstrings...

"Well... you can talk to me any time you want..." Weasleys were so predictable... always so rash, and yet complete bleeding hearts... "Maybe I could come out and see you on the grounds tomorrow...?"

Oops...

"No... I only haunt at night..." he said, keeping his voice carefully neutral.

She furrowed her brow cutely, "But where do you go during the day then?"

That one stumped him..... "I don't really know..." He admitted, "I only know nighttime... perhaps because it was my night time visits here that made my life... and my death... I haven't seen the sun since..."

"Oh... I guess some spirits only seem to walk at night... but I always just thought they hid during the day or something..." She said, nodding slightly. He smirked again. He was SOOooooo good...

She stifled a yawn.

"You should go back to your bed..." He suggested gently.

"No... I can stay." She said quickly.

"No... fifth year is hard enough without losing too much sleep just to please a ghost... I would feel guilty if your O.W.L.s suffered on my account..."

She perked up, "How did you know I was a fifth year?"

Oops. Damn. Well, honesty could help out once again... it was funny that way. "I've seen you through your window a time or two... you are in the fifth year room..." He admitted, sounding properly abashed.

She blushed. "Did you... um..."

"You were either clothed or under your blankets." He reassured her.

"Of course..." She said, getting up quickly, pulling the blanket up around her to keep warm. "Well... will I see you tomorrow night?"

"No." He said immediately. Her face fell. "But you may hear me..." He said, letting a little bit of amusement color his tone.

She grinned and nodded, then slipped through the trap door, giving the empty owlry one last glimpse before letting the door close quietly behind her. Draco drifted over to her bedroom window. He watched as she slipped in and got into bed, careful not to wake her roommates. He smirked widely as he saw the little smile slip over her lips as she closed her eyes to sleep.

This could get _very_ interesting...

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	3. Chapter 3

A/N: This chapter contains some 'slash' innuendo only (mostly just playful jesting). I think it's pretty tame, but I thought I'd warn you just in case anyway.

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Chapter 3

"Hey Draco, what is UP with you?" Blaise asked, strolling into his room and flopping himself down on the side of Draco's huge bed, "Are you actually STUDYING?"

Draco snorted, "Bugger off Blaise." He said shortly, continuing to flip through the pages of the ancient spell book in his hands.

"Oh come on... since when do you need to study? I mean we both know you probably finished up all of your required reading for the year during summer break. What else did you have to do cooped up in the Manor with only your lush mother and a fugitive psycho for a father?"

Draco snorted. He couldn't deny it, but he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of admitting he was right. "I'm looking for a spell I saw once." Draco finally admitted when it became apparent Blaise had no intention of leaving before his curiosity was satisfied.

"What kind of spell?" Blaise asked curiously, pulling over one of the books and flipping through it absently. There were over a dozen books scattered about the bed, at least ten of them quite illegal.

Draco sighed. He knew how stubborn Blaise could be. His dark, often brooding good looks got him whatever he wanted with most people, male and female alike, but Draco was immune. That seemed to fascinate Blaise to no end and he took to hanging around him quite often. He seemed to like giving the sultry, seductive facade a break, acting much more his playful (and often somewhat annoying) self around him.

It occurred to Draco suddenly that he might be able to get some help... and he wouldn't have to admit exactly what it was for... "An invisibility spell."

"Didn't your father get you an invisibility cloak for like your fourteenth birthday?" Blaise asked.

Draco snorted. "Those are limited... and you always have to worry about them coming off..."

Blaise smirked at him evilly, "Someone catch a glimpse of you peepin in their window?"

Draco hissed at him angrily, flicking his wand to close the door Blaise had left open. "Shut up you bloody prat!" He growled. Blaise had discovered his little 'outings' a while back. He kept it quiet, but he liked to tease him about it, assuming he just spent all his time peeping into windows. Draco didn't bother telling him he only did that if he got really bored... not like Blaise would believe him anyway.

"Chill Draco... Merlin's beard!" Blaise he said with a smirk, shaking his head.

"So, you going to help or just sit there?" Draco asked testily.

"Well... since you asked so nicely..." Blaise smirked.

---

"Come on... give it up.. it's dinner time!" Blaise whined playfully, tossing aside the book he'd been looking at.

Draco rolled his eyes. "You've been looking a whole half an hour. You aren't going to die!" He said, smirking over at him, "Oh go on. I'll be along when I finish checking this book." He said, going back to his reading.

Blaise gave a fake sigh of exasperation. "Very well _MASTER_ Draco... will you be requiring my services after dinner as well? Make me slave away into the night?"

Draco rolled his eyes again. "Don't bother. You're more trouble than you're worth." He muttered, smirking.

Blaise clutched his heart as if mortally wounded. "How COULD you be so cruel? And after all my grueling hard work! I was slaving away like a house elf for you!"

Draco let out a little laugh and tossed a pillow at him. "Get out!" He chuckled.

Blaise hopped off the bed and strolled over to the door, opening it and turning back. "Yes, Master!" He said in his best imitation of a squeaky little house elf voice, "I is going master! Please do be beating me master! For I is an unworthy little house elf!"

"Don't tempt me!" Draco yelled, tossing another pillow after him, letting out a little bark of laughter as Blaise blocked it with the door, then stuck his tongue out at him before leaving and slamming the door behind him.

He shook his head, returning to his reading.

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Draco was buried in another book when a knock came on the door. "Come in." He muttered, engrossed in the text. It wasn't what he was looking for, but it was fascinating none the less...

The door opened and shut. He glanced up as his bed was jarred. Blaise had come around to the side of the bed, hopping up and draping himself across the bed once again. "What do you want now, Blaise?" Draco asked distractedly.

"You didn't make it to dinner..."

Draco glanced at his watch. It was almost ten already. "Oh well... I'll just half-inch something from the kitchen later." He said distractedly, going back to his reading.

"Tell me how much you love me." Blaise requested with a smirk.

Draco glanced up, furrowing his brow. "You may bat for both sides, but you know very well I'm not that way." He said in a bored voice.

"You may change your mind..." Blaise said in a sing-song voice with a smirk, pulling a little ragged, ancient looking book out of his robe pocket and dangling it in front of Draco.

Draco snatched it away, setting down his tome and opening Blaise's book to the marked page. The Living Haunt spell! It was exactly what he had been looking for! He had remembered reading about this spell as he was talking to Ginny, and knew it was the perfect spell... not like he could shag her wearing an invisibility cloak without her noticing... He skipped past the two large paragraphs of dire warnings of the hazards of the spell. Like he cared, right? It went on to explain the specifics of the spell... It only worked at night, made the person invisible until dawn, but with a little glamour they provided separately, or a sprinkling of powder they would look just like a real ghost... of course he was going to skip that part... no sense looking like a dead Draco Malfoy after all! It also made the skin a bit cool to the touch, but that would work as well... The book was full of risky spells to assist in playing malicious pranks, and thus very illegal.

He beamed over at Blaise. "I could almost kiss you!" He said with a smirk.

Blaise perked up, looking hopeful.

"I said ALMOST!" Draco quickly said with a chuckle.

Blaise put on a pouty face, "Aw... come on... don't I get ANYTHING? Do you have any idea what I had to go through to GET that book?"

Draco looked over at him, mildly interested, "What?"

Blaise smirked, fluffing the down pillow beneath his head and settling down a bit. "Well, I remembered where I'd seen it, and I knew the library had a copy... but it was in the Restricted section of course... I'm just glad Madam Pince had a halfway decent looking assistant tonight... not much into older women!" He said with a smirk. Draco cringed at the mental image. Madam Pince was middle aged, and not that attractive. "So I had to convince the little assistant to go get it for me... A 6th year Gryffindor at that!"

"Which Gryffindor?" Draco asked, curious despite himself. Few Gryffindors would be caught dead with a Slytherin.

Blaise held up his hand. "No. She made me swear not to tell anyone... she was afraid her twin sister in Ravenclaw would find out." He said, smirking evilly.

Draco let out a laugh, "Very nice of you to keep her secret so well." He said sarcastically, knowing immediately who he was talking about.

"Actually only took me about two minutes to get her to agree... but then of course it took another half hour to... fully convince her..." He said, wriggling his eyebrows lewdly.

Draco rolled his eyes, but said nothing. Any comments at this point would only encourage him to elaborate.

Blaise sighed, looking up at him with big puppy-dog eyes. "Aw come on... nothing? How about just letting me go down on you?"

Draco gave a snort of laughter, grabbing an extra pillow and placing it significantly over his lap. "Not a chance." He said firmly, but he couldn't help but smirk. He knew Blaise was just teasing... though of course if he said yes, he had no doubt Blaise WOULD.

Blaise sighed dramatically, "All that hard work for nothing... How about if I throw in these?" He said, tossing a little bag over.

Draco picked it up and opened it, peering inside. It held nearly a pint of little, sweet wild strawberries. Draco smirked up at him. He loved strawberries and Blaise knew it. He also knew exactly where to find them this time of year... "It would count for more if these weren't from my own patch in greenhouse six..." Draco said, his eyes dancing with amusement. Blaise just smiled back unabashedly, "But then you did at least save me the trouble of harvesting them..." He looked over at him for a moment contemplatively, "How about information? Will that suffice?"

Blaise perked up again, "Like what?"

"Like the fact that the Weasel is a closet bender." Draco said with an evil smirk.

Blaise's jaw dropped, "Bullshit!"

"Nope. He's bent as a bottle of chips!" Draco said gleefully.

"There's no way... I mean how could you possibly know that?"

"Well... I DO look through windows on occasion... and twice I saw him layin in his little bed, bashing the bishop like there was no tomorrow while staring over at Potter with this look of complete adoration on his face..." Draco cringed in disgust, "Potter isn't though... he's all over that Mudblood... I doubt he has a clue his best mate would love nothing more than to shove him up against a wall and shag him senseless!"

Blaise got a contemplative little smirk on his face. "I've always liked redheads... So... since you're obviously the one to ask... how well hung is he?" He asked with an evil smirk.

"Agh..." Draco said, cringing, then he sighed, "Well... I guess he wasn't too light in the trousers... pretty decent for a Gryffindor really. I still have him beat, but what's new?" He said, smirking.

Blaise laughed. "You know, one of these days I'm going to make you prove that!"

"Not likely. Now you go get that poor virgin, Blaise. He is in desperate need of your services!" Draco said, chuckling evilly.

"Well..." Blaise said thoughtfully, "It would just be cruel to leave to poor boy languishing in the closet..."

Draco shook his head, trying to free it of the mental images. As Blaise got up and walked out, Draco had no doubt he had just given him a new mission... the tightness in Blaise's jeans alone told him that much. He snickered to himself, imagining Potter's reaction if he should walk in on Ron and Blaise in the rut.

Well, back to business. He looked over the spell... it was complicated, but he felt pretty confident he could accomplish it...

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was almost midnight again when he slipped out the window and back into the night air. It felt strange not to have the cloak over him. He felt so exposed... The grounds before him looked strangely bright... as if darkness itself had accepted him and left him untroubled by its presence... He flew out over the lake, skimming just above the surface, staring down at it. The moonlight gleamed back up at him, uninterrupted by his existence. He had absolutely no reflection. He could see himself and his broom directly, but only in a vague, shimmering way... as if he really were a ghost. He reached down and trailed his fingers through the water, setting off ripples... almost feeling he had to reassure himself he was really there.

He pulled up and veered off over the forest. With a surge of distress, he worried that the Thestrals would not even be able to see him like this... He never felt quite right unless he had flown with them... it had been a nightly ritual ever since the first time they had followed him, the very first time he had ventured out at night. Be it raining, snowing or clear, he flew regardless. Summer had seemed like an unending hell without them.

He sighed happily as they began emerging from the forest. Almost giddy with relief, he began sporting with them in the skies above the Forest. He seemed to forget himself entirely as they soared around in wild, unbridled abandon.

He was still practically vibrating with delight as they finally broke off nearly half an hour later, returning to their home in the Forest as he flew off. He flew back towards the castle, still savoring the feeling of sheer freedom that always blossomed within him during these flights. His father would find it unseemly that he should enjoy sporting with mere beasts in such a manner, but he didn't care. He would give anything to be as free as they were.

As he approached the castle, he abruptly remembered the whole purpose of finding the invisibility spell. He soared straight over to the Gryffindor owlry. She was there, waiting. She wasn't asleep this time. She was looking out towards him as he approached, as if knowing which direction he would come from.

He slowed as he drew nearer. He got the uneasy feeling she could see him when she continued looking in his direction. He glided to the side several feet and had to stifle a sigh of relief as her eyes remained fixed in the distance. He circled around, gliding in the window and silently setting down.

He must have made a sound as he dismounted the broom, because her head spun around. "Hello?" She called softly.

"Hello..." He whispered, "You came back..."

She flashed a little smile. "So did you... I was wondering when it took so long..."

"I'm sorry... I had... other things I had to do first..." he replied. He leaned his broom up against the nearest column and moved closer to her.

"It's you, isn't it?" She asked, grinning.

"What is me?" he asked curiously, sitting down tailor fashion before her on the edge of her quilt so the stone wouldn't be so hard.

"With the Thestrals..."

"How... how do you know about the Thestrals?" He asked, taken aback.

She smiled. "I can see them... I've been able to see them for a little while now..." She said, a far off, haunted look in her eyes. She glanced back towards the forest in the distance. "The way they fly... all together like that... it's not usual... I asked Hagrid... he said he'd never known them to fly in formation on their own..."

He blinked in surprise, "When did you ask Hagrid?"

"When I first saw them... probably a couple months ago... start of the year... I come out here to watch them... it's you they're following, isn't it?" She asked, looking back over to gaze in his direction.

He had to smile. It was a real smile for a change. She'd been watching him! "Yes... I like flying with them... it helps me forget."

"About her?" She asked delicately.

"About everything." He answered with a sigh. The best lie was ninety percent truth... it was a lot more truth than he usually told, but he was willing to give it a try.

"Is it hard? Being a ghost I mean?"

"Being dead isn't nearly as difficult as being alive... no real pressure while you're just flitting about the grounds... no one telling you what to do... what is expected of you... if only I could stop thinking about it all the time... trying to figure out what I did wrong... what I could have changed, and how things would have been different if I had said this, or done that..." he trailed off, trying to get his father's voice out of his head. How often had he wished he could just die and be done with it? Be as free as he imagined himself to be when he flew at night?

He shifted and her eyes darted down, noting the slight movement on the quilt. She reached out. He didn't pull away, letting her fingers touch his chest. Her eyes went wide and she leaned forward, touching him more firmly, running her hand up, feeling his neck and on up to his cheek.

"You're certainly friendly..." he said softly, letting a little mischievousness into his voice.

She jerked her hand back as she felt his mouth moving as he spoke. "You're... solid! But... ghosts aren't..."

He shrugged, though she only heard a slight rustle of material. "I'm just corporeal... I'm sure I'm not the only one."

"But... how?" She said, confused.

"I don't know... perhaps because I'm invisible... maybe we can only effect one sense at a time... of course I used to be just a disembodied soul adrift... I have only been corporal for a short time now really... so it's all still a bit new... I have longed to fly with the Thestrals again for so long... now I finally can... maybe I am corporeal simply because I have wished it for so very long with all that I am."

"Why would you need to be solid?"

"Do you think I could keep up with a Thestral if I weighed nothing? I just drifted on the breeze..."

"Oh... I see your point..."

He sighed sadly, "I lost much of myself during that dark time... I'm only now starting to regain myself..." He reached out, taking one of her hands in his. Her skin felt so hot... but then he knew he would feel quite cool to her... now that he thought about it, he'd stayed the same temperature since he cast the spell. The winds whipping around him as he flew would have normally chilled him to the bone, but they hadn't. He was really getting to like this spell...

She watched her hand in fascination... seeing nothing, yet feeling his cool fingers exploring her skin... it was quite interesting... She fought a shiver as she felt a cool hand stroke down her cheek. He pulled away.

"I've... never touched someone while... like this... is it uncomfortable?" He asked softly, praying it wasn't. He wouldn't get far with her if his touch gave her the willies... and right now he couldn't think of anything he would like more than to keep touching her...

"No... I mean you feel a little cool... but it isn't... _unpleasant..._ I just didn't expect it..."

"Sorry..." he said contritely.

"Um... that's ok... I mean I don't mind... you can, I just... wasn't expecting it is all." She said, a little embarrassed as she realized she had just given him an open invitation to touch her. "What's your name?"

"Darien." He replied without even needing to think about it. It was an easy decision... his mother had once told him that that was what she had wanted to name him, but his father had wanted him to have a stronger name... had told her that they had already had a Darien in the family, and he had proven how abysmal a Malfoy that name would produce. Yet another reason he liked the name. In fact, ever since she'd told him that during Christmas break of last year, he'd been thinking how much he wished they HAD named him Darien... but his father had insisted he have a name that would one day be feared...

Of course his mother had been pissed half out of her skull when she told him that, but he liked to think it might have been true.

She gave him a little smile. "Well... hello Darien... my name is..."

"Ginny, yes I know..."

She blinked, "How do you know that?"

"Your roommates... tell me... did they actually tack your knickers to the Gryffindor common room mantle?" He asked, stifling a chuckle as best he could.

Her cheeks burnt brightly, and the shadows didn't do anything to hide it from him tonight. "Um... yes... which one was it who planned that one?" She asked, her eyes narrowing shrewdly.

"The one with black hair... don't recall her name..."

Ginny nodded thoughtfully and he could practically see a revenge plan forming in her head. He found her vindictiveness quite alluring. He ran his fingers down her exposed arm. She didn't flinch this time at least.

"What does it feel like? I mean touching me?" She asked curiously.

"You're... very hot..." He said, smirking. She blushed again. "It feels odd... but I like it..." He said softly, shifting his hand up to stroke the milky whiteness of her neck. She shivered, but he was pretty sure it wasn't because she was cold. He smirked again. "It's been so long since I've let anyone near me... let them touch me... and touched them..." He said softly, finding himself fascinated by the feel of her warmth fighting to seep into his cool hands... and by the light flush that crept over her collar bones just above the neckline of her nightshirt, despite the coolness of the night.

"Um... last night... when... I woke... were... um... was it just a kiss...?"

He pulled his hand away and felt a rush of heat in his cheeks, despite the cooling effects of the spell. He didn't know how to answer that one. It was more than a little forward to have been kissing her, let alone what else he'd been doing...

After a long, uneasy pause, she twined a bit of her hair around her finger. "I thought so..."

"Sorry..." He said so softly it was barely audible, even in such close proximity.

She gave him a little shy smile. "I... didn't say I didn't like it..." she said, abashed.

He perked up. Did she just say she liked getting fingered by a ghost??? He shifted up, moving slowly over until his mouth was mere inches from her ear. "Would you like me to do it again?" He asked in a low, sensuous whisper. She shivered as his cool breath caressed her neck.

She opened her mouth a couple of times, but seemed unable to form words.

He settled down beside her, gently brushing a hand over her breast. Her breath caught in her throat. He brought his hand to rest on her breast, cupping it, then started massaging it gently through the thin cloth, watching her face for any sign she wanted him to stop...

None came...

He slipped his hand off her breast. She almost looked disappointed until she felt the tiny tug on her nightgown as he began unbuttoning the neck. Her breathing doubled as he slowly undid the front nearly to her navel. He slipped his hand in, feeling her firm, bare breast with his hand for a moment before lowering his head to it. She let out a gasp as she felt the strangely cool feel of his lips and tongue as they explored her breast eagerly. Her hand came up, finding his head and running her fingers through his hair. He was glad he'd removed the usual gel, letting his hair fall loosely. He'd always preferred the feel of the wind playing freely through his hair. He let out a little groan against her as she twined her fingers in his hair, pressing him closer.

He was content to lick and suckle at her pert breasts for a time, then slowly worked his way back up, licking and nipping until her reached those wonderful, hot lips... He didn't need to beg entrance into her velvety mouth this time... she parted her lips almost immediately and he took full advantage of it, exploring every inch of her mouth, reveling in the unusual sensation of what felt like incredible heat.

After a few moments, she let out a little amused sound. He pulled back, wondering what was so funny. She grinned, "Sorry... it's just... you taste like strawberries... I never thought a ghost would taste like strawberries..."

He smirked. "It's what I last ate... they were always my favorite..." He said, making a mental note to remember to eat strawberries any time he wanted to visit her again... though at the rate they were going he might just accomplish his goal tonight...

He returned to kissing her, silently slipping his hand under the blankets covering her lap. She shivered again as his questing hand found its way inside her knickers. She felt almost burning hot against him.

He felt an almost painful throb in his loins as she moaned into his mouth, wrapping her arms around him. He slowly shifted her around onto her back. He slipped his hand out of her knickers, shifting over to lay on top of her, between her legs.

She gasped as he pressed against her. Even through the blanket she could feel his excitement. "Can... can you really...?" she trailed off, too embarrassed to put it into words.

"I would love nothing more than to give you pleasure... just say the word and I will bring you to heights you've never imagined..." He said in a low, sensuous voice, trailing kisses down her neck.

She let out a whimper, closing her eyes. "I... I don't know..." She broke off with a groan as he pressed closer, "I... really shouldn't..." She said, her voice aching with regret.

"Why not? I certainly won't tell... No one would ever have to know..." He said, his lips caressing her shoulder, sucking gently on the delicate skin.

"I've just... I've never..." She muttered, losing track of what she was saying.

He lifted his head, looking at her in astonishment. "You've never what?" he asked her gently.

She turned beet red and turned her head to the side, staring fixedly away from him, "I've never... been with anyone... not... physically at least..." She admitted, mortified. There was something in her voice... the haunted look returning to her eyes...

"What did he do to you?" he whispered apprehensively.

She closed her eyes and didn't speak.

He pulled back, lifting himself off her and slipping the rest of her blankets back into place as she shivered. He found himself irritatingly unable to go further while she was looking like that. His excitement quickly faded. It was blatantly obvious something had happened to her in the past... He'd never forced himself on a girl... he'd never needed to, nor had he any intention of starting now. His father may have no compunctions against it but, perhaps merely to spite his father, it was one of the rules of being a gentleman that Draco had taken to heart... whether he wanted to or not.

"Darien... please don't leave..." She said achingly as he shifted away.

He settled down on the quilt beside her. "I'm not leaving..." He said gently, brushing away the tear that trickled down her cheek. "What did he do?" he repeated.

She let out a shuddering sign, and lay there in silence so long he wasn't sure she was going to answer. At last she spoke, though it was so softly he had to lean closer to hear. "It was another spirit... but not like you... he lived in a diary... he used it to start controlling me... in the end he came to me... in my dreams... and he... hurt me..."

It was pretty obvious by her tearful tone just HOW he had hurt her... Draco slumped back against the column and pulled his knees up, covering his face with his hands. His head was spinning in a very confusing way... he had nothing to do with it... and yet since it was his father who had placed that diary in her cauldron... pretty much handing her over to Tom Riddle... and he had seen her with the diary... he had recognized it, and yet he had kept silent, knowing who had given it to her. He felt a profound guilt rise up in him. His father had gotten a young girl controlled and mentally raped by some sick, twisted remnant of an even more twisted man.

He didn't understand the horrible aching that started up in his chest... or why he could feel cool trickles of wetness falling down his cheeks. He quickly decided there must be something wrong with the spell... that was the only explanation... he was a Malfoy damn it! He didn't get emotional! Especially about something like this that wasn't even his doing!

He got to his feet abruptly. "You should get some sleep..." He said hurriedly.

She blinked up at the sound of his voice, her face full of surprise. "But... you said you wouldn't leave..." She said, pained.

The strange sensation in his chest grew stronger. "Please just go to bed, Ginny..." he said softly, trying hard to keep the aching out of his voice as he hugged himself.

She got up, pulling one of the blankets around her like a robe. "Darien..." She said sadly, moving forward, holding out her hand until it made contact with him. Her hands drifted up, caressing his cheek. She gave a little gasp of surprise, pulling her hand back and staring at it as she felt the wetness on it.

Draco couldn't handle it... no one had seen him cry since he was four! He ran across the little owlry, grabbing his broom and plunging recklessly out the window. He mounted the broom in midair, but suddenly found the ground rushing towards him strangely mesmerizing... he finally snapped out of it, pulling his broom up, narrowly avoiding smashing straight into the hard cobblestones. He raced along the ground so close he could have drug the tips of his shoes across the grass, darting around the castle to his waiting window.

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	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

AN: This chapter contains 'slash' type memories/situations/actions. Do not read it if this offends you in any way. I will put a short "PG" summary at the beginning of the next chapter so you don't miss anything important.

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Ron walked glumly down the corridor, trailing after Harry and Hermione. He tried hard not to glare as Hermione slipped her arm around Harry's waist. He was almost certain they had finally 'gotten together' over the last weekend... a thought that he found even more vexing when Hermione had hugged him Sunday morning and told him that she really liked him too... just not in _that way_... like he would lay a finger on HER! He sighed. It was true... at one time he HAD thought he was attracted to her... it had been quite distressing for him when he realized it wasn't HER he'd wanted...

He could still remember the moment of realization... It had been after they had won a quidditch match... there had been a huge celebration of course... and the twins had managed to procure a large quantity of butterbeer. That stuff may be mild, but if you drink enough of it...

He and Harry, being somewhat new to any kind of liquor, had gotten fairly pissed... they had made their way up to their room before their roommates (of course THEY had passed out in the common room, so it wasn't as if Harry and Ron were merely leaving early...). They had both been quite unsteady when they got to the room, staggering around. Ron had tripped and quite nearly fallen straight on his face... Harry had caught him, laughing, and drug him over to his bed.

Harry fell over as he was trying to wrestle Ron up onto his bed, and lay there to rest, both of them still giggling helplessly. Ron remembered waking up some time later... Harry had either passed out or fallen asleep on his bed beside him... he opened his eyes to find him laying there... mere inches before him... his arm draped over Ron's side... his butterbeer scented breath tickling his cheek...

As he looked at Harry's face... so close, and so innocent as he slumbered... he had felt something he hadn't expected... he felt like he wanted nothing more than to touch him... to KISS him... it was a shocking revelation for him at the time, but since then he had come to realize he had felt that way all along... he'd just denied it... he couldn't handle it... and yet once he realized it, he couldn't deny it anymore...

Ron had lain there for endless, breathless minutes, just watching him as he slept. Harry shifted over a bit more in his sleep, bringing his lips so close Ron couldn't stop himself. He closed the bare millimeters between them. The feather light kiss sent a thrill through him like nothing else ever had. His head spun wildly as Harry began kissing back in his sleep, the hand draped over his side drawing him closer. Ron thought he was about to pass out again... Harry released his lips after a long, lovely kiss...

"Hermione..." Harry murmured in his sleep, his voice full of wistful longing.

Ron felt a sudden, sharp stab of pain in his chest. His arm shot out, shoving Harry roughly off the side of his bed onto the hard stone floor. He rolled over on his stomach to hide how much Harry had 'effected' him, turning his head to the other side and feigning sleep as Harry struggled up, making sounds of irritation and pain. He had just gotten up, saw Ron apparently sleeping, and dragged himself to his own bed, assuming he'd just had another dream and rolled out of the bed... He'd never even given it a second thought.

Ever since that night Ron had kicked himself for his rash actions. Harry might never be his... but he might have at least gotten a bit more of a taste that night...

Ron trudged down the corridor, trying hard to exorcise the thoughts from his head. Whenever he dwelled on the memory he always wound up gloomy and depressed... and of course eventually Hermione noticed and tried to cheer him up... No matter how many times he told her he was NOT mooning over her, she still never seemed to believe him. She would just give him this knowing smile and pat him on the back and try to comfort him... one of these days he was going to snap and tell her to get her bloody hands off him and bugger off! Him mooning over her would be like him mooning over Ginny! It was just so... WRONG!

He sighed, trying to gather himself up so he could sit next to them through an entire meal without sulking. He didn't even notice the footsteps behind him coming closer until they had drawn abreast of him.

He glanced over to see who it was and almost stumbled. Zabini! He was walking right beside him, gazing casually towards Harry as he walked with a slightly amused look on his face. Slytherins never got this close to Gryffindors voluntarily unless they were planning something. Ron looked ahead, seeing if the Slytherins were setting some kind of ambush. He was so worried about Harry that he was completely taken by surprise as Blaise seized him, clapping a hand over his mouth and shoving him through what appeared to be a solid wall.

He suddenly found himself in a small alcove with only one torch lending it's feeble light. "Hey! What are you playing at!" Ron said angrily as Blaise released him, reaching for his wand.

Blaise leaned up against the wall opposite him, watching him with a little smirk as he searched for the wand. After a moment, Blaise held it up, "Looking for this?" He asked, his smirk growing wider. Ron made a grab for it, but Blaise made it vanish as quickly as it had appeared. "Ah ah ah!" Blaise said lightly with evident amusement in his voice, "I'll be keeping ahold of that for the time being..."

Ron growled in irritation and tried to get back out to go and tell a teacher, but whatever passage they had entered through seemed to have sealed itself behind them. Only cold hard stone met his searching hands.

"Bloody hell!" Ron growled, rounding on Blaise and looking him over warily. He was a good couple of inches taller than Blaise, but somehow the shorter, dark haired boy seemed very intimidating at the moment... He tried to ignore it, "Let me out Zabini!" He said in a low, dangerous voice.

"In a bit..." Blaise said casually, his dark eyes traveling slowly down Ron's body.

Ron started getting nervous. He was trapped and wandless in a small room with a Slytherin! This couldn't be good... and why was he looking at him like that? "If you don't let me out, I'll..." Ron started heatedly.

"You'll what?" Blaise broke in coolly, "You're at my mercy and you know it. No one saw me... no one would even suspect me..."

Ron swallowed, fear growing in his stomach. He was right... in fact it would probably take Harry and Hermione all day to notice he was gone as transfixed as they'd been with eachother of late... "What do you want?" He asked, trying to keep the fear out of his voice.

A smirk worked its way over Blaise's features. "Calm down Weasley... I'm not going to hurt you... I have much more interesting things in mind..." He said, his gaze once again drifting over Ron in that slow, methodical way.

Ron shifted uneasily, "Like... um... what?"

Blaise leisurely ambled over to him, stealthy and graceful as a cat. The intensity in his dark, burning eyes making Ron shiver. He didn't stop until his face was so close Ron could smell the heady cologne that clang to him. Ron felt a little flutter inside as he pressed back against the wall.

"He'll never be yours, you know..." Blaise said in a sensuous whisper, "Why not find someone better suited...?"

Ron's breathing doubled as his head spun, "I... I don't know what you're talking about." He said defiantly, feeling as if Blaise had looked right into the memory that had been plaguing him just moments before, trying and failing to keep his voice from trembling as Blaise's breath caressed his neck.

"He's hardly worthy anyway... pawing HER right there in front of you... not exactly the sensitive type..." He whispered softly, staring into his eyes in a way that made all the girls weak in the knees.

Ron swallowed a lump in his throat. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep his heart from fluttering every time Blaise spoke. This Slytherin boy couldn't possibly be coming on to him... could he? His knees weren't feeling that steady anymore either... He tried to reign in his errant thoughts. "Harry's my best mate! Don't be talking about him like that!" He said, mustering all the anger he could.

Blaise chuckled throatily. "I thought you didn't know what I was talking about..." He whispered.

Ron was having a hard time breathing, especially realizing he had just all but admitted being attracted to Harry. It was just so very confusing having this boy so close to him.

Blaise drifted closer, his lips capturing Ron's. All of Ron's senses seemed to go haywire as those soft, sensuous lips burned against his. He was too stunned to object as Blaise deepened the kiss, his tongue prizing it's way into his mouth.

Ron's eyes fluttered back open, his mind still reeling as Blaise finally released his lips several moments later. Ron gasped, staring at the smirking boy in stunned silence for a moment before finding his voice, "What are you going to do to me?" He asked in a whisper, not sure if the emotion running through him was fear... or excitement.

Blaise's gaze became positively predatory. "What would you like me to do to you, Weasley?" He whispered huskily, his hands trailing under Ron's robes.

"Le... let me go..." Ron managed, though with much more difficulty than he expected.

Blaise chuckled. "Oh come now Weasley... I think your decision is a bit hasty... I tell you what... how about I... see where things lead... and if you want me to stop... you just say so."

"Stop." Ron said immediately, feeling Blaise's hand stray down to his trousers.

Blaise chuckled, "Now Weasley... obviously we have a misunderstanding here... you see... I can't STOP if I haven't yet STARTED... you have to wait until I have something to stop..."

Ron's breath became almost frantic as Blaise undid Ron's pants, those dark eyes never leaving his face. His already flush face turned completely beet red all the way to the ears as Blaise slipped Ron's underwear out of the way. He couldn't exactly claim a total lack of interest when the evidence of his excitement was jutting out rigidly before him. He quickly bit his lip to stifle a groan as Blaise caressed him.

Ron had just about worked up the willpower to tell him to stop when Blaise slipped down onto his knees before him...

---

Ron became aware again slowly. He felt fingers stroking through his hair, heard a strong heartbeat where his head rest against Blaise's chest. He blinked his eyes open and saw Blaise gazing down at him with a warm smile on his lips. He knew he should be alarmed, but he couldn't get over the deep, sated feeling that had settled over him.

"Do you always get that loud when you come?" Blaise asked. He was smiling, but there was no scorn or teasing in his voice.

"Um... not usually..." Ron said, his mind still not quite with it enough to lie yet.

"Never had one pass out on me... I must be getting better..." Blaise said merrily.

Ron blushed again, but couldn't bring himself to pull away, though he was half draped across Blaise, who was sitting casually against the wall, gently cradling him in his arms. He just couldn't stop thinking about that warm, talented mouth... nothing he'd experienced before even came close.

"Tell me... do you like girls too?" Blaise asked conversationally.

Ron blinked, "Um... ya... some of them..." he said uncertainly.

"How about Pansy?"

Ron swallowed. He'd never admitted it aloud, but he'd always thought she looked utterly shaggable. But then she was a Slytherin... of course so was this BOY who had just given him his first blow job.

Blaise chuckled. "I'm guessing that the answer is yes... you might want to sheath your hampton before you give me more ideas... you wouldn't want to miss dinner entirely... you need your strength..."

Ron looked down and blushed again, realizing his pants were still undone, and he had indeed begun to 'revive'. He shifted up, pulling his clothing back into place and fastening up, then leaning up against the wall, looking over at Blaise warily. "Why did you do that?"

Blaise chuckled softly, "It would be a crime to leave such an attractive, well hung boy in the closet all alone... you're a virgin, aren't you?"

Ron wanted to refute it, but he dropped his eyes miserably. He knew it was pretty glaringly obvious from the assured look on Blaise's face. He sighed, giving a slight nod.

"Excellent..." Blaise said, eyeing him avidly. "How would you like it if Pansy and I gave you a little initiation?" He asked suggestively.

Ron's eyes went round. "What do you mean?" He asked, though he was reasonably sure he already knew.

Blaise smirked. "Oh... just you, Pansy and myself getting together and shagging eachother senseless... she rather likes sharing... and being shared for that matter..."

Ron's head was spinning wildly again.

"I'll tell you what... we'll be waiting in the Room of Requirement at ten friday night. I trust you know where that is, and you're a prefect, so no one will stop you in the corridors. Do try not to keep us waiting. She's not very patient when promised a good shag." Blaise said with a smirk, handing him his wand and rising.

Ron watched him, too numb with shock to do or say anything as Blaise walked through the previously solid wall, making it dissipate into a normal stone arch.

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	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Summary of chapter 5 for those of you who skipped it: Harry and Hermione are together. Hermione is convinced that Ron is upset because he likes HER. Ron actually thinks of her as a sister and is in no way interested, but he has a crush on Harry. Ron had a little flashback type memory of when he first realized he liked Harry. In essence they had gotten drunk after winning a quidditch match, they had passed out... during the night there had been a kiss while Harry wasn't quite awake... Harry called Ron 'Hermione' and found himself unceremoniously on the floor. End flashback. Ron was walking behind Harry and Hermione towards the Great Hall for dinner, Blaise pulls him into an alcove, seals him in and disarms him. Blaise... erm... 'plays' with him a bit... then tells Ron to meet him and Pansy in the Room of Requirement on Friday at ten P.M. for a little 'play date'... That's about it.

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Chapter 6

Draco cringed in disgust the minute he saw the smug, satisfied smirk on Blaise's face as he strolled into the Great Hall late. He immediately held up his hand restrainingly as Blaise took a seat beside him. "I don't want to know." He said tiredly.

"You're no fun." Blaise said with a fake pout. He couldn't maintain it, his self-satisfied smirk returning almost instantly. He pretended to be a good boy, munching away at his food and keeping silent for the remainder of the mealtime.

Draco thought he was actually going to get away without having to hear about it when Blaise leaned over to him. He cringed and braced himself.

"I'm calling your bluff." He whispered in Draco's ear.

Draco blinked at him, surprised, "What?"

"If you expect me to believe you're bigger than HIM, you have GOT to prove it!" He said with a mischievous smirk.

Draco sighed and rolled his eyes. "I really don't care WHAT you believe Blaise." He said tiredly, getting up and strolling towards the doors. He came to a stop, spotting Ginny walking towards the door. He felt an odd sensation in his stomach, quickly turning on his heel to return to his seat as she came to a stop to wait for Hermione to catch up with her.

He was so distracted he nearly collided with Blaise, who had been hurrying after him. "Whoa there big boy." Blaise said with a smirk, not bothering to pull back. "What's got your knickers in a twist?"

Draco glared at him, then brushed past him, "Just going to take some food back to my room." He lied smoothly. He sighed as the tables cleared, using up his only excuse. He shrugged and turned back towards the door, hoping Blaise, and more importantly Ginny, had left already.

No such luck of course. Blaise was still standing there, looking at him with a hint of concern in his dark eyes. Draco glanced past him. Well, at least Ginny was finally leaving. He began walking back towards the door slowly.

"We can go by the kitchen on the way back to the Dungeon." Blaise said, clapping a friendly hand on Draco's shoulder.

Draco just shook his head. "Forget it. I'm not really hungry anyway." He said, his voice devoid of emotion.

"Are you alright?" Blaise asked, dropping his voice with real concern.

"Fine." Draco said shortly.

"Oh come on... you've been acting very... _odd_ this year... first this whole not sleeping thing... now not eating? Breakfast lunch and dinner are all the same. Even when you actually bother to attend meals you barely touch the food... I was here for nearly twenty minutes and all you ate was two grapes and half of a roll, and that was only after you caught me staring at you!"

"Well maybe I just prefer eating alone." Draco replied pointedly.

"Ah... ok... I see... just don't like the company... so you're saying there is nothing wrong with you?" Blaise said disbelievingly.

"Nothing is wrong with me." Draco said, glaring over at him as he walked.

"Ok... ok, then just explain something to me..."

"What?" Draco asked, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"Why haven't you shagged anyone all term?" Blaise asked with a knowing smirk.

Draco stopped abruptly, "That's not true!"

"Oh really... who have you shagged then? I want names and dates!" Blaise said, crossing his arms over his chest and smirking.

Draco opened his mouth for an angry retort, but then closed it, thinking furiously, trying to remember. Surely there had been someone? His mind was pulling a shocking blank. It wasn't possible he had made it nearly to Christmas break without so much as a single shag... was it? And it wasn't as if he'd gotten any over the summer... spending all of his time locked away in his room... after being without for THAT long he should have shagged half the girls in Slytherin House by the end of the first week! "Bugger off Zabini. It's none of your bloody business who I shag!" He growled, starting towards the dungeon once again.

"Ha!" Blaise said triumphantly, prancing up beside him, "You haven't gone more than a week without a shag since you were thirteen... and yet this long of a dry spell didn't even register? We should take you to St. Mungo's immediately!"

Draco glared over at him. He was tempted to tell him he had very nearly gotten some the night before, but he couldn't bring himself to... there would be too many questions, and he wasn't about to answer any of them. "So I've had other things on my mind. There IS more to life than shagging!"

Blaise stumbled to a halt, clapping his hands over his ears as if Draco had just voiced the world's most lewd profanity. "How could you utter such a despicable remark, Draco!?!" He said, looking scandalize.

Draco gave a derisive snort, not pausing as he continued on his way. He muttered the password and entered the Slytherin common room, ignoring the others as he headed straight to his room.

Crabbe and Goyle watched him mutely as he passed. Blaise wasn't the only one who had noticed Draco's strange behavior. After a number of loud, irritated outbursts, they had finally relented, leaving his side at Draco's own insistence. They were forced to merely watch the boy they thought was their friend retreat further and further from them. Blaise was the only one he was still talking to... and that was simply because Blaise seemed completely incapable of taking a hint.

Draco settled down on his bed, snatching up one of the books still scattered around it and opening it. He hadn't even gotten through a paragraph when the door opened and closed. He didn't even have to look over as the bed was jostled. "Get out." He grumbled.

"All kidding aside, Draco... I'm worried about you... how long has it been since you've slept?" Blaise said in an unusually somber voice.

Draco sighed testily, lowering the book. "And what makes you think that's any of your bloody business Zabini? Why are you being like this?"

Blaise looked over at him sadly, "You may not care for me, Draco... but I count you as a friend... probably my ONLY real friend... I can't stand seeing you like this."

Draco looked up, his anger fizzling out a bit at the sight of the sincerity in Blaise's eye... probably the first time he'd ever seen it there... He sighed. "I'm fine Blaise... I've just been a bit... out of sorts..." He finally admitted. "It's probably just everything with my father and this bloody war..." He said, his eyes clouding with returning anger.

"He's told you, hasn't he? He's set a date..." It wasn't really a question.

Draco couldn't meet Blaise's eyes as his throat tightened painfully. "He sent me a letter at the beginning of summer break... it's to happen about a month after the Holidays... on my birthday..." He managed to get out.

"You don't have to get it, Draco! Hogwarts can afford you at least a little reprieve! I mean if Dumbledore doesn't let you go home it's not like your father could get on the grounds..."

Draco snorted derisively, looking away. "What's the point?" He said as a fatalistic calm settled over him, "It's inevitable... you don't actually think POTTER is going to defeat the Dark Lord!?!"

Blaise sighed, "Admittedly that sounds pretty unlikely... but the longer you put it off, the better the chance that circumstances will change and you could get out of it! You can't just give up like this!"

Draco got up angrily, stalking across the room and snatching up his broom. By the time Blaise got to his door, the Slytherin common room door was already drifting shut. He sighed sadly and rubbed his hand over his face.

--------------

Draco sat in the abandoned classroom, just letting the chill air from the window play over him until dusk finally arrived. As soon as he judged that the sun was well and good behind the horizon, he cast the spell on himself and his broom.

He took off almost immediately, flying around the castle at breakneck speed, trying to work out some of his frustrations... it was still far too early for the Thestrals. It was still pretty light, and it wasn't even curfew yet for the upperclassmen. He certainly didn't want more witnesses... that's all he'd need, to start drawing a crowd!

He dodged and weaved through the many towers and turrets of the sprawling castle, passing so close his trailing robe often whipped against the stone. He sighed as he spotted a couple of students in a courtyard looking up, having heard the snap of his robes in the wind. He flew up and began circling, looking around. Where would he go until all of the irritating onlookers were safely in their little beds?

He eventually flew off towards the Quidditch pitch. It had always been one of his favorite places on the grounds... of course it was also the place where he had suffered so many defeats by Potter... and the resulting sessions of his father expressing his displeasure in his usual way in the locker rooms or out under the stands... at least he didn't have to deal with THAT now that his father was in hiding... but he missed seeing the look of rage in his father's eyes. Seeing his father that disappointed had always been worth the days of recovery afterwards.

Despite those dark times and the emotional and physical scars they had left him with, he still felt oddly at home on the pitch. He had achieved many wins there as well... just not against Gryffindor any time Potter had played Seeker against him.

As he arrived at the pitch he saw that the Ravenclaws were still having their practice. Draco sighed. They appeared to be breaking in their new seeker (The last one had lost her liking for the game after six hits from bludgers in one game). It was also readily apparent that the boy had a lot of work ahead of him. Draco hovered there for nearly five minutes, watching the third year boy race after the elusive golden ball. The other team members were playing still, but in a distracted, time killing kind of way. They were obviously tired from a hard practice and simply waiting for the boy to catch it so they could wrap it up. Much longer and there wouldn't be enough remaining light to see the snitch at all.

Draco sighed in irritation as the boy lost sight of it once again. He just wanted everyone to go back into the castle so he could have the grounds to himself once again! Why couldn't he simply CATCH the bloody thing already?

A little smirk flitted across his face as a thought occurred... He zipped forward, snatching the snitch from the air with ease. He flew over near the boy, clutching the snitch and waving it around until the nearsighted boy finally caught sight of it, then he ripped away leading the boy on a wild chase. It wasn't flying with Thestrals, but it was entertaining at least. He dodged between the boy's teammates, though not close enough that they would feel the breeze as he passed. He found it highly entertaining as the boy chased him, matching his dizzying weaving pattern through the three hoops at one end of the field. Draco was finding it difficult not to laugh aloud whenever he saw the boy's intent expression as he tried desperately to catch the snitch. He might actually make a half decent seeker after all... if he could keep this up that is... He took him through a dizzying display of aerial acrobatics. His teammates were all watching in awe, never having seen the snitch move in this fashion. It usually just made fast, erratic movements punctuated by hovering pauses.

Draco tried to keep the boy in range, letting him keep up, but he kept lagging behind irritatingly. Admittedly, he didn't have quite as good a broom as Draco did, so he grudgingly slowed down whenever he got too far ahead. He glanced back again, seeing how far back the boy was when he saw it. Before he could even think to say or do anything, a bludger hurtled straight into the oblivious boy, caroming off his head. Draco felt a sickening lurch in his stomach as the boy was thrown sideways off his broom and began plummeting towards the ground. It took only a split second to realize he didn't have a chance. They were so far up that the people on the ground looked tiny... and his teammates were simply too far away to do anything.

He didn't know why he did what he did then... but he suddenly found himself pressed flush to the broom, in a full power dive. The ground grew closer at a dizzying rate... he caught up to him barely twenty feet from the ground. He wrapped one of his arms securely around the boy's waist as the other pulled up desperately on the broom to pull it out of it's lethal dive, his body taking the brunt of the boy's downward momentum painfully.

He set down somewhat less than gracefully, but somehow kept his feet. He lowered the boy to the ground. The boy was staring up with dazed shock, trying desperately to see the person he clearly felt. He shivered, his eyes going wider as Draco examined the wound, his cool fingers touching and gently probing the side of his head for a moment.

He sighed in relief. "You'll be alright..." He whispered, seeing the teammates racing for them, "Just keep a watch out for those bludgers mate." He said with a chuckle, clapping him lightly on the shoulder. Draco looked down, feeling a tug and grinned. He pulled the struggling snitch out of his pocket, not even remembering putting it there in the excitement, and reached over, tucking it into the boy's robe pocket.

Remounting his broom, his whole body aching, Draco fell silent, quickly taking off as the nearest teammate landed and ran the last few yards. He flew over, landing on top of the Slytherin dressing room and watching from a distance as they crowded around the boy. He was obviously telling them what had happened, because they all suddenly started looking around. After a minute they gave up, several of his teammates helping him up as the others collected the supplies and his broom.

Draco pulled out his wand, muttering a healing spell. He winced as his shoulder pulled back into place with a disturbingly loud pop, but the tendons and muscles quickly began to numb from the spell. Another couple of spells and he was, if not better, then at least not feeling much pain.

He settled down on the edge of the changing room, dangling his feet over the edge and swinging them absently, trying to figure out why he had done that. It wasn't HIS fault the boy hadn't been paying proper attention... so it couldn't be guilt... not that he felt that very often anyway... it just irritated him... he couldn't help thinking that it had been something POTTER would have done... risking his life just to try to help someone.

He scrubbed his fingers through his hair and sighed. Perhaps it was just another emerging aspect of his growing fatalism? He wasn't to the point of actually doing something stupid like killing himself outright... but he found himself becoming much less opposed to the idea of dying... perhaps it was just growing beyond his fascination with activities that might get him killed... like spending so much time over the Forbidden Forest with creatures that had been long thought to herald misfortune and death... like playing chicken with the Whomping Willow... even he had to admit that wasn't something an entirely sane person should be even thinking about doing... Maybe this was just another such pursuit? Had he done it because he knew instinctively he had a good chance of getting himself killed in the inadvisable rescue? Was it just a convenient excuse to risk his life once again? That had to be it. The only other possibility was that his conscience made him do it... and that was something that had rarely bothered to even ATTEMPT to persuade him to do good deeds in the past. Definitely fatalism then.

"Hello." A soft voice called from below.

-----------------------------------


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Well, probably what most of you have been waiting for; 'Lucky' number seven ;) This chapter contains sexual situations/descriptions. If that bothers you, don't read.

Chapter 7

Draco was so startled he nearly fell off the roof as a soft voice greeted him. He looked down, spotting Ginny. She was looking up as if she could see him. He quickly stilled. He was still invisible as far as he knew... he didn't know how she could seem to see him... perhaps she was guessing? If so she was pretty amazing at guessing... Maybe if he was really quiet she would go away....

She gave him a little smile when he didn't respond. "If you don't want to be found, might I suggest you quit kicking the Slytherin banner?" She said, her voice full of mirth.

He leaned forward and looked down, then groaned in irritation. His shoes were indeed dimpling the fabric of the large banner. "Father would kill me..." He muttered amusedly, pulling up his feet. Seeing there was no point in pretending not to be there, he grabbed his broom and glided down before her.

"What are you doing here?" He asked softly. He knew it must be getting steadily harder for her to see in the growing darkness. He knew it wouldn't bother him though... and he liked the way it made her pupils dilate in an attempt to gather enough light to see. He quickly brushed aside such thoughts.

"I... wasn't sure you would come back... so I went looking for you..." She said, dropping her eyes. "I saw the Ravenclaw seeker and I knew where to find you... snitches don't move like that."

Draco felt a little warmth creeping into his cool cheeks. "I was just having a bit of fun..." He said contritely, "He needed the practice anyway..."

"And then that bludger..." She said softly.

There was a definite warmth to his cheeks this time. "It's not my fault he wasn't paying proper attention..." He began.

"You saved his life." She said, her eyes shining as moonlight began taking over.

He fell silent, not knowing what to say to that.

"Don't try to deny it... unless you expect me to believe he suddenly learned how to fly on his own? While half unconscious and wandless no less?" She said, clearly amused.

"Why did you seek me out?" He asked, quickly changing the subject.

"I want to know why you went away last night..." She said reluctantly, her voice aching a bit.

He sighed. "I just don't think I should bother you further... it's obvious spirits have been less than kind to you in the past. I don't want to become another scar." He said heavily.

She shook her head, obviously not believing it. "That's not all. Why is what happened to me effecting you so much? You aren't... _related_ to... _him_ are you?"

Draco snorted. "I'm no heir of Slytherin." He said immediately.

"But... you were a Slytherin, weren't you?" she asked gently.

His eyes went wide and he once again remained silent.

She nodded. "I thought as much. Why else would you have had to meet her in such a secluded place? And of course there was your choice of perches..." She said, looking up at the Slytherin banner billowing lazily in the breeze.

He sighed. "Yes... I'm a Slytherin... so you see, it would be best if you just go back to the castle... if you're quick you can make it before curfew... and you don't have to worry... I'll not bother you again." He said sadly.

She stepped forward, reaching out blindly until she found him, then moving closer and trailing her fingers over the cool skin of his cheek. "You aren't a bad person just because you were in Slytherin... I think you are a very caring and loving man... I don't care what House you were once in."

He was surprised, to say the least, that she would so easily brush off something that should have been a big red flag for her... he probably had a decent chance at her if only he... He sighed, knowing that for some reason he couldn't let her believe that was the whole extent of it. "I saw what was happening and I didn't stop it... I saw you writing in the journal and I knew it for what it was... my silence cost you so very much... I knew it would... and yet I couldn't stop it... I couldn't help you when you so desperately needed it... I should have been able to find a way to tell you... yet I felt duty bound not to... I'm so sorry..." he said achingly.

She blinked in confusion. "You felt duty bound because it was another Slytherin that gave me the book?"

"More than that..." He admitted softly, "I may loath my family, but I cannot seem to bring myself to openly oppose them..." He admitted softly. He wasn't sure why he was admitting this, but he seemed unable to stop himself.

Her eyes went wide in shock. "You're a Malfoy?" she asked with a squeak.

"Obviously not a very good one... and I would change it in a heartbeat if I could... but I can't... so yes, I am..." He said regretfully.

She stood there for a long moment with an unreadable look on her face. The ache that filled his chest was so profound that it shocked him... why did he care so very much if she accepted him or not? Even if she did, it still wouldn't be HIM that she was accepting... not DRACO... she would be accepting Darien Malfoy, the boy who had died for his love many years ago... a boy who had probably felt more love and compassion in his short life than Draco would if he lived to be two hundred! He shook himself, realizing he was thinking of his made up character as a real person... one who had really lived... It just seemed the more he pretended to be Darien, the more real Darien was in his mind... and the more he felt he WANTED to be Darien... With a sudden rush of realization, his previous actions in saving the boy became clear. It is what Darien would have done...

He felt himself begin to tremble. This was wrong... he shouldn't be feeling like this... this girl's rejection of him should NOT be effecting him so much... he was a MALFOY! The rush of regret at that thought shocked him even more. He may have hated his father, but he had never felt the seething shame at the mere thought of his family that welled up in him at that moment. He turned. He couldn't look at her any longer.

He had to get away and think... yes... that would be best...

He hadn't gotten more than a couple of paces when he felt a hand grab hold of the back of his robe. He stopped, not turning.

"Please don't go..." She said softly.

"Listen... it's ok... really... I understand..." He said in an pained voice, "I wouldn't want anything to do with me either..."

"I never said I didn't want anything to do with you..." She said gently.

He turned as she released her hold on his robe. He looked into her eyes searchingly as she reached up, her hand finding his chest and sliding up. He felt a flutter in his chest as her warm hand ran up his neck, coming to rest on his cheek. His eyes went wide as she leaned forward, up on her tiptoes, and kissed him.

All conscious thought immediately fleeing, he took her in his arms, kissing her with a dizzying surge of pure passion. She melted against him unhesitatingly. Time seemed to stand still as they lost themselves in the kiss....

Neither knew how long they stood there like that, oblivious to the world around them... but both were suddenly brought back around as something tugged on Draco's robe... They looked down, spotting something neither of them had ever seen before... a Thestral colt...

Ginny let out a little gasp of delight and the colt immediately released the bit of robe it had in it's teeth and shied timidly. Draco knelt, holding out his hand to it encouragingly. With obvious trepidation, it slowly approached again. Ginny watched in wonder, then looked up between the changing room and the stands. There were nearly half a dozen more colts watching, scattered between the pitch and the Forbidden Forest. The one before them, though by far the smallest (looking like it was most likely a runt, coming up barely past her knees in height), was obviously the bravest of the lot. She looked down and stifled a laugh, not wanting to startle it again. The unruly locks of it's mane were being ruffled.

Draco stared at it with fascination. The colt quickly lost all reluctance, stepping up to him and nuzzling against him. He chuckled softly as he stroked the surprisingly silken fur of it's neck. "Hey tiger... you're a brave one, aren't you?" He said affectionately.

Ginny had to smile. From what she could see in the moonlight, the colt did in fact appear to have a slight striping to it's coat... like dark brown on black. She wondered if they all had such patterning at this age, but was too far away from the others to tell.

Draco glanced over, noting the others. He felt a surge of pride, somehow knowing that this was a great honor indeed. He'd never heard of anyone seeing their young... Even the texts didn't have any mention of them, which was odd, because they usually told of creatures from the nature of their birth all the way through their life cycle.

He looked over, seeing the adults slowly emerging from the Forest. He had only ever flown with them... never actually come into contact with them... He grabbed up his broom and rose, taking Ginny's hand in his other hand, and led her towards them, the little striped colt prancing along at his side. She followed, though hesitantly. It was pretty obvious that this greeting was for him, and she wasn't sure she would be welcome...

When he finally reached the lead adult, he stopped, bowing respectfully. It bowed its head in return, then let him pet it. More of the colts wandered over, several of them nibbling on his robe.

He laughed, realizing they wanted to play... they had probably seen him flying with their parents and wanted to join in, but were still too young. "You wanna play eh? Well come on then..." He said, mounting his broom. He took off, staying just a couple of feet off the ground and going slow. The colt quickly gave chase.

Ginny giggled, watching the young colts romping off, obviously following him just like their parents did. A couple of the older colts kept putting their wings out and fluttering a bit now and again, gliding a bit when they could get up enough momentum. It was obvious from their little bird-like churrs that they were having fun.

They eventually worked their wending way back to where their parents waited. He got off his broom, but the colts still seemed to want to play. He let them bowl him over, wrestling around with them a bit very carefully, taking special care with their little leathery wings. After a few minutes of this, one of the adults suddenly let out a loud bird-like screech, making Ginny start slightly.

The colts stopped, looking over, and reluctantly scampered back to the safety of the Forest. The littlest lingered, looking torn. Draco gave it's mane one more affectionate ruffle. "Go on, Tiger. I'll try to come back to see you sometime..." He said.

The colt let out a little screech, butting it's head against him in what was probably a very affectionate way for a Thestral, then scampering off. He watched it go with a smile. Yes... Tiger definitely suited it...

He looked over in surprise as one of the adults came up to him, nosing his sleeve. He pulled it up, trying to look at it through the blurred haze that the spell allowed him to see. He knew it hurt... he had felt one of the colts accidentally scratch him while they were playing. With talons like that, it was inevitable... he realized that it was why they had been called away... the others had smelt his blood and known he had been hurt.

He just watched as the Thestral began licking his forearm. He wasn't sure why he didn't pull away, but the stinging of the cut quickly vanished as the creature diligently cleaned it. When it was done, there was nothing more than a vague hint of an ache left.

He looked up as Ginny let out a little gasp. He followed her gaze and saw dozens of adult Thestrals emerging from the Forest, watching him intently. He grinned and went over to Ginny. "Looks like they're eager to play as well..."

She smiled and nodded. "Ok... maybe... maybe we could meet in the same place when you're done?" She asked hopefully.

He was struck by an inspiration. "Come with me Ginny!" He said eagerly, "Come fly with us!"

Her eyes went wide. "But... I can't fly!"

He let out a little laugh, going over and fetching up his broom from where he'd dropped it when playing, then came back over to her. "Neither can I! Not without help that is... I'm corporeal, remember?"

"But then how...?" She let out a little surprised sound as he swept her up, placing her on the broom in front of him. She felt it, quickly slipping her leg over and settling into place. "Now a broom I can handle." She said, her confidence returning. She giggled, imagining someone seeing her... she would be quite a sight... a girl just flying through the air, seemingly on her own...

"That I know." He said mirthfully, nudging the broom and sending them rocketing up into the sky. She looked back, watching the flock of Thestrals taking wing, following them in a large, but neat procession. She had never seen so many follow him at once before. It should have been unsettling riding on an invisible broom with an invisible boy, especially remembering her flight on a Thestral before she had been able to see them, yet she felt strangely safe and secure. He kept one arm wrapped around her waist the whole time, holding her tightly against him as they flew.

Even though he was the one steering, she felt oddly free as they flew. He went through a dizzying array of aerial acrobatics. She was quite exceptional on a broom herself, but he did moves even SHE had never attempted, pulling them off with what seemed like effortless ease.

She let out a cry of joy as he pulled off a heart-stopping move, which the Thestrals duplicated with ease. He leveled off and shifted his head forward, bringing his mouth to her ear. "Take over." He said, his lips brushing her ear and sending a shiver through her.

She hesitantly gripped the invisible broom. After a moment's hesitation, she got the feel of the broom and grinned, starting to put it through it's paces and testing it's maneuverability and speed to it's limits. The rush that was flowing through her only intensified, especially after he released the broom all together, wrapping both arms around her and nuzzling his face into her long hair. She knew this was his silent way of telling her it was all her, and he wouldn't interfere at all... she tried not to let the feel of his body pressed up against her back distract her... too much at least...

In no time at all, she was pulling off moves just as wild as those he had been performing earlier. The broom was so responsive it seemed to encourage her to push it harder. The only limits she set for herself were the edges of the Forbidden forest... which at the speeds she was going suddenly seemed a whole lot smaller... The Thestrals seemed to be enjoying it just as much as she was...

It seemed like barely any time had passed when she noticed the Thestrals starting to break off. She sighed when the last few stragglers drifted down below the dark canopy of the Forest. She slowed, turning back towards the castle. "The end comes all too soon, doesn't it?" He whispered softly in her ear.

She smiled, wondering if it always seemed so brief to him... it had felt like only a few minutes, but she knew from how numb her face and arms were that it had been much longer. He slid his hand back down onto the handle, heading them towards Gryffindor tower. She watched it approach. She'd never come at it from the air before. It seemed so much larger inside than it looked from outside... perhaps it was another spell...

They glided neatly through one of the owlry windows and came to a stop. She slipped off the broom and heard him settle down, carefully not stepping on the quilts and blankets. She usually left most of them up there so no one would see her hauling them back and forth and ask questions. She kept up a drying spell on them in case it rained, and every week or so she found them neatly folded, the house elves obviously having cleaned them.

She stood there, unsure what to say. She pulled her cloak closer, shivering at the crisp wind that flowed through, whipping her hair around like a red cloud. She heard him muttering softly, and the whole inside of the owlry suddenly glimmered with golden light. When it faded, the wind had suddenly diminished greatly, now no more than a gentle breeze... and to her surprise, the air around her quickly began to warm.

"What did you do?" She asked, reaching her hand towards the window. As soon as it passed beyond the sill she felt the cold, cutting wind, but when she pulled it back her hand was warm once more.

"It's called a Sanctuary charm. It creates a safe haven out of any room or structure. Can last up to a couple of weeks. Blocks cold, rain, snow, malignant spells... it also helps hide the occupants. It makes anyone looking feel that anything they would see here would be insignificant and they therefore look away... and it blocks sound of course." He said, taking one of her arms and rubbing it to try to help return some of the circulation and warm it up. "I hope it's warm enough... I can't really tell... sorry I'm not much help warming you up..."

She blushed. He actually WAS helping her warm up quite a bit... She couldn't help but think of that kiss...

"Did you like it?" He asked softly.

She blinked, "Um... huh?" She asked, startled out of her train of thought, feeling as if he had been able to read her thoughts.

He chuckled softly, "The flight... did you like it?"

"Oh... yes! Yes I liked it very much... that was just... thank you!" She said, blushing and smiling.

He chuckled again. "I think they liked it too... I don't think they've ever flown with anyone else..."

"Did... YOU like it?" She asked tentatively.

His hands stilled on her arm, but didn't let go. He didn't speak for a moment. "I... I've never shared that with anyone else before..." he said at last, "I wasn't sure if I would like it... like sharing them. I mean... ever since the first time... I've always felt like these flights were just between me and them... very... personal... it made me feel special that they chose to fly with me... like maybe they saw something in me that was worth something... that's not something that I have felt very often... and I was afraid... that... well if they flew with someone else as well... that it would make it less special... and me less special as well... does that make any sense?"

She sighed sadly, "I'm sorry Darien... I shouldn't have joined you... I didn't mean to..." She fell silent and a cool finger pressed to her lips.

"I was just telling you what I thought before, Ginny..." He said, his finger slipping away, "But when we flew together... I cannot even describe how amazing that was... I've never felt so close to anyone before... just having you there with me... I just felt..." She felt him shiver, "It has never been that intense before..." he said in a low, husky voice.

His voice sent a tremor through her. She leaned forward and he quickly took the opening, meeting her lips hungrily and wrapping himself around her. They clang to eachother, mouths seeming intent on devouring eachother for several minutes before she finally broke the kiss. She released him, quickly unfastening her robe and working her way out of it. She tossed it aside and began pulling up the edge of her shirt. He caught her hands, making her stop.

"Are you sure...?" He asked uncertainly.

A brilliant smile flowed across her lips. "I've never been more sure..." She said softly.

He released her hands, watching as she pulled off the shirt. He started taking his own clothes off slowly, mesmerized by the sight of her pale, perfect skin as it was exposed. Then she stood before him, completely naked and looking a bit self-conscious. He couldn't remember ever seeing a more beautiful sight. He let out a sigh of pleasure as he let his eyes trail down her.

She blushed more, quickly arranging the blankets as he finished removing his clothes. He looked down as she lay there, obviously a bit nervous.

"Are you sure you're warm enough?" He asked, seeing her trembling.

Ginny just nodded quickly, not trusting her voice. She shivered as she felt his cool hands begin to touch her. He settled down next to her and she quickly shifted over on her side, eagerly letting her hands explore his cool flesh. Her eyes went round as her hand drifted down. She bit her lip worriedly.

He chuckled softly, kissing her reassuringly. "Don't worry... I have no intention of hurting you... you'll be ready..."

She was dubious she could be ready enough for THAT, but her worry flowed away as he began kissing and nibbling expertly at her neck as his hands explored her. He drifted down, shifting his attention to her breasts. Despite his cool flesh pressed against her, she felt her body temperature rising. She moaned, running her fingers through his hair.

She shivered and her eyes shot open when she felt his hand slip down between her legs. She lay back flat on her back again, her eyes drifting back shut as his long slender fingers gently began rubbing her. He obviously knew what he was doing, his gently ministrations sending shockwaves of pleasure through her. After a few minutes of that, she didn't even flinch when he slid a finger into her.

She looked down curiously as he began kissing and licking his way down further, then let out a little trill as she felt his cool tongue. He shifted her legs apart, settling between them, sending pleasure through her that was so mind boggling she couldn't help but groan loudly. When he slid a finger into her again she lost it, arching her back and crying out as her first real orgasm flowed through her in hot and cold flashes of blinding pleasure.

He didn't relent, working a second finger into her and keeping up his attack until she had peaked twice more. She sighed in relief as he finally slid his fingers out of her. She lay there, limp and gasping for breath as he kissed his way back up her body.

"That... was amazing..." She panted giddily.

He chuckled and licked on the pulse point just behind her ear as he settled on top of her. "You haven't felt anything yet..." He whispered in her ear.

She felt as if she would pass out as he gingerly moved her legs up a bit more and she felt him shift into position. Very slowly he started pressing his length into her. She tensed up some as he came up against her maidenhood. His earlier ministrations had loosened it, but she was still afraid... she had heard some of the girls say it hurt a lot.

He didn't force it though... he simply stroked the little distance in he could reach, pressing a little more firmly each time until it gave with only a small, brief flash of pain. She gasped and cried out in pleasure as he patiently worked in the rest of the way. When he was finally completely inside her they both groaned. She had never felt so very... full!

Then he started moving and it was as if the world quaked around them.

"Merlin... you're so... hot..." He groaned in her ear.

She let out a laugh despite the situation. She could quite imagine she was. He, on the other hand, was still cool... not nearly as cool as he had been before though... she wasn't sure if it was the fact that her senses seemed to being going haywire... but his body seemed to be gathering a bit of warmth where it pressed against her.

She closed her eyes, her mind unable to take in so much input all at once. The feel of his bare skin sliding over her own sweat slickened skin was amazing enough... that along with the way he was invading her body so thoroughly was almost unbearably exquisite. She arched up against him as she peaked again, and still she could feel him restraining himself.

As her mind cleared a bit, she wrapped her legs around him, pressing herself up into his thrusts encouragingly. The last of his control seemed to slip and let himself go, his ardent thrusts jarring her whole body. She just held onto him, feeling his passion flow through her as it made her feel as if she was floating away. She felt the by now familiar sensation growing deep inside her. "Don't stop... don't stop..." she panted desperately over and over again as she felt the sensation growing. Her body clamped down on him as unimaginable pleasure crashed over her like a wave.

His breath caught in his throat and he buried himself in her, "Ginevra." he gasped hoarsely.

"Darien!" She cried out, arching against him at the unexpected feeling of heat flooding into her.

They lay there, panting and happily entwined for several long moments before either made any other sound.

"You ok?" He asked softly, his lips tenderly caressing her throat.

She giggled, "More than ok..." She sighed happily, pulling him closer.

Content with the answer, he fell silent once more. After a few more minutes, her hold on him loosened. As her arms slid off him, he shifted up, looking down at her with amusement. She was asleep.

He gently disengaged himself from her, making her shiver as he slipped out of her. He quickly pulled out his wand and cleaned them up, leaving her skin clean and sweat free. At least she hadn't bled much. It only took a couple of scouring charms to get the stain out of the quilt. He grabbed her robe and covered her as she shivered again.

She sighed happily in her sleep, rolling over onto her side and curling up under her robe. He just sat there leaning against the column and watching her for a long time. He couldn't understand it. He'd shagged plenty of girls before... and a number of them had even been virgins... but he had never been moved as profoundly as what he'd just experienced. It was like the difference between getting a little static shock and getting hit by lightening!

He just sat there, watching her as she slept, trying to work out the confusing jumble of emotions swamping his mind.

-------


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Draco sighed as he leaned his broom in it's usual spot by the door. He closed the door quietly. Blaise was draped over the side of his bed fully dressed, obviously having been waiting for his return.

He left him there, going into his private bathroom. He took a long, hot shower while he thought about the night. Considering the steam that hung like fog in the bathroom by the time he was finished, the water had probably been scalding, but the spell still hadn't worn off yet.

He padded into his room as he dried his hair, pulling open his wardrobe. Blaise started and sprang up into a sitting position as the door of the wardrobe creaked.

"Draco?"

Draco sighed. "I don't recall authorizing a sleep over." He muttered irritably.

Blaise's eyes darted over to where his voice was, searching for him. He pulled out his wand, flicking it at the nearest candle, bringing the light in the room back up to full.

"That's not going to help." Draco said, smirking at the shocked look on Blaise's face as he spoke, his voice coming from thin air under an apparently floating towel.

"Oh Merlin!" Blaise gasped, "Please tell me you're not using that spell!"

Draco let out a little snort. "No... not at all... I must have just scrubbed a bit too much when taking my shower!" He said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Are you mental? Didn't you read the warnings?" Blaise said worriedly, standing up.

"No." Draco said offhandedly.

Blaise groaned and rubbed his hands over his face. "Draco..." He said in a profoundly sad voice, "I thought you would give up on it once you read the warnings... I never thought you'd actually USE the spell! I never would have..." He trailed off achingly, looking over in his direction again, his voice becoming more gentle... and frightened... "Have you really become that suicidal? Using a dangerous spell without so much as wondering about the possible consequences?"

Draco paused, thinking about it, then shrugged (Which Blaise only saw through the slight movement in the towel Draco was finishing drying his hair with). "I guess so. Does it really matter? Whether it's something stupid I do, my father's wrath or some demented undead Dark Lord, I'm going to die, and most likely sometime very soon. Might as well be me that does it. That way I won't have to die with that bloody mark on my arm, and it'll probably be a damn sight less painful at least..." He said. His open admission was surprising even to him. He shrugged again. He must just be too used to being open with Ginny. It was refreshing actually... he toyed with the idea of trying the truth out more often.

"Oh Merlin... it's started already..." Blaise said, horrorstruck.

"What has?" Draco said, getting a bit irritable as he saw the look on Blaise's face. He obviously thought there was something terribly wrong with him.

Blaise looked around, spotting the little book on the bedside table and going over, picking it up. He leafed to the correct page and began quoting. "This spell should only be attempted by those of very strong mental discipline and constitution in conjunction with strong protective spells. Unprotected use of this spell erodes mental boundaries and can result in mental instability, disassociative disorders and leave the practitioner open to any host of mentally invasive spells from simple Suggestivity spells to the Imperious curse."

Draco snorted derisively, "If the Dark Lord uses the Imperious curse on me I'm fucked whether I've been dabbling with this spell or not."

Blaise groaned irritably and tossed the book aside. "Draco, please! You have to go to Madam Pomfrey and see if there is any way to undo the damage that's already been done... I mean hopefully just using it once won't..."

"Twice." He cut in.

Blaise blinked. "How long have you spent under it's influence?" He asked fearfully.

Draco thought about it. "Well... about six or seven hours yesterday night... since dusk tonight." He said, pulling out some clothes for the upcoming school day without concern. Blaise just kept staring at the floating clothing with a horrified look on his face.

Draco sighed, tossing the clothes on the bed and took Blaise's shoulder roughly, "Just stop it. I'm not going to Pomfrey. I'm not stopping using the spell. I quite like how it makes me feel to be honest."

Blaise shook his head, "You. Being honest. That right there is enough to make me concerned." he said ruefully. Then his eyes dropped sadly as he let out a shuddering sigh. "Draco..." He said, his voice rife with sorrow and guilt, "If anything happens to you..."

Draco sighed, his grip on his shoulder easing. "This has nothing to do with you Blaise... I was this way long before I used that spell. Don't ever feel upset about how fucked up I am. It really has nothing to do with you..." He paused, seeing a smirk suddenly pulling at the edge of Blaise's mouth. "What?"

Blaise cleared his throat, his cheeks coloring slightly. "Well... I'll never question your word again..."

Draco followed his gaze. "Bloody hell!" He growled, snatching up his towel and wrapping it around his waist. He went over, grabbing up his boxers and working them up under the towel before taking it off again. "Peep show's over, and it's apparently dawn, so bugger off already... the last thing I want is for someone to see YOU coming out of MY room first thing in the morning..."

Blaise smirked, leaning against the bed post and looking Draco over. "Well... looks like someone got a little invisible action..." He said suggestively, "Does the see-through look turn them on?"

Draco furrowed his brow at him.

"Check the mirror." Blaise chuckled.

Draco went over and looked. His pale cheeks flushed slightly. Ginny had left a hickey on his shoulder... and... he turned slightly... some rather nice scratches down his back... He grinned ruefully, then spotted Blaise's smirking reflection behind him and studiously made his face impassive. He also spotted a thin red line from where the Thestral had gotten him, running from his wrist all the way up the inside of his forearm to the bend of his elbow. It looked almost healed despite being no more than a couple of hours old, but still stood out vividly against his pale flesh. He quickly hid that. Definitely not something he wanted Blaise to see... he could imagine what HE would assume had caused it, and he was acting overprotective enough as it was. There's no way he'd believe Draco had simply scratched himself on accident. "I don't believe that's any of your business Zabini."

"About bloody time you got a good shag! I was beginning to wonder if the world was coming to an end or something... I was starting to look for the four horsemen! So who was it?"

"Do I have to repeat myself?" Draco asked somberly.

"Oh come ON! I even offer to share mine with you! Least you could do is TELL me about yours!" Blaise said plaintively.

Draco felt a little relief that Blaise was acting more like normal, but he wasn't about to admit what he'd been doing. "I'm not sharing. Not verbally, and certainly not physically. She's mine. Anyone else even looks at her and I'll gouge their bloody eyes out!"

Blaise giggled. "Man she must be amazing in the sack! Never seen you get all monogamous on me..."

"Oh shut up... your idea of being monogamous is only shagging one person a day!" Draco snorted derisively.

Blaise grinned, not denying it in the slightest.

------------

Ginny cuddle down into the warm blankets, sighing contentedly. She was starting to wake, but she didn't want to let go of the wonderful dream she'd been having.

"Ginny... come on!" Hermione said impatiently, shaking her shoulder, "We're going to miss breakfast if you don't get out of bed already!"

Ginny groaned irritably, disgruntled at being dragged from her pleasant daze so rudely. "You just go then!" She said, turning over and wondering at the number of blankets she had on her.

"Oh come on..." Hermione said, sitting down. "You know how Ron's been since Harry and I..." She left off, embarrassed, "Well I think it would just be best if you were there to help make sure he feels comfortable... To keep his thought off... things he can't have..." She said pleadingly.

Ginny groaned. For such a smart girl, Hermione could be amazingly thick sometimes. Perhaps it was just wishful thinking? Did she want to think boys all mooned over her? Ginny had known how Ron felt about Harry... probably longer than her brother did himself. She wasn't nearly as blind as people seemed to think... and being practically invisible socially left her plenty of time for silent observation...

She shifted away a bit more and her eyes popped open as she felt a twinge between her legs. She subtly felt around. She didn't have her knickers on... and she wasn't wearing her usual nightshirt. She felt the loose, long sleeves that were long enough to cover her hands as well, and the buttons going up the front of her chest, remembering what had happened the night before. She glanced down, noticing the bottom blanket was the quilt from the owlry. It wasn't a dream!

"Ginny?" Hermione asked, leaning over to try to see her face to see if she was awake still.

Ginny quickly realized she had been silent for a minute. "Ok, ok!" She muttered. "Go down and wait in the common room. I'll run through the shower and be down in a minute!"

"Ok..." Hermione said with trepidation, "But if you're not down in fifteen minutes I'm coming right back up here!"

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Just go!" She said with exasperation.

Hermione got off the side of her bed. "Fine. I'll be waiting." She paused, "And you know you wouldn't need so many blankets if you'd close the window properly." She said, closing the window that had been left ajar.

Ginny grinned, blushing and grateful Hermione couldn't see her. Once the door was closed she hazarded a look around, making sure all of her roommates were already gone. The room was empty. She sat up and tossed back the covers, then giggled, seeing the boy's shirt she was wearing. She fingered the stylish mother of pearl buttons before hurrying over to the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror, her cheeks glowing.

She hugged herself, smelling the cologne still lingering in the soft white material of the oversized shirt. Reluctantly, she removed it. She smirked as she saw several small hickeys on her neck. She knew he had been getting a bit carried away there... She knew a spell that would get rid of them... but she couldn't quite bring herself to... she cast a little cosmetic Glamour over them instead, then hurried through the shower.

When she was done she hurried into her room, carefully folding the shirt and slipping it into the bottom of her trunk before throwing on some clothes and hurrying out, hoping her face wasn't glowing as much as she was.

--------------

AN: To those of you who wondered, yes I DO have a bit of it written, I'm just hoping to be able to finish it before you all catch up with me! :) I am not posting it all at once in case you all find errors/plot hole/etc. I also like to recheck each chapter before I post it. If you guys have any suggestion, I can't say that I will USE them, but I'll take them into consideration. I have a pretty good idea of where this is going, but I'm open to suggestions to help flesh it out a bit. Oh, and I will be on a trip tomorrow and may not post then, but should resume on Sunday.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The time seemed to drag on like molasses as Ginny imagined what her invisible lover would do to her that night... she had never imagined sex could be so completely amazing. She had almost feared it after what had happened in her first year... but now... after last night... she realized that what Tom's spirit had done to her had very little to do with sex... with Tom it had been nothing more than pain and a throbbing sensation of being invaded... just pulsing agony throughout her whole body, but mostly in her loins... now that she had actually experienced having sex, the whole event before actually lost some of it's power over her... she had always known that Tom hadn't done anything to her physically... but somehow that fact had never really completely sank in until she found out what it really felt like to have a man inside her.

She shivered, remembering the feel of it.

"You ok?" One of her roommates asked, catching up to her and looking at her with concern.

She quickly smiled. "Fine."

The girl arched her eyebrow at her suspiciously, "You better be..." She said, looking around and leaning closer, whispering conspiratously, "We were able to get ahold of some refreshments for tonight..." She said with a mischievous giggle.

Ginny's eyes went round. AGH! She had forgotten that Friday nights were girls night... her roommates would expect her to hang out with them, staying up to all hours of the night... and from the sound of it, consuming 'refreshments' that were almost definitely not allowed...

"I don't know if I'm up for it tonight... I'm really tired and I have tons of homework..." She started.

The girl arched an eyebrow again. "You don't really think you can get out of it with those lame excuses, do you?" She asked with a smirk.

Ginny glared at her.

"See you at curfew." She said in an overly cheerful voice, flouncing off to sit with her other friends.

Ginny grumbled irritably, taking her usual seat and plunking some food on her plate. She just sat there after that, poking at her dinner moodily. She looked over across the table. Her brother had a far off look on his face, a little smile trailing over his lips. After a moment he caught sight of her and quickly dropped the smile, his cheeks flushing bright red. She eyed him speculatively, a little smirk creeping onto her mouth. Looks like she wasn't the only one with a reason to grin today... she wondered what... or more importantly WHO he was thinking about... Harry and Hermione were sitting on the other side of him, far from where his gaze had been... it looked like he had finally stopped fixating on Harry. Ginny sighed happily to herself, profoundly relieved.

-----------

Ginny was sitting tailor fashion on the floor beside the low coffee table near the fire in the Gryffindor common room, pouring over her homework. She hadn't been lying actually... she DID have a ton of homework to do... and the sooner she got it done, the sooner she could forget about it and concentrate on finding a way of getting up to the owlry and spending the night with Darien... Her roommates had already gone up to the room, giving her not-so-subtle hints that it was time to 'call it a night', but she had ignored them.

Despite her concentration on her homework, it hadn't passed her notice that Ron kept glancing and his watch. As it crept past nine thirty, he started giving the portrait hole longing glances when he thought no one was looking. Harry and Hermione were there too of course. Harry had his arm across Hermione's shoulders, but Ron didn't even spare it a glance. Hermione was doing her best, as usual, to 'include him'. Ron usually put up with it, even played along, but tonight he seemed disinclined to, answer her a bit shortly.

Hermione persisted even more cheerfully than before. Ginny rolled her eyes. Wasn't it blatantly obvious Ron didn't want to hang around with them? That he in fact appeared to have agreed to meet someone somewhere? If his manner didn't tell her, then she should have at least clued in from the fact that he had already showered for the night, and had put on cologne and fresh clothes that she knew were probably about the best he had this side of dress robes.

Ron tried to get up, muttering something about prefect rounds. Hermione grabbed his arm and pulled him back down beside her. "Ron..." She said patiently, "We both know rounds aren't mandatory... sit... stay... we really want to talk with you."

Ron rolled his eyes and settled back down, glancing at his watch again. Ginny looked at her own. It was less than ten minutes before ten. She finally sighed.

She got to her feet. "That's it! Ronald Weasley, we have to have a talk!" She said sternly, folding her arms over her chest.

All three looked over at her in surprise.

"Wha... what about?" Ron asked, startled.

She narrowed her eyes. "You know very well what about!" She growled. "Come on! Get to your feet or we'll discuss it here in front of everyone!" She said, her voice making that clearly a threat. More and more people started looking over with interest.

He swallowed. He didn't know what he'd done, but she could verbally eviscerate a bloke _but good_ when she got mad... not something he wanted any witnesses to. "Ok, ok..." He muttered miserably, getting back to his feet.

"Outside." She growled, storming over to the portrait hole. He blinked in surprise, but followed.

He turned to her fearfully as the portrait sealed the entrance behind them. "What did I do?"

"Nothing yet, but from the looks of it, you're about to." She said, suddenly grinning merrily.

"Huh?" He asked, shocked.

"I'm not blind, Ron. You wanted out... and if I'm not mistaken, you're about to be late for something, so GO!"

A brilliant smile lit across his face. He glanced at his watch, then grabbed her head between his hands, planting a kiss on her forehead before turning and dashing headlong down the corridor. She smiled as he disappeared down the stairs. At least SOMEONE would be having a good time tonight...

She settled down on the stone floor, leaning back against the wall and took out her nail file. She didn't want to go back into the common room until she was sure Ron had gotten to wherever he was going. She was sure if she went back in now they would go searching for him to 'make sure he was ok'. She had broken a couple of nails in Care of Magical Creatures class that day anyway. She took her time, filing away for a good ten minutes. She was just examining them and preparing to get up and return to the common room when the portrait hole opened.

Hermione came out, squinting around in the relative dimness of the corridor as the portrait swung closed behind her, the fat lady still snoring softly against her frame. When she spotted Ginny sitting on the floor, she hurried over, crouching beside her in concern. "Ginny! What happened? Are you ok?"

Ginny smiled, "I'm just fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Hermione blushed. "I don't know... I just... I mean you seemed so upset... and I know Ron's been a bit off since..." She shifted uneasily. "I guess I was just afraid he might take his frustrations out on you..."

Ginny rolled her eyes, anger flaring inside her and the ludicrousness of the suggestion. This had gone far enough! "Ok, it's time we get something straight Hermione." Ginny said, her temper rising. "My brother, though he may be a prat on occasion, would never hurt me!"

"I... I didn't mean..." Hermione said, taken aback.

"Furthermore," Ginny said, raising her voice to override Hermione's protests, "If he's been frustrated lately, it's because you won't leave him the bloody hell alone!"

Hermione's eyes went wide, her cheeks darkening. "What are you talking about?"

Ginny sighed. Why wasn't she getting it? She lowered her voice, slipping into a tolerant tone she usually reserved for explaining things to Neville when he was being particularly thick. "Ron does not like you. Well, he does LIKE you, he just doesn't WANT you... He has no desire to be WITH you. Ever. You are like a sister, and he finds it very irritating, and undoubtedly a bit insulting, to have you treating him like he's some stupid, star-crossed school boy who is hanging at your heels. Is ANY of this getting through?"

Hermione was staring at her, taken aback by the girl's bluntness. Ginny had never spoken to her like this before. "But... but the way he was looking at us every time me and Harry were together..." She said, obviously in shock.

Well, Ginny wasn't about to go handing out her brother's secret, so she neatly sidestepped it. "He may have been a bit jealous that you two had someone... but not that Harry had YOU. He was lonely... now I think he's found someone, but you seem intent on monopolizing him. Was it not blatantly obvious he wanted to leave tonight? I saw it. I'm sure anyone who took two minutes to observe him knew it too. Yet there you were, literally holding him down! I wasn't mad at him... I was just helping him escape!"

Hermione's mind was obviously boggling. She sat down a bit less than gracefully beside Ginny, thinking through the night's events in her mind. "Oh I feel simply horrified..." She said faintly, "I've never been so mortified in my whole life... I never even ASKED him how he felt... I just assumed that was why..."

Ginny sighed, then spoke more gently, "Listen, I didn't want to break it to you like this, but I saw no other choice. You're spending all of your time ignoring your boyfriend to spend time with someone who doesn't require, nor WANT your constant presence. Not to mention I think you're starting to drive Ron nutters, and I know he'd feel REALLY bad if he finally snapped and said something. He's still your friend, after all."

"Oh Merlin..." Hermione said, wrapping her arms around herself, "How can I face him now? I've been such a fool... what could I possibly say? I mean..." She trailed off, looking lost.

Ginny smiled, "Calm down... just... don't even bring it up. Just start treating your boyfriend like a boyfriend, and Ron like a good friend, drop the clingy crap, and get on with your lives. Don't tell him about your love life, and for Merlin's sake, don't ask him about his! If he wants to tell you about it eventually, he will, but he's not very comfortable talking about that kind of thing. I'm sure Ron will appreciate not being harped on about it. And, I mean... he's a GUY. I'm sure he would really rather not have any kind of scene or apology. Trust me, he is REALLY uncomfortable with THAT kind of thing."

Hermione sighed, but nodded. "Ok... we'll try that then..." She said morosely.

-----------

It was nearly midnight and the girls were still going strong, despite the numerous bottles of butterbeer they had gotten AND the small amount of Firewhiskey they had managed to procure (and had been spiking the butterbeer with). Ginny would have loved to tell them about setting Hermione straight, but she never liked spreading gossip. Still... it had felt absolutely glorious finally venting a bit at the older girl. She liked Hermione, but she could be so insufferable sometimes... a chance to school her in the obvious was a rare treat indeed. Ginny just let the afterglow of it sustain her through her roommate's seemingly endless tales of boys that they were sure liked them, and of course talking about everyone else's love lives.

She had finally had more than enough of their inane banter, and told them she needed to get some fresh air. They just giggled and called her a lightweight, but let her go. She went to the far window, all the way across the room from them next to her bed (which was the last one in the row). Ginny leaned her head against the side of the window pane, sighing sadly. She wished she had a view of the Forbidden Forest from there... she had undoubtedly already missed his nightly flight with the Thestrals. She smiled, remembering the feel of racing through the air with him pressed up against her back...

"Is that smile for me?" He asked softly, his lips brushing her ear.

She shivered and closed her eyes, pressing her cheek against his. "I hoped you would find me... I'm sorry for not coming out tonight..." She whispered.

He kissed her neck, "It's ok..." He murmured softly, "I doubted these little vixens would let you out of your Friday night ritual..."

She smiled. He really HAD been watching... She stifled a moan as he nibbled on her earlobe. "I wish I could get away..." She murmured longingly.

"Well...." He said, a bit of mischievousness creeping into his voice. "You could always go to bed and draw the hangings... and we could put that Sanctuary charm to the test..."

Her eyes went wide and she felt a rush of excitement at the thought. She couldn't possibly... not with all of her roommates in the same room with her... but then again... she was finding it hard to remember WHY it was wrong with him fondling her through the thin material of her nightgown...

"Hey Gin! You ok over there?"

She looked over, "Um... I... uh... I'm not feeling that good actually... I think I need to get some sleep..."

"Ok..." The girl said, looking a bit concerned. "You do look a little flush... just tell us if you need anything..."

Ginny quickly nodded. "I think I just need to have a nice long... um... uninterrupted sleep." She said, trying to keep the smirk off her face as she got up, feeling him brush past her into the room. She closed the window most of the way, leaving it open just a bit, then got onto her bed, quickly drawing the hangings shut as she felt his arms slip around her.

When they were all closed, she turned, having to pry him off her a bit, stifling a giggle. "The charm first..." She whispered.

She felt his smirk as he kissed her. "As you wish..." He whispered, then cast the spell.

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	10. Chapter 10

AN: This chapter contains **SLASH**. Like **WAY SLASH**. Don't like? Definitely skip! If you don't like that and read this anyway, on your head be it! Just don't complain or say I didn't warn you! ;P This chapter consists of one scene, BZ/RW/PP only (Sorry, I didn't elaborate on D/G's night, but don't worry, it won't be the last or anything... just seemed a bit too gratuitous to elaborate on their activities in bed again so soon). This scene should have actually happened before the scene with Ginny in her room for girl's night, but I put it a bit out of sequence so I could separate it without shortening other chapters. So no, Ron didn't just stand outside the door until after midnight! He's only a few minutes late. :) I won't put a summary at the beginning of the next chapter, because hey, you should be able to figure out what is going to happen in this chapter! If your guessing skills are on hiatus at the moment, innuendo should cover it in the next chapter.

Chapter 10

Ron stood before the door, staring at it nervously. He was running a touch late as it was, and he knew he should go in... but _should_ he go in? Ever since Blaise had asked him, he had been able to think of little else. He wasn't entirely sure he was ready for what would almost certainly happen if he went through that door... And yet... at the same time he felt like he'd been ready for YEARS and if he passed up this opportunity...

He sighed. If he didn't go in, he was almost certain Blaise would want nothing further to do with him. He doubted that boy had _ever_ been stood up before.

That was the true cause of his hesitance... Blaise... he was certain that he hadn't intended for them to just both shag Pansy... that had been readily apparent when he had said 'You, Pansy and myself getting together and shagging _eachother_ senseless...'. Ron sighed. He WANTED to do more with the attractive young man... He couldn't deny that any more than he could deny that he had enjoyed what Blaise had done to him before... but... well, THAT hadn't been his choice really... not that he had made any real effort to stop it, or hadn't in fact _wanted_ it, but the fact that the decision was taken away from him let him think of it as somehow 'not counting'.

He'd always tried to deny that he could feel that way about another BOY... and to _voluntarily_ go to meet one with the full knowledge that they would end up shagging... and then to actually SHAG the boy... it would make it seem so much more final... no turning back... It would remove all doubt and all chance that he would 'outgrow' these feelings or that they were just a 'phase' and would go away eventually. Deep down he knew neither of those things would EVER happen, but he wasn't sure he was ready to accept this part of himself quite yet...

And yet...

He so very much WANTED to go into that room...

He heard footsteps approaching down one of the connecting hallways and let that be the excuse for his decision. He hurried forward and slipped into the room, quickly turning and shutting the door behind him. He stood there for a moment, unable to make himself turn.

"I was beginning to wonder if you'd show..." Blaise's amused voice said from behind him.

Ron took a deep breath and made himself turn around and face him. The room was an absolutely astounding bedroom... but he took in very little of the detail. His attention was immediately drawn to the bed.

The bed itself was shocking enough, being big enough that it could have slept half a dozen people comfortably, but it was the occupants of the bed that drew his attention quite thoroughly. Blaise and Pansy were laying on the bed, both completely naked, casually fondling eachother.

Pansy got up and wandered over to him, completely unabashed by her nakedness. Ron swallowed hard as she began circling him, looking him over with a little smirk on her face. The almost predatory look in her eyes made him feel like HE was the one who was naked. "So..." She purred in his ear from behind, having snuck up on him as her path took her out of his view. "Is the little Gryffindor ready to play?" She asked, nipping his neck lightly as her hands slipped around his waist and drifted down.

Ron was feeling slightly dizzy as her hands caressed him through his pants. He couldn't quite hold back the little groan that escaped him. Then she released him, coming around and grinning up at him as she slipped her arms around his neck. "Well?" She asked, smirking.

He realized she had actually expected an answer to that question. He couldn't help but nod. He just wished the nod hadn't been quite so quick and fervent, but it seemed to amuse her at least.

"Well good... I haven't broken into the Gryffindor stables yet, but I'm beginning to think I've been missing out..." She gave him a wicked grin, which widened as she saw the bulge in his pants twitch. She started unbuckling his pants as he felt Blaise take ahold of his robes and slip them off. He hadn't even seen Blaise leave the bed... He just raised his arms and let Blaise pull off his shirt as his pants fell around his ankles.

He kicked off his pants and underwear, trying not to look too clumsy, but feeling completely uncoordinated as Pansy surveyed him. "He wasn't lying..." She murmured appreciatively.

Ron blushed violently, embarrassed as his arousal jutted out like a flagpole before him.

"Of course I wasn't." Blaise said with a laugh, "Why lie when the truth is so much more interesting?"

Ron shivered and closed his eyes as Blaise's arms wrapped around him from behind, his head resting on Ron's shoulder. "So..." He said in that soft, sensuous voice of his, "What do you want?"

"HMM?" Ron asked, having a hard time thinking coherently.

"What do you want?" Blaise repeated slowly. "This is your first time, so you should be the one to pick." He said, smirking against Ron's shoulder.

"I... um... uh... what are my options?" Ron asked, his thoughts getting scattered further as Pansy fondled him.

Blaise chuckled. "Do you want her? Me?"

Ron forced his eyes open, but it didn't help settle his errant thoughts. His mind was at war with itself over what to say... Pansy looked even more shaggable unclothed... but then, so did Blaise... and the feel of Blaise's body pressed up against him made it even more difficult.

After a few moments of silence, Blaise spoke again, "Tough decision?" He asked, a definite hint of amusement in his voice. At Ron's hesitant nod, he chuckled again. "Ok... how about we share you then? That way you won't have to decide..."

Pansy looked up, eyes suddenly alight, obviously excited by the suggestion.

Ron, feeling like he might pass out at any minute, nodded again.

Pansy gave him a brilliant smile and all but bounded onto the bed, quickly rearranging the pillows and such. He had to appreciate the way the choicer bits of her luscious body giggled when she moved around quickly like that.

When she settled down, she was laying on her back, a pillow under her head and another under her rump. She just lay there, looking at him expectantly, her legs spread invitingly. He had to stare. He'd never seen the more intimate parts of a girl before... not up close and personal at least. He jumped slightly as Blaise swatted him playfully on the butt.

"Go get her. I'll be along in a moment."

Ron didn't have to be told twice. Not with her laying there like that in front of him at least. He went over to the bed and crawled on, moving over to her. When he arrived, however, he found himself hesitant once more. He felt like maybe he should do something like kiss her or hold her or something first... that's what they said you were supposed to do...

She grinned, sensing his discomfort. "Don't worry... Blaise already took care of the foreplay... all I need from you right now is that..." She said, staring hungrily at his achingly hard erection.

He felt a little relieved... but at the same time, that would have put it off for a bit... it was still a bit shocking to think he was about to lose his virginity. He never dreamed it would be to Pansy! They had never even really talked... other than the usual tossing back and forth of insults as was expected between Gryffindors and Slytherins. He shifted around between her legs, feeling awkward. He decided that it would probably be easier on him to just get started before he had too long to think about it. He groaned as he entered her, quickly pressing deep. She let out a somewhat strangled moan, her arms wrapping around him.

She leaned her head up, kissing him passionately. He kissed her back, content for the moment to just enjoy to feeling of being buried so deep inside her. He felt the bed shift slightly and felt his heart suddenly flutter in his chest as he felt Blaise's leg brush his.

Blaise stroked his hand down Ron's back. "You sure?" He asked softly.

Ron felt dizzy as he nodded, not daring to look back. Pansy grinned, pulling him down on her and wrapping her arms around him. "Just relax little lion... he won't hurt you..." She murmured soothingly, nuzzling against his neck.

Ron took a deep breath and let it out, trying not to tense as he felt Blaise touch him again. He pressed his face into Pansy's pillow trying not to think about what Blaise was doing. He wanted to know what it felt like more than he would ever admit... but at the same time it absolutely terrified him! Pansy stroked his back to try to relax him. He could feel her breath against his shoulder and knew she was watching Blaise.

Ron gasped and grabbed fistfuls of blanket as Blaise invaded his body. He felt a rush of relief that it hadn't even hurt as he'd expected it to... then all such trivial thoughts fluttered away as Blaise let out a deep groan and started moving. Ron was content to just lay there for a few minutes, letting Blaise take him. Pansy seemed to be enjoying it almost as much as he was... It was obvious from the way she was wriggling around under him and kept looking at Blaise that this really DID turn her on. She captured Ron's mouth and kissed him with more lust and abandon than he'd ever felt before. Her tongue ravaged his mouth as her body undulated in pleasure.

It was more than he could take. He started trying to move. It was awkward at first, but he quickly got into a good rhythm that worked in harmony with Blaise. Pansy had lost any restraint she might have had, crying out openly as she writhed wildly beneath him.

Only a few more minutes of that and Pansy bucked up against Ron, letting out a cry that echoed off the high, vaulted ceiling as her body clamped down on him. It was like a domino effect. Ron rammed himself as far into Pansy's clutching body as he could, spending himself with a deep groan, which of course sent Blaise almost instantly over the edge as well.

As they started coming down they shifted over (so as not to crush Pansy), sprawling in a contented tangle of limbs, all thoroughly slick with sweat from their exertions. Try as he might, Ron couldn't wipe the silly grin off his face as he lay there between them. It had been even more amazing than he'd ever dreamed!

After a few minutes of recovery, Pansy cuddled close to Ron, looking over him at Blaise. "Can we keep him? PLEASE???" she asked in a petulant little voice, a mischievous smirk on her lips as she batted her eyelashes at him.

Blaise laughed, reaching over and swatting her bum playfully, then slid his arm around Ron, pulling him close. "I think we should test his stamina first..." He replied with a smirk.

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	11. Chapter 11

A/N: You know what? Blaise is just incorrigible, so I'm not gonna even try to warn you every time he's gonna say or do something 'slashy' anymore. :P Ok, if it's gonna be something flagrant (like the last chapter), I will, but otherwise he's pretty harmless. Just assume that Blaise is apt to say or do just about anything and we'll leave it at that. I don't want to have to put heading notes on EVERY chapter!

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Chapter 11

Draco let out a contented sigh as a warm body nestled against him. Slowly he realized that it seemed much brighter than it should be...

He cracked his eyes open. He looked up at the unfamiliar canopy above him... all of the colors seemed wrong... where the hell was he? He tensed as an arm slipped across his chest. He looked down, seeing Ginny draped half across him and realized it must be her bed... but how did he get there? He rubbed a hand over his face, trying to throw off his disorientation and get his bearings as panic began to rise in him. He was in Gryffindor tower... enemy territory! How could he have fallen asleep in such a dangerous place? It was obviously past dawn, as he could see himself clearly. If he was caught there...

"Calm down... the others won't be up until at least noon..." Ginny murmured against him tiredly.

He quickly tried to disengage himself from her without bringing her any more awake. If he wanted to get out of there in one piece, he had best do it now!

Her arm latched around his chest firmly, pulling him close. "Don't leave Draco..." She murmured softly.

He froze, his heart pounding in his chest... did she just call him Draco?

She felt the tension in him and lifted her head, blinking open her eyes groggily. He stared into her eyes in shock. There wasn't the slightest hint of surprise. She started to smile, "What?" she asked mirthfully.

"You... knew...?"

She chuckled, "If you were looking for a Hufflepuff, your aim was quite a bit off... I'm not a simpleton, Draco... of course I knew. You really think I just go off shagging perfect strangers?"

"But... how?" he asked, baffled.

She rolled her eyes, "You really need the list of hints?"

He hesitantly nodded.

She propped her head up on one hand, trailing her fingers over his bare chest absently, "Ok then... let's see... first there was your cologne... a very expensive, recently developed brand... one few here wear... The Slytherin crest embroidered on your robes... that snake was changed slightly in my second year, and yours was current... and then of course there was the taste of strawberries... I found out about your little strawberry patch over a year ago... and your features when I felt your face of course... and then you made it blatantly obvious by telling me you were a Slytherin and a Malfoy... and of course the obviously non-ghostly attributes... like being solid, which a ghost can only become by possessing someone... the fact that you left a real, physical shirt behind... your need for a broom to fly... your ability to cast spells... and then we flew... and... well, I imagine that very few century plus old ghosts ride the top of the line brooms with the name clearly engraved on the handle... in fact you're the only one at Hogwarts with one of those..."

He smirked ruefully, "I guess it was a pretty lame ruse... sorry..."

She smiled, "It wasn't entirely a ruse..."

He blinked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean that Darien is real... I've seen him in your eyes since last year... that's how I knew it was you as soon as I realized you were a live person... the other hints just confirmed it. I had no idea he was related to you at first of course, not until you told me. I had been wondering for quite a while when he was going to come out..."

He blinked again, "What are you talking about?"

"I have some experience with being possessed, Draco... at least your spirit seems more than willing to share... I used to just black out entirely when..."

"He wasn't real! I made him up..." Draco said, breaking in.

She smiled at him in an irritatingly knowing way. "Do you really think so?"

Draco scowled at her, studiously avoiding the memory of feeling jealous of 'Darien' and wishing he were more like him. It was just the bunged up spell... "Yes... I just made everything up." He said steadfastly.

"So... did you base your 'made up' ghost on anyone?" She asked innocently.

He blushed slightly. "My... mother once told me that she wanted to call me Darien when I was born, but my father had insisted on Draco... she may have mentioned there having been a Darien in the Malfoy family before... and him being a bit of a disappointment... but that's all that was real." He said firmly.

She smiled. "Darien Malfoy attended Hogwarts one hundred and thirty four years ago..." She began, obviously quoting something, "An uncommonly kind boy, especially for a Slytherin, he was often complimented by his teachers, and well liked by his peers. His death shocked and saddened all those who knew him, and his funeral was the first in Hogwarts history to be attended by students from all four houses. He was the seeker for his House team, and an amazingly skilled flier. In his sixth year, it was rumored he had taken up with a girl of a different House, though this, and it's suggested link to his death were never confirmed. On the eve of his seventeenth birthday, which was on February the seventh, he fell to his death during the night. It was assumed to be a flying accident. He was found the next morning below the Gryffindor tower. His family, surprisingly, refused his remains. At the request of his closest friends, he was laid to rest in the Forbidden Forest, where it was said he had often been seen sporting at night with the wild Thestrals that dwelt there."

Draco felt a chill going through him. It couldn't be real... it was his birthday... and all of what she had said would have fit the story he had told her exactly... and something in him seemed to resonate with the words, as if confirming they were true... Draco swallowed, feeling light headed, "You... you're making it up!" He said, but his voice had little conviction.

She leaned over him, reaching under the bed and fishing around, being very careful not to let the hangings come open. He tried to ignore the fact that she was laying directly across his lap... and they were still both very naked... he was both relieved and disappointed when she came back up, moving off him. He tried to take control of his suddenly surging hormones, glancing over at her.

She was sitting there, flipping open a very large tome. He looked at the title across the top of the page. It was _Hogwarts, A History_. He rolled his eyes. "He isn't going to be in THERE..." his throat went dry and he trailed off as she set the book in front of him triumphantly.

He hesitantly looked at the page before him. The first thing that struck him was the color illustration of a boy about his age... in fact... it could have been a picture of HIM if the clothes were more recent... other than that, the only difference was that the boy had brown eyes, as opposed to his own pale, icy gray ones. He glanced at the boy's tousled white-blond hair. He had definitely been wearing his hair naturally a lot more often of late... His eyes drifted down to the short entry. She had pretty much quoted it to him verbatim. "But... but why would he be in THIS book...?" He said, baffled.

"Because he died and was buried on the grounds, not to mention the unprecedented coming together of the houses for his funeral. He was, therefore, a part of Hogwarts history. Not many people have been buried here. Not even the ones who's ghosts wander around. They died here, but their bodies were buried elsewhere... so that makes him rather unique... after I knew his full name it was easy to find him. Actually, Hermione told me. They were talking about you... um... don't ask... and I asked if the Malfoy's had always been... um... difficult... and she went on for a bit on some of your ancestors, and eventually got to Darien."

He closed the book and tossed it towards the foot of the bed irritably, "This is just coincidence!"

She smiled at him. "It takes a while to get used to the idea... but believe me... he's there... he's in your eyes when I look at you... it's like he's a part of you now... but he's become so much stronger in the last couple of days... I don't know why..." She said wonderingly.

He blinked. It wasn't true... it couldn't be... but what Blaise had read to him from the little book kept coming back to him... the Living Haunt spell left you open to mental invasions... maybe even possession? If a spirit was truly trying to possess him... he'd all but handed over the keys when he started using that spell! The thought should have been terrifying... so why wasn't it?

"You like him, don't you?" She asked softly, watching his eyes intently.

He furrowed his brow, "What do you mean?"

She grinned. "I mean you don't fight him... I hear it in your voice when it's him talking... your accent changes slightly, though I couldn't say quite how... but you both seem to be there at the same time... it's... interesting..."

His head was spinning. He just wasn't sure how much to believe her... or what he should do about it... or IF he should do anything at all! He was suddenly distracted as she slipped a leg over him, straddling his waist. He looked up at her in surprise.

She grinned down at him. "This time I get to watch you..." She said in a soft, utterly seductive tone.

All other thoughts were immediately forgotten...

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Ron woke, feeling a sudden draft as the bed under him shifted slightly. He opened his eyes, peering around and feeling utterly disoriented. He rubbed his eyes, slowly remembering where he was. A little smile grew on his face as he remembered what he had been doing there the night before... all the way up to nearly dawn actually... he'd probably only had a couple hours of sleep. He looked around now that he wasn't quite so.... distracted. He was in a bedroom of course... but it was far from his own. The whole place was almost unbelievably extravagant. The pillow under his head was filled with the finest goose down, the blankets covering him were a royal green and soft as butter... not to mention that, now that he thought about it, the bed was roughly the size of his entire room at The Burrow. The bed hangings and draperies were flowing green silk, the furnishings looking as if they each cost more than his father made in a decade. He pulled the blankets back up into place, shivering as the cool air met his bare skin.

"Sorry." A soft, musical voice said from the foot of the bed.

His eyes darted over, spotting Pansy pulling on a tiny pair of green lace knickers. She smiled over at him. "I would dearly love to stay, but I'm supposed to meet Millicent for breakfast." She said, expertly donning her matching bra in one fluid movement. She looked over at him and smiled mischievously. She came over and crawled back up on the bed beside him, "You were even better than he said you'd be..." She murmured seductively, leaning down and giving him a long, passionate kiss, her tongue invading his mouth unhesitatingly. When she finally released him she chuckled, "Any time you want to do that again you just say the word... As a general rule, I don't shag Gryffindors, but for you I'll definitely make an exception..." She tousled his hair and giggled, bouncing off the bed playfully. She slipped into the simple dress she'd been worn there the night before and pulled on her robes. "See you later, lover boy... just remember there's the Quidditch match after lunch... if you two don't show up they'll probably send search parties!"

With that, she opened the door, checking to make sure the coast was clear, then slipped out.

Ron blinked. 'You two'. He turned over and saw Blaise laying on the other side of him. He was still fast asleep. A little smile flickered over his lips. Blaise looked so innocent and adorable when he slept... He was quite surprised when he caught himself thinking he was even cuter than Harry.

Blaise stirred slightly. Ron quickly turned over on his side facing the other way, not wanting to get caught watching him. After a moment, Blaise rolled over, spooning up against him, draping his arm over his side and pulling him closer, nuzzling against his neck. Ron closed his eyes, trying not to remember the night with Harry... He pressed back against Blaise's warm skin.

Blaise chuckled softly, still mostly asleep. "Keep it up and you're gonna get me all worked up again Ron..." He muttered softly, gently kissing his neck.

A little smile tugged at Ron's lips as his eyes got watery. He had more than half expected to be called by someone else's name... but Blaise knew exactly who it was he was cuddled up against... even half asleep, he knew... Ron wasn't sure just why that was so important to him, but he felt his heart catch in his throat at the sound of his name. He slipped his hand over Blaise's and twined his fingers in his, pulling him closer. He felt completely at peace for the first time in a very long time. He sighed happily and let sleep reclaim him.

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AN - I know, I know... I skipped again. So sue me. Next time. Too tired to do it justice at the moment.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N - ended up having to just make thoughts **_bolded and italicized_**. Hope it looks different enough to be recognizable. Sorry. I usually use asterisks, but it won't let me on here.

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Chapter 12

Draco didn't wander back into Slytherin Dungeon until nearly lunch time. Getting out of Gryffindor tower hadn't been nearly as tricky as he'd feared it would be. He had brought his invisibility cloak in case Ginny had wanted to go flying again, so he just tossed it on and flew out. Once he was at the Quidditch pitch, he simply went into the Slytherin changing rooms and took it off, then walk back to the castle. No one had even questioned him or thought it odd in the slightest. He had a Quidditch game later, so it wasn't unusual for him to be getting in some extra flying to warm up.

He worried about the match... Ginny was a Chaser for the Gryffindor team, and that's who they were playing that day. He sighed. Well, it wasn't as if they would be directly opposing eachother... they had different, completely independent positions on their respective teams... they had discussed it of course... well... after a couple of very spirited rounds in the sack... and had decided to just put it out of their minds and play their best, as if nothing was different.

Draco went to his room, showering and getting into some of his 'casual' clothes without paying much attention. He strode down to the Great Hall, his appearance looking as sharp as ever, but his eyes unfocused. What Ginny had said that morning about a spirit inside him still had his head spinning. The more he thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. He went to his usual spot at the table, absently nodding to his Housemates as they greeted him. Then he just sat there, letting his thoughts drift for a while.

"Glad to see you're eating something."

He looked over in surprise as Blaise sat down beside him, grinning like a cheshire cat. He blinked and looked down. Realizing he actually _had_ been eating without even thinking about it. He swallowed the bite of food in his mouth and set his fork back down, looking at his half eaten plate of food in confusion. Why on earth had he been eating? It's not like it was really habit anymore... it'd been a _very_ long time since he had eaten as much as he appeared to have just now. He suddenly got the ridiculous notion that perhaps the spirit had been doing it while he was distracted...

**_Well someone had to..._**

Draco's eyes went wide and darted around. The voice hadn't been more than a soft whisper, nearly lost in the clatter of his housemates around him, but he could have sworn he really heard it. He pushed his plate away, feeling slightly jittery.

"Damn... I'll keep my mouth shut next time." Blaise said ruefully, shaking his head.

"I should go get ready for the match..." Draco said, trying to cover his uneasiness.

Blaise grabbed his arm and pulled him back down, rolling his eyes. "You have nearly an hour. Sit. Eat. Or at least keep me company."

Draco sighed and settled back down. "Just as long as I don't have to hear about your little adventures last night." he said tiredly.

Blaise leaned closer, "What? You mean Pansy and I having ourselves a Gryffindor virgin sandwich?" He asked playfully.

"Ugh..." Draco said, shifting away from him a bit. "Do you HAVE to use such descriptive terms?"

Blaise let out a laugh, "If you want descriptive terms, I will USE descriptive terms!"

"NO! That's quite alright." Draco said quickly.

"So..." Blaise said, his tone just a bit too casual, "What do you think about the rumors?"

"What rumors?" Draco asked in a bored tone, poking holes in his mash with his fork.

"You haven't heard? It's been all over the castle since yesterday... it seems some ghost saved that new Ravenclaw seeker's life the night before last... snatched him right out of the air and set him down safe and sound..." Blaise said casually, his eyes searching Draco's face intently.

"Good for him." Draco said, his voice carefully neutral, but his pale cheeks taking on the slightest pink tinge.

"Fell well over a hundred feet and had nothing more than the bump from the bludger and some bruising across his side where he says the ghost's arm grabbed him..."

"Miraculous." Draco said absently, his voice dripping sarcasm.

"I heard part of the bruise looked like a handprint..."

"Mmhmm... that's nice..." Draco said, sculpting the mash into a snake with his fork.

"Dumbledore even went to see before Madam Pomfrey healed him up... he said it was most unusual... said none of the ghosts here had the ability to effect solid objects... especially snatching errant seekers out of the air..."

"Fascinating." Draco said, rolling his eyes.

Blaise smirked knowingly. "Good thing for that silly git that there was such a sweet and caring ghost around..."

"Yes. Wonderful." Draco said in a clipped tone, starting to mutilate the newly created snake, tiring of Blaise's little game.

Blaise smirked, "Now why would that ghost have done that do you think?" He mused leadingly.

"I think he has a bit of that Gryffindor-like hero fixation..." Draco muttered distractedly, "Bloody disgraceful... how he ever got into Slytherin I'll never know... The requirements must have been quite a bit slacker back then, that's for sure... Sometimes I think that sorting hat is off it's bloody..." He trailed off, coloring as he saw the odd, wide-eyed look on Blaise's face, belatedly realizing he had been speaking aloud.

He got up and swept out of the Hall before Blaise could object. Blaise watched him go, shocked and more than a little concerned.

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Draco wandered out by the Quidditch pitch, but he didn't want to go into the changing room yet. He still had at least forty minutes before the game, and it wouldn't take him more than ten to get dressed and give his team their usual pep talk.

He found himself wandering over towards the Forbidden Forest. In moments, he was walking between the first trees. It was daylight, but that only made the Forest a _bit_ safer... he wasn't sure why he was in it, especially alone... but he felt disinclined to turn back.

A few minutes later he felt an odd tingling in his stomach. He came to a stop. There before him, amongst the tangle of roots and weeds at the base of one of the larger trees... was a gravestone.

He went over, sitting down before it. He reached out, pulling up the weeds and brushing away the dirt and leaves and such that had accumulated over the years. He was completely unsurprised by the name and the dates his cleaning revealed.

"Why did you bring me here?" He asked softly.

**_I had to..._**

He started slightly. There was no mistaking the soft voice in his head this time. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his wildly beating heart.

"Why did you have to?" Draco asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

_**So you would listen to me...**_

"What do you want to tell me then?"

_**You need sleep and food... you're killing yourself.**_

Draco snorted, "You sound like Blaise."

_**You're only alive because I'm keeping you that way... but I can only do so much, and I've reached my limits...**_

Draco blinked. He had often wondered why he hadn't started wasting away... he'd lost weight, certainly, but with as little as he ate he should really have starved to death long ago... and as for sleep... except for that morning, he couldn't remember sleeping at all for the past month or two at least... "You're the one who made me fall asleep." He said accusingly.

**_Yes._**

"Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?" He asked angrily, "You left me in there where I could have been caught... Merlin knows what they would have done to me! And what if Ginny had reacted badly?"

The voice in his head laughed. Actually LAUGHED. _**She is far too smart to have been surprised by us.**_

Draco fell silent. Us. It was strange to hear this voice saying that. It made it seem all the more real somehow... it was disconcerting...

_**Come along! You've known about me... whether you admit it to yourself or not. You summoned me... you went looking for the lost part of your soul and you found it.**_

"What's that supposed to mean?" Draco said, narrowing his eyes.

_**Just what I said. In a way I have been part of you since before you were born... when I died, not all of me remained here... part of me was lost... apparently drawn back to my bloodline and later born into you... we are the same... two halves of the same soul...**_

"That doesn't happen." Draco said quickly.

More laughter. _**Apparently it does... I knew you the moment you set foot on the grounds... but I couldn't come to you until you wanted me to.**_

"I never asked for you!" Draco said quickly.

_**Perhaps not in so many words... but you have known all along that you were incomplete... when you finally acknowledged that, you longed for the missing part... then your soul called to me... and I came...**_

Draco buried his face in his hands. "This has to be that bloody spell..." He muttered to himself.

_**It DID help.**_ The voice said thoughtfully, _**It opened you up... let me in much deeper than I have ever been... made me stronger... I would have never had the strength for even this much before... but we have already been sharing your body for well over a year now... slowly becoming one... you're just accelerating the process... in your heart you know that.**_

Draco dropped his hands, then hugged himself, looking at the gravestone fearfully. "I... don't want to be possessed... I don't want to be controlled!" He said, finishing angrily.

**_It's not like that... I have no desire to control you... I just want to be whole again..._**

"If you don't want to control me, why did I fall asleep? Why was I eating at lunch? How did I get out here?!?" He demanded.

_**We're dying Draco... I don't want to die again... I might lose you forever... being half a soul isn't the most pleasant experience... you should know that... so if I have to force issues to keep us alive, I will. It's not that I WANT to, but that I HAVE to.**_

"So in essence you're saving your own borrowed skin." Draco said ruefully.

There was a mental sigh, _**I want to live, yes... but it's even more than just you and I... what about HER Draco?**_

"Her?" He asked, puzzled.

_**Ginevra. We've found her again... we can't lose her a second time...**_

Draco was stunned. "You mean Ginny?"

_**One and the same... can you not feel it? It's her... our lost love... how she has returned I don't know, but it is her none the less...**_

Draco wanted to refute it... but he couldn't deny the unexplainable attraction he felt for her... had _always_ felt for her... and the way her every touch seemed to ignite his soul.

_**This is probably very hard for you to accept. I understand. You've had a hard life... I know... I imagine it was much the same as my own... we were both born into the same family after all... from what I have seen and heard since I have come to be with you, the Malfoys don't seem to have changed their ways.**_

"Why did they refuse to take your body?" Draco asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

_**I'm sure you can guess... I was a disgrace... they have no room in the family plot for disgraces... not that I ever wanted to be laid to rest there in the first place... I couldn't have picked a better place to be buried to be honest... my true home has always been at Hogwarts. I never quite belonged in my family, even though I tried for a while... I just wasn't made the same as the others... eventually I realized the futility of it and stopped trying... I was just myself, no matter how angry it made my family. They threatened to disown me when they found out about Ginevra... if she hadn't called it off I would have married her... I had the ring and everything... even after she told me it was over, I couldn't believe it... I kept going back to our secret place... kept waiting for her... from dusk until dawn I would wait... the night before my birthday I could take it no more... my father was to officially name me as his successor on my birthday... I had no desire to go into the family business... I wanted nothing to do with them... I had planned on telling him where he could put his business and tell him I was marrying the woman I loved, even if he felt she was below my station... I was going to accept being disowned happily and without a second thought... but... without her by my side... I knew I hadn't the resolve to refuse the position... I couldn't do anything without her... she was my life... so I took what was, admittedly, the easy way out...**_

Draco felt an ache in his chest that he knew wasn't entirely his own.

_**I was in so much pain my soul seemed to fall to pieces... and then she came... she lay right where you are sitting now... she cried over my grave... I... couldn't understand it... she had said she didn't love me... but she lay here on my grave and cried for two days straight before they finally carried her away... I tried to gather myself back up... to talk to her... to let her know I was here... but there wasn't enough of me left to reach her... I don't know what I did that drove her away in the first place... but it became obvious she still loved me... if only I had known that before... if only I hadn't let her go without explaining what I'd done wrong... maybe then I could have made it right again... they sent her home after that and I never saw her again... until now...**_

"But... she's a Weasley... the Malfoys and Weasleys have always hated eachother..."

_**No... not always... I think I am the reason for that actually... I'm sure my family blamed the Weasleys for my death...**_

Draco blinked. It DID sound like something his family would do... and his father had never really explained the animosity between the two families... it could indeed be the reason... He found himself wanting to know more about this spirit... despite his earlier worry of being lost, his body taken over... he found the fear that this would happen disappearing. When he concentrated, he could almost feel the other boy's spirit within him... it felt... right somehow... When he stopped fighting against the idea, he realized that he didn't mind the presence of Darien in his mind... it felt infinitely familiar... and it did make him feel... whole...

He turned as he heard a twig snap. His cheeks colored as he saw Blaise standing there. He could tell by the frightened look on his face that he had been there for a while. Seeing he had been spotted, Blaise went over to him, kneeling at his side. "We can get you help, Draco..." He said softly, gently placing a reassuring hand on Draco's shoulder.

Draco felt a smirk slip over his lips, then a laugh escaped him. "I'm not mental, Blaise..." He said mirthfully. "I'm just..." He blinked, his laugh falling off... "Well, I guess I'm possessed... but it's ok!" He said quickly, "I'm rather getting to like him..."

Blaise stared at him worriedly, not sure what to make of this.

There was laughter in Draco's head. _**May I?**_ Darien asked mirthfully.

Draco smirked and shrugged, "Go ahead. Maybe you can convince him..."

Blaise glanced around, getting a bit creeped out listening Draco talk to someone who wasn't there.

"It's ok, Blaise, we were just getting to know eachother a bit better..."

Blaise's eyes darted back to Draco. There was something off about his voice... His eyes widened and he pulled back, falling on his backside in his surprise. Draco's eyes were now a deep chestnut brown. The strange eyes danced with laughter as he smiled. It was a real smile... something that rarely graced Draco's lips. "Who are you?" Blaise asked, feeling the fear growing inside him.

"I'm Darien..." Darien replied, jerking his thumb over towards the gravestone.

Blaise's eyes followed, taking in the writing on the stone. His eyes darted back to the strange brown eyes peering at him. "Leave him alone!" He said, alarmed.

Darien laughed, "I'm not hurting him... I have no intention of hurting him... I've been keeping him alive in fact... but I have reached the very end of my abilities... that's why I felt it necessary to make him aware of my presence... to warn him... if the daft boy doesn't start taking care of himself immediately we're both going to be wandering souls!"

Blaise eyed him with trepidation. He'd been wondering how Draco could possibly still be alive and relatively healthy the way he'd been going.

Darien looked down at Draco's watch. "Oh dear... it appears we must be going... Maybe we can talk again after dark... I'm still too weak to speak like this away from my grave during daylight, even with Draco's explicit permission. Do me a favor and keep badgering him about eating and sleeping and such..."

"Um... sure..." Blaise said uneasily, "But why do you need to go?"

He smiled... and then the smile slid into a smirk as the brown flowed away from his eyes like smoke clearing. "It's time for Quidditch of course." Draco said, rolling his pale eyes.

Blaise followed mutely as Draco made his way back through the Forest as if nothing had happened.

-------------


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Draco and Harry faced eachother, Draco's light, amused smirk meeting Harry's venomous glare.

"Captains, shake hands!" Madam Hooch said loudly.

They stepped towards eachother and shook hands. Harry tried his best to crush Draco's hand, as was the unspoken tradition, but Draco just gave a properly firm handshake and released Harry's hand. A hint of surprise flickered in Harry's eyes. He watched Draco casually mount his broom, no hint of his usual determined hostility and tension present. This just wasn't at all normal, and it made Harry inexplicably disconcerted.

Then the whistle blew and they were off, the game instantly swinging into full gear as the teams blurred back and forth down the field. The action was high pitched as Draco and Harry circled the field, watching intently for the elusive golden snitch. Harry tried to divide his attention between his search and his teammates. Gryffindor was doing relatively well.

Within twenty minutes they were ahead, with a hundred and twenty points to Slytherin's ninety. Harry's eyes went wide as he suddenly spotted a bludger heading for Ginny. It was heading for her back, and she couldn't see it at all! He had just opened his mouth to warn her when Draco happened into the bludger's path. It hit him hard in the shoulder, deflecting it enough so it only hit Ginny a glancing blow in the arm rather than in the dead center of her back where it had been aimed.

Harry immediately called a time out as Ginny clutched her arm to her. He flew over to her, urging her down to where Madam Pomfrey was standing by. Madam Pomfrey quickly examined the arm, which was already beginning to darken with bruising.

"Looks like it's broken in two places deary." She said to Ginny, flicking her wand over the arm. "It'll just take me a moment..."

Harry looked up as Ron arrived, looking Ginny over with concern. He looked past Ron, noting Draco talking to his two beaters, Crabbe and Goyle, with a somewhat angry look on his face. **_Probably upset at them for getting HIM with the bludger!_** Harry thought with a modicum of amusement.

Madam Pomfrey quickly cast mending spells, fixing the bones, then cast more spells to take care of the bad bruising and the residual pain. By the time she declared Ginny fit to return to the game, Harry realized they had gone several minutes over the limit of the time out. He looked up in surprise. Draco was just sitting there on his broom with a disinterested look on his face. As team leader, he had the right to call a penalty for overrunning the time out, and yet he hadn't...

"Can we PLAY now?" He asked in a bored voice when he spotted Harry looking at him.

Harry just gave him a curt nod and he, Ron and Ginny remounted their brooms, flying back up. The whistle blew and the action was once again fast and furious. Harry returned to his high circuit of the field, but his mind wasn't entirely on locating the snitch. Draco's actions had been seeming more and more... _odd_... He was almost beginning to wonder if his wandering between Ginny and that bludger had even been an accident... but then it had to be... why on earth would he have done that on purpose?

"Hey scar head! You falling asleep over there?" Draco's sarcastic voice drawled.

Harry looked over at him and glowered, then looked away, his eyes scanning once again for the snitch. It wasn't until then that he noticed the unusual movement in the Slytherin team. As he watched, he saw that one of the Slytherin beaters stayed near Ginny at all times. Were they planning on taking her out of the game permanently? But if they were, why hadn't they hit any bludgers at her yet?

Harry jerked his broom back as one of the Gryffindor beaters darted in front of him, barely managing to deflecting a bludger he hadn't even seen coming. Harry felt a moment of relief, but then his stomach went cold. The bludger had been deflected from him, but it was now hurtling towards Ginny! He watched, startled as Goyle darted at it, batting it right back at the beater that had hit it away from Harry.

The Gryffindor beater was barely able to duck it using a sloth roll. Seeing he was safe, Harry looked over at Goyle in shock. He had protected a Gryffindor player! Why on Earth...

"Are you playing or not?" Draco asked as he came up to hover near Harry, smirking.

Harry glared over at him. "Of course I'm playing!" He snarled back. He couldn't help but notice that one of Draco's shoulders seemed to be hitched a bit lower than the other. "That bludger give you a little love bite?" He asked sarcastically.

"What? This?" Draco asked, indicating his shoulder, "It's just broken. I'll get it fixed later."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ya, right. If it were so much as bruised you'd be bawling like a baby and we both know it."

Draco looked at him in silence for a long moment. "I'll wager I've withstood ten times as much pain as you have in my life, Potter." He said, his voice dropping into a low, serious tone. "I only complain about it if I have a good reason to. There's no benefit in whining about it now. Unlike some, I don't feel I need to run to Pomfrey the moment I get so much as a _headache_. There's a time and place for everything. Right now, it is the time and place for catching that pretty little golden ball. So, shall we?"

"Bugger off Malfoy." Harry growled.

Draco glided closer, "Can I tell you a secret, Potter?" He asked with a smirk.

Harry glared at him suspiciously.

Taking the silence as consent, Draco smirked over at him, "When you beat me in the past... nine times out of ten I _let_ you beat me..."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Ya, right. And why would you do that?"

"Because it incensed my father to have his son beat by the bloody Boy Who Wouldn't Die." Malfoy said with a chortle.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"Frankly, I don't care if you do or not. It is true though. I could even beat you while injured and left handed, as I am at the moment."

Harry rolled his eyes again, "Sure..." He said sarcastically. "I'd like to see you prove it!"

"Very well." Draco said casually, darting his left hand out towards Harry's head.

Harry ducked back, expecting to be attacked. He looked over when no blow landed. Draco was smirking at him, holding a frantically fluttering golden snitch in his hand. Harry's jaw dropped in shock as the horn blasted below them, indicating the end of the game, the whole Slytherin stand exploded with cheers.

"It was nice chatting with you Potter." Draco said with a smirk, shooting off towards the riotously cheering Slytherins.

Harry just watched him go, still in shock.

Draco slowed, drifting down cautiously as the other Slytherins surged onto the field to congratulate the team. He carefully glided into an opening in the crowd beside Blaise. As he dismounted, Blaise wrapped his arms around him in a congratulatory hug, then quickly tightened his grip as he felt Draco's legs buckle slightly.

"Guess I should have stayed on the broom..." Draco chuckled ruefully, steadying and taking his weight off Blaise.

Blaise let go of him reluctantly, looking him over with concern. Draco's skin was even paler than usual, all the way to his lips, and there was the beginnings of dark smudges under his eyes. Blaise suddenly remembered the bludger. "How bad were you hit?" He asked, his voice rife with concern as he eyed the shoulder in question.

"I'll get it looked at after I change..." Draco said, his eyes not looking entirely focused.

"No. Now." Blaise said firmly. He got even more concerned when Draco didn't object, even when he took his broom and slipped his arm around him to lend him some support. "Make way!" He growled impatiently to the others. The surprised Slytherins quickly parted. The rest of the team trailed after them, immediately growing concerned as Blaise led Draco towards the hospital wing. Madam Pomfrey had unfortunately already left to tend to some more minor wounds from some of the other players.

"Draco!"

Draco paused and turned as Ginny ran up breathlessly. Blaise let him stop, remembering what he had been saying to the ghost while he had been listening in the woods. He had no doubt that this was the girl who had left those nice little scratches down Draco's back. Not one he would expect Draco to be shagging, but he had to admit that she was a bit of alright.

She came to a stop, blushing as all of the other Slytherins glared at her. "Um... I just wanted to see if you were ok...?" She said sheepishly.

Blaise gave his head a quick shake as several of the other Slytherins bristled, about to make undoubtedly crude retorts. They looked surprised, but fell silent.

"I'll be fine... just going to get patched up." Draco said, giving her an encouraging smile. The Slytherins within easy earshot all looked shocked. He was talking to her in a polite, civilized manner... a Weasley! Several of them started getting knowing grins. There was only one reason Draco was this nice to girls from other houses...

"Well... I just wanted to check... and to say thanks for..."

"Ginny!" Harry growled, storming over, "What the bloody hell do you think you're doing?"

Her cheeks colored angrily, "I was just thanking Draco for taking that bludger for me..." she said irritably.

"Oh please. There's no need to thank him for not watching where he was going! And when did you start using his first name?" Harry said, folding his arms over his chest and eyeing her suspiciously.

Her cheeks went a shade darker. "This is none of your business, Harry. I already have six older brothers, I don't need another!"

"Well you obviously need SOMEONE looking after you if you're fraternizing with this riffraff whenever I turn my back!" He growled. Ron wandered over, eyeing the situation warily, but not butting in for once.

"Perhaps you should mind your own business and stop taking your anger at your own inadequacies out on your players." Draco suggested helpfully, smirking at him.

Harry glared at him with pure loathing, turning his full attention on him. He looked him over, noting Blaise's supportive arm. "So, is this your boyfriend, Malfoy?" He asked with a malicious grin.

"Bugger off you prat. He's hurt." Blaise snapped angrily.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Oh, I see... now you're pretending to be all injured... you certainly seemed just fine up there! So what is it the 'time and place' for now? Playing it up so you can get into the pants of a gullible bint or two?"

Draco's cheeks flushed slightly. "That's no way to talk in front of ladies, Potter." He hissed angrily.

Harry stormed over, standing within inches of Draco. "Don't presume to teach me manners, Malfoy." He growled acidly, "You won this one on sheer luck alone. It won't happen again!"

Draco snorted, "Please! I beat you fair and square. Deal with it."

Blaise was getting more concerned by the minute. Draco had started trembling in his grasp, and it was escalating quickly, though it wasn't very outwardly apparent yet. "Enough of the verbal sparing boys. Draco needs to get to the Hospital wing. You can banter later." He said shortly, trying to steer Draco back on course.

"Oh PLEASE!" Harry scoffed, "He's not hurt!" Before anyone could stop him, his hand darted out, smacking Draco's injured shoulder firmly.

Blaise dropped the broom as Draco let out a strangled cry of pain and suddenly went as limp as a rag doll. Blaise gingerly lowered him to the ground, looking him over frantically.

"Get Pomfrey!" Blaise barked at Crabbe and Goyle. They immediately hopped on their brooms and darted off.

The Slytherins surged forward, but Ginny got to Harry first. He never even saw the right hook coming until it was too late. "YOU BLOODY BASTARD!" She shrieked, enraged as Harry sprawled onto his back from the force of the blow. The Slytherins stopped and watched in shock (and smirking admiration) as the petite redhead pounced on him, straddling his chest with her knees firmly planted on his arms, and pummeled him furiously for nearly a whole minute before her brother managed to get his arms around her and physically lift her off of Harry. She flailed angrily and managed to get in a couple of good hard kicks as well before Ron got her out of range.

"He's in shock..." Blaise said, looking around in hopes of spotting Pomfrey. Dumbledore, McGonagall and several other teachers were hurrying over to see what the commotion was about. "Merlin's beard..." Blaise breathed as he finally prized Draco's shirt open. There was dark bruising coloring the pale flesh of his entire shoulder, and it was blatantly obvious that a number of bones were broken quite badly, if not shattered entirely.

Ginny immediately stopped trying to get at Harry and Ron let her wriggle out of his grasp. She ran over, dropping to her knees beside Draco. She reached over, stroking his pale cheek as Blaise tried to gingerly examined his shoulder, using what spells he knew for easing pain. "He's so cold..." She said fearfully. Indeed, he felt nearly as cold as he did under the Living Haunt spell, and his breathing was shallow and irregular.

Ron wandered over, working his way through the Slytherins and looking to see how bad it was. Blaise looked up into his eyes. The distress and fear those dark eyes held made Ron's chest ache.

"What is going on here!?!" McGonagall asked in outrage as she came to a stop, spotting Harry laying on the ground, looking thoroughly beaten and bloody.

The Slytherins immediately broke apart so she could see Draco laying there, all starting to go on about Harry attacking Draco.

McGonagall let out a little gasp, hurrying closer, then looking around. "We need to find..." She left off as Crabbe and Goyle came rocketing across the grounds, Madam Pomfrey perched precariously on Goyle's broom. He came to a stop so fast he spun sideways a bit and caused a slight breeze. She got off the broom quickly, clasping a hand to her chest. "Lands! That's why I don't fly anymore!" She muttered, out of breath, then hurried towards the crowd.

Blaise immediately stood, waving her over urgently. "He's hurt bad, and he's gone into shock!"

Pomfrey hurried over and began examining Draco as Snape hurried up, followed closely by Dumbledore.

"What happened here?" Snape demanded angrily as he saw Draco's pale body sprawled on the ground.

The Slytherins immediately launched into their explanations again, but Snape waved them off, unable to understand any of them with them all talking at once. His eyes narrowed as he noted the fact that Ron was standing near Draco instead of Harry as he would have expected. "I would like to hear... Mr. Weasley's explanation..." He said, eyeing Ron studiously.

Ron looked up, clearly shocked that Snape would ask HIM. He glanced over at Harry. Hermione was helping him sit up. He watched Ron (through the eye that wasn't swollen shut yet), obviously expecting to be vindicated.

Ron took a deep breath, then looked over at Snape. For probably the first time since he had come to Hogwarts, he looked him in the eye voluntarily. "Harry hit Malfoy in his wounded shoulder without provocation." he said evenly.

Slytherins and Gryffindors alike drew in a gasp of surprise at that. Harry looked completely thunderstruck, staring at Ron as if he had just stabbed him in the back.

Ron looked over at Harry, seeing the betrayed look he was giving him. His cheeks colored with anger. "Don't look at me like that! That's what happened and we all saw it! I'm not going to lie for you about it! I may hate the bloody prat, but you don't go hitting someone when they're down! It's bad form!"

"How was I supposed to know he was telling the truth about being hurt?" Harry said angrily, his words slurred by his bruised jaw and rapidly swelling lips. "Since when has he ever told the truth?"

Ron's jaw dropped in open shock as he looked at Harry incredulously, "Any idiot could have told you that you can't get hit with a bludger like that without getting hurt! You of all people should know that! Did you fancy regrowing all those bones in second year?" His cheeks colored more with anger as his voice quickly became sarcastic.

Harry just glared at him as best he could in silence.

"Well if Mr. Malfoy didn't fight back, then how did Mr. Potter get in this state?" McGonagall asked, crossing her arms and giving Harry a very disapproving look.

Ron remained silent, but Ginny stood up. "I did it." She said defiantly.

"Miss Weasley!" McGonagall said, scandalized.

Ginny folded her arms across her chest, "I did it. I admit it. I'd do it again, and I really don't care what you do to me because of it! He had no bloody right! I just came over here to see how Draco was doing after that hit from the bludger and here comes Harry! He was all bothered about losing and decided he'd take it out on anyone he could! He started taunting Draco, and when Draco tried to walk away he hit him! Right in the shoulder!"

"Well," McGonagall said grimly, drawing herself up straight and staring at Ginny with open disapproval, "Be that as it may, I'm afraid I'm going to have to..."

"Minerva..." Snape cut in. She looked over at him in surprise, not used to being interrupted. "If I may... this was an attack on a member of my house... I respectfully request that I, therefore, be the one to assign the punishments for this incident."

She opened her mouth, not liking the sound of that at all.

"That would seem to be only fair." Dumbledore put in gently with a little nod.

McGonagall took in a deep breath, then let it out in a sigh, nodding, her lips pressed into no more than a grim line.

A little smile flickered at the edge of Snape's mouth. He turned towards Harry, who cringed back. "Mr. Potter." He said, relishing the situation, "You will have one month's detention for this cowardly act. What the detentions will entail will depend on how young Mr. Malfoy fairs... for your own sake, you had best wish him a speedy recovery..." He said, a definite edge of threat in his voice as his black eyes danced.

Dumbledore nodded in agreement, looking over to where Pomfrey was casting spell after spell on Draco's limp form. "How is he Poppy?" He asked with concern.

She looked up at him. The look of worry on the face of the normally unflappable woman made everyone nervous. "I'm not sure Albus... the shoulder is bad... I'll have to remove and regrow at least two of the bones... How he stayed on the broom after that blow I'll never know... let alone winning the game and walking this far, even with help..."

"Will he recover?" Snape asked, obviously concerned.

"With time... but... I can't wake him..." She said worriedly, "I have fixed what I could and he shouldn't be in much pain any longer, and yet even my strongest revitalizing spells seem to do nothing for him..."

"Let him sleep..." Blaise said, looking down at Draco with worry in his eyes.

"He should really wake so I can get some potions down him..." Pomfrey said firmly.

"He needs sleep." Blaise said firmly.

"Let us get him to the hospital wing." Dumbledore said encouragingly. He looked up at Blaise searchingly, "And then I believe we should have a talk."

Blaise's cheeks colored, but he looked down at Draco and nodded.

------------

A/N - since it was asked, I couldn't find Draco's birthday, so I picked a date at random. February seemed like a good month for him to be born in, and as you can probably tell from my handle, seven is my favorite number. So in essence, don't quote me on that date. :) It would be an AMAZING coincidence if I was right! Oh, and sorry I didn't post yesterday. Wasn't feeling well and laid down... It was my own current extended bout with insomnia that first inspired this story, so imagine my surprise when I fell asleep! Sorry :)


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"MONTHS? This has been going on for MONTHS and you didn't see fit to tell anyone?" Snape growled, pacing.

Blaise didn't even flinch. He hadn't told them what Draco DID with his nights, but if the abuse he'd been putting his body through recently was what was causing his continued unconsciousness, they needed to know. "He swore me to secrecy. Besides, at least it wasn't anything drastic... I have been trying to encourage him to take care of himself on my own. I was afraid if I told and people started watching him he would find some other, much worse way to hurt himself and at that point he'd hardly be likely to tell me so I could try to stop it!"

"Why would he be so intent on hurting himself?" Snape asked, turning and eyeing Blaise shrewdly.

Blaise looked at him for a long moment, then looked over at Dumbledore and McGonagall. He sighed and dropped his eyes. "His father sent him a letter this past summer saying he's to get his Dark Mark on his next birthday." McGonagall gasped, covering her mouth and staring in shock, the others remained silent, looking grim, "He'd rather die on his own terms than face that." Blaise admitted, staring at the floor. Draco was probably going to curse him into the ground when he woke, but he could think of no other way to save his friend.

"Well, he's a bit malnourished, that's easy to see..." Pomfrey said thoughtfully, "But I can't see how he could have survived this long if it has really been as bad as all that."

Blaise shifted uneasily, carefully not meeting any of their eyes. That was something he definitely didn't want to go into.

After a moment, Snape stepped up close to Blaise's chair, glaring down at him. "I do have a fairly decent stock of Veritaserum, Mr. Zabini. Are you going to tell us whatever it is that you are hiding, or shall I go fetch it?"

Blaise swallowed, staring intently at the floor. He took a deep breath and let it out laboriously. "He's possessed..." He finally said softly.

"What did you say?" Snape asked carefully, his eyes narrowing.

Blaise looked up at him, speaking in a loud, clear voice. "He's possessed. He has a spirit in him. It's keeping him alive. Has been for quite a while now. I spoke to it earlier today. He seems to like it. It seems to like him."

Snape was looking down at him in open shock. "Possessed? How could you let THAT go without telling anyone?" He growled.

Blaise's eyes flashed in anger. "I didn't know until just before the match today! And even if I did, I probably wouldn't have told! There's no need to overreact..."

"Overreact?" Snape hissed, "You'd rather leave your 'friend' in the clutches of some unknown ghost? Merlin knows what it might be doing to his mind!"

"Leave him alone!" Ginny said suddenly. Everyone looked over, having forgotten she was even there. She had perched herself on the side of Draco's bed, and was holding one of his hands in hers.

Snape sneered at her, "I have no intention of hurting Mr. Zabini, but we need to know what we're dealing with." He said impatiently.

"I was talking about Darien! He's done nothing but good for Draco!"

They all looked at her in surprise. "You know about this spirit Miss Weasley?" McGonagall asked in surprise.

"Of course I do! They saved that Ravenclaw boy! Darien Malfoy is the kindest, gentlest soul that has ever graced these grounds, and if you plan on trying to exorcising him then you can plan on doing it over my dead body!" She said, her cheeks flush and her eyes flashing.

Madam Pomfrey looked over at her sternly, "Just because you've taken a fancy to some shade doesn't mean we can just let it take over..."

"The spirit will remain." Dumbledore said softly.

They all turned and looked at him. Even Ginny was shocked.

Dumbledore clasped his hands before him, looking serene as always, but there was something in his eyes when he looked at Draco, his eyes then shifting to study Ginny intently. "It is his only means of survival at the moment. If, when Draco is better, he asks for the spirit to be removed we will consider it at that time."

"But Headmaster..." Madam Pomfrey said, looking over Draco with trepidation.

"This is not open for debate. They shall remain together." Dumbledore said firmly.

"Very well." Pomfrey said with a sigh. She looked around, "Well, time to clear out you lot. The patient needs quiet to rest properly!"

Snape saw the worried look Ginny cast down at Draco, her grasp on his hand tightening. He eyed her for a moment, then cleared his throat. She looked up, "It occurs to me that I have not yet assigned your punishment, Miss Weasley." He said sternly.

She sighed, but didn't protest, awaiting the worst.

"For your rash actions, I charge you with looking after Mr. Malfoy until he has recovered. Madam Pomfrey hardly has the time to dote on him constantly, and he can be quite demanding, and I must say, rather annoying when he is unwell. It should help teach you patience and restraint." he said with a little smirk.

Ginny looked up at him, eyes widening as she carefully stifled the smile that tried to spring to her face.

"Yes professor." She said demurely.

"Headmaster..." Pomfrey implored, "I can't have students just loitering about..."

Dumbledore gave her a genial smile, "I'm afraid I did give Severus complete autonomy in her punishment. I daresay she won't get in your way. And would you be so kind as to look after her hands?"

Ginny looked down at her hands. She had been so worried about Draco, she hadn't noticed the bruising that covered her swelling knuckles from where her fists had hit Harry, hadn't even notice the aching pain in them until it was brought to her attention. She didn't object when Pomfrey hurried over and began examining her hands gingerly.

Dumbledore waved his wand at the screens, dissolving the Silencing and Unperturbable spells. Snape pulled one of the screens aside. A large group of Slytherins was waiting there, all looking worried. There were a number of Gryffindors gathered protectively around Harry's bed, guarding him against the irate Slytherins, but they looked to be doing it out of principle. Even Harry's usual steadfast supporters didn't appear to be entirely on his side on this one.

Dumbledore raised his hands to quiet the concerned inquiries. "Mr. Malfoy is resting comfortably. He has not regained consciousness as of yet, but we are confident he will recover. For now, he needs rest and quiet. You may see him for a few minutes if you wish, but then I must ask you to return to your dormitories."

There was disgruntled muttering, but they quickly started streaming past the teachers to gather around Draco's bed.

Pomfrey healing Ginny's hands didn't pass their attention either.

"Remind me never to make you go spare like that." Pansy said with a mischievous smirk.

Ginny's eyes shot up, but there was no malice in Pansy's statement. Ginny then noticed that a great many of the Slytherins were looking at her with what was unmistakably respect.

Pansy chuckled, seeing Ginny's surprise. "Some may question his judgment in picking a Gryffindor... but you're not all bad..." She said, her eyes wandering over to where Ron was carefully picking his way through the crowd of Slytherins towards them. She shifted her head to the side subtly and the crowd parted before him.

He blinked in surprise, then made his way forward, his cheeks coloring brightly. His eyes darted around at the gathered Slytherins nervously before settling on Ginny. "How's he doing?" he asked, eyeing Pomfrey's wand as it waved over Ginny's hands.

"He'll be doing much better when I can get some potions down his throat... but that won't be an easy task unless he wakes." Pomfrey said, finishing up with Ginny, looking down at Draco speculatively.

"Um.... are you done with them both then?" He asked hesitantly.

Pomfrey sighed, "Done as much as I can for now." She said, nodding.

"Ok... because... um... they sent me to see if you could look at Harry now... his nose started bleeding pretty bad and he's conked out..."

Pomfrey sighed and got up, making her way off towards Harry's bed, muttering darkly to herself.

Ron looked over, noting Ginny's firm grasp on Draco's hand. A look of understanding passed between them and he let out a little sigh, looking down at the unconscious boy that he had hated for so long.

Pansy folded her arms across her chest, eyeing Ron. "So... worried about Potter were you?"

"They sent me." Ron said distractedly.

Pansy let out a bark of laughter, snapping his attention back on her. "And why would they send YOU?" She asked, her eyes glinting merrily.

Ron blushed again, casting his eyes down and ruffling his fingers through his hair, obviously embarrassed, "They... figured I'd be the most likely to make it through alive..." He admitted.

The Slytherins all snickered.

"They were probably right..." Pansy said mirthfully when the laughter had died down a bit. "It was damn decent of you to tell the truth. It couldn't have been easy."

Ron let out a deep sigh. "I stand by what I said before... what Harry did was wrong... even HE has to know that, whether he'll admit it or not..." He said, his eyes drifting over to Blaise.

Blaise had been silent through the entire exchange, staring fixedly at Draco from his chair at his side. His hand was resting on Draco's hand, but he hadn't taken it in his, not wanting to jar the still injured shoulder. Now that he was alone with his housemates he'd dropped his calm facade. He looked up at Ron, and Ron could see the fear and pain etched so clearly in his eyes. Ron couldn't help himself... he stepped forward, putting his hand on Blaise's shoulder. Blaise immediately rose and wrapped his arms around Ron, holding on as if his life depended on it.

Ron held him close, gently stroking his hair and kissing his cheek comfortingly as Blaise broke down and cried against his shoulder.

Pansy glanced over at the others. "Budge up." She whispered softly. They all immediately made sure that they completely obscured the view of the other Gryffindors. Ron glanced over at them, remembering for the first time that they had an audience. They all had little knowing smiles on their faces. He was surprised when he saw nothing but open acceptance on their faces... He was sure the Gryffindors would have been quite shocked and appalled by such a thing.

He stared at them, holding Blaise tighter. He couldn't understand it... he was surrounded by all the people that had teased and tormented him since he had arrived at Hogwarts... and yet he suddenly felt more accepted and at ease than he had since he first realized that he was different...

He turned his head, looking over at Ginny. She had a little smile on her face. He looked at Draco, then glanced down at Blaise. It was official... if their parents found out, they were going to go absolutely NUTTERS!

Curiously, he couldn't seem to bring himself to care at the moment...

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A/N - no, I didn't intend to Harry bash (figuratively speaking), and I apologize to all the Harry lovers out there, but just trust me that it's necessary for the story... and... well, I will apologize in advance, because it WILL get worse before it gets better! So please don't flame me (Though if you are a true Harry lover, you may wish to soon)!

Oh, and hurrah! I have over 100 reviews now! :)


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

When the bulk of the students had been shooed out, Ron had reluctantly returned to Gryffindor tower with the others. Ginny noted that he hadn't gone back over to see Harry again before leaving. Blaise had practically had to be removed from the room bodily, though finally relenting. Pansy put her arm around him, leading him out.

When the others were all gone, Ginny felt eyes on her. She looked over, seeing Harry glaring at her as Pomfrey finished up on his ribs (three of which she had fractured with one of those wild kicks). The majority of the damage had been repaired, but he still had a lot of bruising on his face. She stared back at him defiantly.

"There." Pomfrey said as she finished, handing him a small green bottle. "You'll be a little tender for a few days. Nothing strenuous, that kind of thing. Take a capful of this every four hours until it's all gone. It will help with the bruising. Superficial ones I can take care of, but those are much too deep for the simple spells." She stood, "Well, I'm done with you." She said shortly. Though she hadn't said anything on the matter, her cool manner towards him made it clear she held him responsible for Draco's condition. She wandered off to her office without another word.

Harry got up, flinching slightly as his ribs twinged. He walked over, standing a few feet from Ginny, glaring accusingly down at her as she continued to hold Draco's hand. "How could you?" He hissed angrily.

"How could I what?" She asked coldly, staring back at him unflinchingly.

"You betrayed me and you betrayed your HOUSE!" He said in a low, menacing growl.

Her cheeks colored angrily. "I certainly don't owe YOU any allegiance, and if anyone betrayed their House, it was YOU Harry Potter! Where is the Gryffindor courage, bravery and honor in attacking someone who is already badly wounded? That was the most cowardly thing I've ever seen a Gryffindor do! Maybe that Sorting Hat got it wrong!" She growled back with venom.

"You're going to regret this day!" He hissed threateningly.

"No. I won't." She said angrily, "You pull anything like that again and I will be more than happy to kick your miserable arse in front of the whole school all over again!"

He growled in anger, his hand lashing out to strike her, but he suddenly found his wrist in a painful grip.

"Touch her and I swear they'll never find your body!" Draco said in a strained, but threatening voice, eyes still closed.

Harry pulled his wrist out of Draco's grasp and Draco's arm fell back limply onto the bed.

"What are you still doing here Mr. Potter?" Madam Pomfrey asked, coming out of her office with a tray of supplies to replenish what she'd used from her shelves.

He growled down at Draco, then stormed out. Ginny just watched him go, seeing Hermione waiting outside when he opened to door. Harry just pushed roughly past her, continuing on down the hallway without so much as pausing. Hermione looked shocked, but followed after him.

Ginny felt cold inside. She couldn't seem to get the look in his eyes out of her head. His normally warm and smiling brilliant green eyes had held a look of almost inhuman loathing and barely contained rage. It was something she'd never seen in Harry before, and it made her feel unexplainably frightened.

She shook it off and looked down at Draco, forcefully putting Harry out of her mind. "Draco?" She asked hopefully, stroking his cheek.

"No..." He said softly, his voice losing a little strength. He blinked his eyes open.

She felt a trill go through her. "Darien..." She said wonderingly as she looked into the rich brown of his eyes. She took his hand in hers again, smiling down at him warmly.

Pomfrey hurried over, hearing their voices.

He swallowed a couple of times, looking around a bit dazed, "What am I doing here?" He asked, fear creeping into his voice, "Where's Draco?"

Ginny's eyes widened in fear. "Isn't he in there with you?"

He closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them. "What happened to him? I can't wake him!" he said with an edge of panic, "I don't want to be alone again..."

"It's ok... we think he should recover... he's just been without sleep for so long..." She said placatingly.

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, calming some. He was finding it harder than expected to clear his mind and think straight. After so long without a body, he wasn't used to all of the input it was thrusting into his consciousness... especially the pain. He glanced over at her, "What happened?"

"He was hurt in the Quidditch match... didn't you know?" She asked, surprised.

"I'm not usually aware during the day... I only see through his eyes sometimes at night... Today..." He said, looking as if it were difficult to remember, "I think... we talked... yes... he visited my grave... so I was strong enough to talk to him... I warned him. I told him I couldn't keep this up..." He winced in pain as he shifted, jarring his shoulder. "What did he do to us?"

"Bludger to the shoulder..." Ginny said morosely, "It was aimed at me... he flew in the way so it wouldn't hit me dead on..."

"Oh..." He said softly, "In that case I guess I can't blame him... I would have done the same." he said offhandedly as he gazed around the room.

She blushed, dropping her eyes and stroking his hand unconsciously.

Pomfrey had been eyeing Darien warily through the exchange. "Well... whatever your name is... since you seem to be in charge of the body at the moment, I have some potions I need you to drink."

He gave a little nod. "Hurry then... I'm not sure I can keep him going much longer... I'm very weak during the day..." He said, his eyes drooping some even as he spoke.

Pomfrey took him at his word, quickly pulling out half a dozen bottles. Ginny and Pomfrey ended up having to do most of the work, Ginny propping him up and holding his head steady while Pomfrey poured dose after dose of medicine down his throat. He cringed when she brought out the bottle of Skelegrow, but drank it down without protest, despite the obviously disgusting taste. When she was finished, she carefully recapped all of the bottles, setting the ones he'd need more of on the bedside table for later.

"How are you feeling?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"Tired... and starving... as usual with him..." He said a bit ruefully, his voice sounding fainter.

"Well that is definitely something we need to take care of!" Pomfrey said, hurrying off briskly. She returned surprisingly quickly with a large bowl of oatmeal. "We'll start on something easy..."

Ginny ended up feeding it to him. She had only gotten about two thirds of the bowl down him before he turned his head away.

"No more..." He said in a anguished voice.

She set aside the bowl, "What's the matter?"

"Pain is one sensation I didn't miss..." He said, letting out a little groan.

She sighed. The regrowing of bones was said to be a very painful process. Luckily, as of yet, she hadn't had to experience it herself... and from the people she had seen going through it, she never wanted to. "Maybe you should go back to sleep, or whatever it is you do..."

He was quiet for a moment, then let out a sound of frustration. "I can't... he has settled too deep to take over and our body won't let me go... I appear to be stuck here..."

She looked him over worriedly, "Is there anything I can do?" She could see the muscles in his neck tightening and relaxing as the waves of pain flowed over him.

"Hold me..." He replied in a hoarse whisper, his pained brown eyes staring up at her imploringly.

Ginny looked up at Pomfrey. Pomfrey rolled her eyes. "I'll be in my office, out of sight and completely oblivious to whatever might be happening in here. Fetch me if you need me..." She said, hurrying off.

Ginny shot a grateful smile after her, then kicked off her shoes and doffed her Quidditch robes, slipping into the bed beside him.

--------------

Ginny woke as a hand gently shook her shoulder. She looked up, surprised to find her brother leaning over her. She glanced over. Darien appeared to have fallen into a fitful sleep. She shifted up, careful not to jar him.

"You missed dinner..." Ron said softly, indicating a large basket of food he'd brought and set on the chair beside the bed.

"Thanks..." She said gratefully.

He crouched beside the bed, looking her over with concern. "Are you sure this is what you want?" He asked seriously.

She didn't need to ask what he meant, "Yes." She said without hesitation. "There's a lot more to him than you know... especially now..." She said, looking down at Draco's sleeping form and smiling.

Ron digested that for a minute, then slowly nodded. "Ok... but if he hurts you..."

"He won't. I don't know how I'm so sure, but I am." She said sincerely.

He sighed and nodded again. "Ok... it's your decision I guess..."

She smirked at him. "You certainly didn't seem this accepting with any of the other guys I so much as smiled at..."

He smiled ruefully, "Ya, well you didn't make that great of choices. I knew how much those boys bragged about conquests and compared notes on how best to con their way into a girl's knickers!"

She smirked. "And you don't think Draco does that?" She asked with amusement.

Ron snorted, "I doubt he needs any pointers on the subject." He said ruefully, "But... then again... none of those guys ever protected you like he did..." He said, his voice becoming more serious, "Harry must have been blind if he thought Draco got in front of that bludger any way but on purpose. He streaked over so fast I thought for sure he'd caught sight of the snitch... then all but stopped between you and the bludger... and he was looking at the bludger too, so there's no way it was coincidence... I knew what he was doing before it even hit him... I just couldn't figure out WHY..."

Ginny blushed and dropped her eyes.

"No mystery now I guess." He said with a little smile.

She ran her fingers through her hair self consciously as she glanced over at Draco, then quickly sought to change the subject. She really didn't want Ron asking how they'd gotten together. "So... has Harry forgiven you yet?"

Ron sighed and rolled his eyes. "Not bloody likely. He has all of Gryffindor against me now... at dinner I felt like a bloody leper... nobody would even sit anywhere near me."

Ginny's cheeks darkened with anger. "They can't honestly agree with what Harry did!" She said, shocked and dismayed.

Ron sighed again. "No... I think very few do... but he apparently pointed out that I had sided with the Slytherins. Right or wrong, you know what the rest of the House would think of THAT..."

She sighed deeply. She did indeed know how they'd react... and she was sure she'd be getting the same treatment, or actually, most likely much worse... she'd actually physically defended a Slytherin... and injured the captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team in doing so! She was social toast and she knew it.

She looked over at Ron's morose expression. "So... I'm guessing Blaise is who you were going to see the other night...?" She asked with a little smile.

He blushed brightly, shifting uneasily, "Um... ya... well... him and Pansy actually... but it was him who asked me..."

She giggled, "I guess you're finally over Harry!"

He looked up at her sharply, his eyes wide with surprise. Just how many people knew about his crush??? "Um... ya... I mean especially now I guess... I've never seen him like that..."

"So..." She said, steering him back to Blaise, "Are you two going out now? Or three..." She asked curiously, a little smirk on her lips.

Ron dropped his eyes. "I don't know what it is between us... I mean... I know I've never felt this way about someone before... but with his reputation... I don't know if I was anything more than a distraction to him... maybe even a bet..." He said, his voice aching, "I mean he seems much more keen on Draco..."

They looked over as Draco started shaking slightly. After a moment, soft chuckles became audible. After a minute he managed to contain himself, "Blaise's our best friend... nothing more..." He said in a soft, amused voice.

"Our?" Ron asked in confusion.

"Well... Draco's best friend... and so by association I guess I consider him mine too..." Darien said, opening his eyes.

Ron shot to his feet, nearly stumbling as he backed up a few paces.

Darien looked over at Ginny curiously, "Why do I keep getting that reaction?"

She smiled, "Your eyes... Draco's eyes are pale gray, but when you're there they are dark brown..."

"Oh..." Darien said, smiling, "That would explain it... I should have expected it really... the eyes are the windows to the soul after all..."

Ginny smiled at him, then looked over at her brother. This was getting tiring to explain. "This is Darien. He's a spirit that... kind of lives inside Draco's body as well... but Draco is out cold, so I guess his body pulled the other spirit to the surface to take over..."

"No..." Darien said softly, "Actually our body was on it's own for a while there. It couldn't draw me out during the day... Until Harry threatened you that is. Reflex pulled me to the surface then. I'd never let him hurt you..." He said, reaching up and caressing her cheek.

"Harry did WHAT?" Ron growled angrily.

"He was being quite rude and threatening... then he tried to strike her." Darien said evenly.

"Why that little..." Ron ranted furiously.

"Ron!" Ginny said placatingly, "Listen... he was probably just still out of sorts... I mean when I looked into his eyes... he seemed... I don't know..."

Ron's eyes went wide. "You don't think... I mean Harry got _him_ out of his mind at the end of last year didn't he?"

Ginny went cold inside. It was a definite possibility.

"You mean Voldemort?" Darien asked curiously.

They both flinched at the name.

"How did you know about him?" Ginny asked. Voldemort hadn't been around THAT long.

"I just know he's a royal pain in Draco's arse and planning on enslaving him or something... Where the bloody hell does he get the right to enslave people?" Darien asked angrily.

"He's the 'Dark Lord'." Ron spat disgustedly, "Thinks he is the greatest wizard that ever lived and that he should rule everyone and all... just some conceited, megalomaniacal prat if you ask me!"

Darien let out a little chuckle, "Sounds like it... fancies himself an equal to Voldermortist does he? Well, _he_ was taken care of easily enough, and if this man has half the arrogance, he will go down just as easily."

Ron blinked, "Voldermortist?"

Darien looked at him in surprise. "Don't they have History of Magic anymore? Voldermortist was the evil 'Dark Lord' that tried to take down Merlin. Enslaved the minds of good people, and bribing the bad to do his bidding, but Merlin got him in the end of course... simply paralyzed him and fed him to the beast of the lake."

Ginny rubbed her arms, feeling goosebumps rising on her flesh. The way he spoke of enslaving minds... there were a lot of similarities...

"Well, that's great and all... unfortunately, the 'Merlin' who's been prophesied to take down THIS Dark Lord is HARRY!" Ron said in exasperation.

"Bloody Hell..." Darien muttered with a groan. "We're in deep shite."

"Tell me about it. If my SISTER can take Harry, he has no chance against You Know Who..." Ron muttered irritably.

"Your sister...?" Darien asked, looking at Ginny.

Ginny blushed brightly, "Um... after Draco was hurt by the bludger... Harry was being a prat and kind of hit him in the shoulder... that's when he passed out... and... I may have overreacted..."

"Overreacted!" Ron snorted, then looked over at Darien, "She beat seven shades of shit out of him!" He informed him with a hint of pride creeping into his voice.

Darien laughed, wincing at the same time, but unable to stop himself. When he'd calmed a bit, he reached up and pulled Ginny down, kissing her soundly.

She sighed happily into his kiss, deepening it eagerly.

After a minute, Darien broke the kiss, then kissed her forehead. "No more of that... at least not while your brother is here..." he said mirthfully, a little blush creeping into his cheeks.

She glanced down and blushed as she saw a slight tenting to the blanket. "Um... right... Ron brought food." She said, sitting up quickly and 'casually' tossing her side of the blanket over him (which of course conveniently obscured the problem)

"Ya... there's plenty in there for you too... figured you'd be hungry. I heard the others saying you hadn't been eating much lately..." Ron said, trying to pretend he hadn't noticed anything.

There was a little amused snort. "That's an understatement!"

Ron turned and blushed as he saw Blaise walk up behind him. Blaise looked Darien over, noting the eyes. "So it's you again is it? How's Draco?"

"Sleeping I think..." Darien answered, shrugging his good shoulder.

"Well, in that case, here's your chance to cram some food down his throat." Blaise said with a little smile.

"My thought exactly... Thank Merlin it's finally DARK!" Darien said as Ginny set the basket on the bed, starting to look through it.

"How's the shoulder?"

Darien shifted it tentatively. The wince was only a shadow of what it had been before. "Think it's almost there... At least that stabbing, splintery feeling is gone now... that was absolutely wretched..."

"I can imagine." Blaise said with a commiserating smile.

Darien looked up as Ginny started setting the food before him, "Oh, and can you look after Ron for us? Seems the other Gryffindors are being prats to him."

Blaise looked over at Ron's blushing face worriedly, "I was afraid of that. They aren't threatening you or anything...?"

Ron shook his head. "Just avoiding me really... at least for the moment."

Blaise sighed and nodded. "Good thing they didn't see US..." He said, his eyes dropping, "I'm sorry about that... I was just so worried..."

Ron flashed him a little smile. "It's ok..."

"He seems to think you like Draco better than him..." Darien said, amused.

Blaise's eyes went wide and darted over to Ron. It was obvious by Ron's downcast eyes and blushing cheeks that it was true. Blaise sighed, "Ron... me and Draco... we're just friends... I mean I care about him... probably even more than I care for my own family... but... we're not... _like that_. He's just my best mate..."

Ron blushed deeper and gave a little nod.

Blaise sighed and stepped over to stand in front of Ron. He reached out and lifted his chin, forcing eye contact. "Listen... I'm always going to feel for Draco... to love him in a way I've never loved anyone before... but I love him as a _very dear friend_... what you and I have... I admit I don't really know just what we are to eachother quite yet... but it's something I'd very much like to pursue..."

Ron looked at him, his eyes glassy with unshed tears, not sure what to make of that. Then Blaise leaned forward and captured his lips, kissing him deeply. Ron quickly forgot about his uncertainties.

After a few minutes, Darien cleared his throat loudly. Ron and Blaise broke apart, both blushing brightly.

"Could you boys perhaps find a room?" Darien asked with a smirk.

A brilliant smile lit across Blaise's face, "Yes... I believe we could..." He looked over at Ron. "You head out. I'll wait a few minutes and then meet you there. Wouldn't want you to catch any more grief for being seen walking with a Slytherin."

Ron smiled eagerly and nodded, giving Ginny and Darien a last wave before hurrying out of the room.

Blaise looked down at Darien again once the door had closed behind Ron. "So... Draco's ok though... right?"

"I think so... I can't wake him, but he's been so long without rest... I knew when he crashed it was going to be hard..." Darien said worriedly.

"Um... how long...?"

Darien looked thoughtful. "I have no idea... maybe hours... maybe days... I certainly hope it isn't days, because I'm far too weak during the day to care for the body on my own... I'm strong enough now, but only just barely, and only because it's dark."

"Once the bones are done mending you can have strengthening potions... will that help?" Ginny asked eagerly.

Darien thought about it. "I don't know... I guess it's worth a try..." He looked down eagerly as Ginny took the lid off a bowl of beef stew, "But for now I'll be satisfied to feed us properly before he gets back in charge." He said with a rueful smile.

Blaise grinned. He was starting to like this spirit, despite his trepidation, "Well, I'll leave you to that then... I have... some things to tend to..." He said with a smirk, strolling out with a little spring in his step.

Darien looked up at Ginny, "If your brother wants to be in a relationship with THAT one, I certainly hope he has a LOT of stamina. Blaise is a walking libido!"

Ginny laughed, "Maybe Pansy can help him out." She said merrily.

---

A/N - No, I am NOT trying to ditch Draco and just use his body. Draco will be back and in control... but he needs a little nap right now :) Ok, perhaps a not-so-little nap, but temporary at any rate. Just thought I'd reassure you so you didn't worry about him :)

## Info on Voldermortist is from mugglenet dot com (can't seem to do actual web addresses on here so I spelled it out), Check it out. There is some VERY interesting info up there! ##

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	16. Chapter 16

A/N - Warning, adult stuff... etc etc.

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Chapter 16

By bedtime, Darien was just getting wound up. His shoulder was feeling much better, and he'd been given a strengthening potion... it appeared to be working even better than they had hoped. In fact, Madam Pomfrey was getting a bit frazzled trying to keep him in bed.

"Oh I give up!" Pomfrey said in exasperation as she turned from folding the fresh linens and saw him half way across the room once again. She shook her head, but couldn't quite hide the little smirk that tugged on the side of her mouth. It was like trying to keep an impetuous three year old in bed. She looked over at Ginny. "Well, I'm turning in for the night. You can fetch me if it's medically necessary, but otherwise it's time for you to earn your keep young lady. I expect him to get some rest. See to it. He's your problem now!"

"I'll do my best." Ginny said with a smirk.

Pomfrey nodded and left, still shaking her head.

Ginny looked over at Darien, who was examining a shelf of healing potions. "You're not supposed to be out of bed." She reprimanded him with a smirk.

He grinned back at her. "I don't suppose she'd be too happy if I slipped out for a little spin around the Forbidden Forest...?" He asked with an impish grin.

She laughed. He was incorrigible! Not to mention she had never seen such an expression on Draco's face before. It was absolutely adorable! "I think not. She's probably got the whole place spelled to tell her if you try to leave.

He sighed. "Probably." He walked over to the window and looked out at the moonlit grounds. He pressed his hand against the glass longingly. "You think he'll let me have a flight sometime when we're better?"

She blinked in surprise. "Don't you experience the flights he takes?"

He sighed, looking back at her. "In a way... but there's a big difference between watching it and actually being the one doing the flying and feeling the wind rushing past..." He closed his eyes, trying to remember the feel.

She smiled at the wistful longing in his voice. "I think he'll let you..."

He looked over at her skeptically. "Really?

"I'll talk him into it if I have to." She said with a smirk.

He grinned. "I have no doubt you could."

She peered over at him for a long moment, the smirk slipping from her lips, replaced by a thoughtful, introspective look. After a few minutes, she broke the silence that had stretched between them. "Um... which one of you..." She broke off, blushing. "Um... likes me?" she said quickly changing the obvious real question she had wanted to ask.

He gave her a little smile. "We both... 'like' you very much. If you want to know which one you bedded... well... that would be both of us as well I guess... I mean we do share the body..." He said, looking adorably embarrassed.

She blushed bright red. "So... you...?"

"Indirectly, yes." he said, his cheeks a definite shade of pink.

She looked at him thoughtfully. "This is the first time you've experienced anything first hand since you died, isn't it?"

He nodded, looking relieved at the change of subject. He reached up and picked up one of the cool, smooth glass flasks from a nearby shelf. He turned it over in his hands, feeling its weight and solidity. He set it back on the shelf, running his fingers over the stone of the wall. It had been so long since he'd felt anything solid...

"You should really get back to bed."

He sighed, glancing back over at her. He froze, staring at her as she dropped her undershirt onto the floor with the rest of her clothing. She grinned at him mischievously and pulled back the covers invitingly.

He crossed the room to her, then stood there, staring at her body, mesmerized. "I... I'm not quite as... experienced as Draco..." He said, blushing again (yet another thing that Draco didn't do often).

"But... I mean you HAVE...?" Ginny asked, surprised by the unexpected timidness.

The blush deepened. "Yes..." He admitted, dropping his eyes, obviously embarrassed.

"Why is that so bad?" She asked curiously.

"Well... things have changed a lot since... well, _my time_... back then... to have relations before marriage..." He trailed off, staring intently at the floor.

"Oh..." Ginny said, then bit her lip. "We don't have to... I just thought..."

"No... I... um... I mean..." He sighed, pulling his thoughts together. "I would like to. Very much. In fact there's nothing in this world I'd like more... but... I just... I mean I saw how much pleasure Draco gave you and... to be honest, I'm sure I'm no competition..." He said, looking thoroughly abashed.

A wide grin spread over her face. "This isn't a competition, Darien." She said, stepping forward and starting to unbutton the night shirt that they had put on him.

He just stood there and let her undress him. She let the night shirt slide to the floor and reached out, touching him. He trembled, then began touching her. His touch was timid and obviously inexperienced, but eager. When he kissed her, it was sweet and almost chaste. She couldn't help but smile. She doubted Draco had _ever_ kissed like that.

After a few minutes of kissing and touching, it became readily apparent to Ginny that she was going to have to take the upper hand in this situation. She slowly guided him over closer to the bed. She broke away, grabbing the large pillow and putting it against the metal railing at the head of the bed. She then patted the bed in front of it. "Sit." She said with a mischievous grin.

He looked between her and the bed, looking a bit puzzled, but complied, sitting in front of the pillow covered railing.

Ginny crawled up, smirking. Draco was amazing in the sack, there was no refuting that, but he had always been the one in control... She reached up and pushed Darien back against the pillow with one finger on his chest, then straddled him. She gave him a wicked grin as she pressed her body against him, making him groan. She was definitely getting to like this whole being in charge thing...

She kissed him and this time he got a bit more adventurous. She smiled against his lips as his tongue tentatively brushed her lips. She opened her mouth encouragingly, touching tongues with him lightly. He shivered, then deepened the kiss, quickly losing his hesitance. She knew he probably picked this up from watching Draco, but she had to admit he was a VERY fast learner!

She shifted around and felt everything slide into place. His dark eyes sprang open as he broke the kiss, his hands immediately fell to her hips, pressing her down as he pushed up until their hips met. His eyes fluttered shut again as a moan of pure rapture escaped him.

Ginny bit her lip, trying not to cry out. She'd only belatedly realized she hadn't cast a silencing spell. She was quickly figuring out why some of the older girls recommended this position... She wrapped her arms around him as she started moving, their bodies rubbing against eachother in a way that made her head spin. And then he kissed her again and all conscious thought left her. The kiss was so passionate and pure that it overwhelmed her senses.

They both lost all sense of time and place as their bodies clashed. Ginny pressed close to him, enjoying the feel of his body against hers, and the sound of the bed protesting creakily. His ragged breath brushing her neck drove her crazy. His hands were grasping her hips, urging her on as he thrust up into her ardently. She didn't think he would be able to keep it up very long at such a fevered pace, but to her surprise he lasted almost five minutes before she heard a slight rasp in his breath that she knew from her experience with Draco meant that he was about to peak. That thought alone was enough to push her over the edge. She cried out as an incredible shudder ran through her. He suddenly pulled her tight against him, driving up into her as he spent himself with a deep groan.

They held eachother tightly for a moment before his grip on her eased. He sank back against the pillow, just looking at her. Her already flush cheeks got a bit darker as he gazed at her, his dark eyes full of open adoration. After a moment his eyes drifted shut as he continued to try to regain his breath.

Ginny's head was still spinning as her body felt absolutely exhausted from the exertion she'd just put it through. He may not have Draco's experience, but he certainly made up for it with enthusiasm!

She looked at him in surprise as he started chuckling softly. That was certainly unexpected... "What's so funny?" She asked with a smirk.

He slipped his hands up her sides, pulling her closer. "The fact that I can't even keep my hands off you when I'm asleep..." He said with a smirk, blinking his pale eyes open and gazing at her mirthfully.

"Draco!" Ginny cried, wrapping herself around him with relief. "You woke up... we were so worried..."

He chuckled again. "Like I could sleep through THAT!" He murmured, nipping at her neck playfully. "But wake me up first next time... I'd like to be able to at least watch if you're going to molest my body!" he said mischievously.

She pulled back a bit, looking at him with concern, "You're not upset...?" she said tentatively.

He laughed, his arms tightening around her. "Why would I be? By all means feel free to shag him. He could definitely use it! If I have to go walking around with the practically virginal choir boy in my head it's going to absolutely ruin my reputation!" He said with a smirk.

She grinned, "I'll do my best to corrupt him up a bit then." she said, leaning forward and kissing him. The way his tongue expertly invaded her mouth sent a shiver through her.

When the kiss finally ended, she held him tightly once again, the warmth of his body keeping her from shivering as her body temperature quickly dropped in the cool room. "Draco?" She asked quietly, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. Anything." He said, kissing her neck.

"When I told Darien what happened, he said he would have taken the hit from the bludger as well... and he said it as if it was just a given that he would... I mean chivalry is one thing, but why are you both so willing to get yourselves hurt for me?"

"Oh... that." He said, then shrugged against her. "It's just a Malfoy trait... they ingrain it in us from birth in my family..."

"What's a Malfoy trait?" Ginny asked mirthfully, "Getting yourselves bludgeoned?"

"No..." He said, resting his head on her shoulder and nuzzling up against her. "Protecting what is ours." he said softly.

She sat there stock still for a long moment, trying to work that through. "Protecting what is yours? And how does that apply to me? I'm not a possession." she said, unsure if she should find this insulting or flattering.

She waited for a reply, but none came. She was about to ask again, when she realized he was asleep. She let out a little amused breath, then shook him lightly. He stirred and lifted his head, the eyes that looked back at her brown once again. "Hmm?" Darien asked a bit groggily.

She just grinned and shook her head. "Let's get dressed before someone wanders in."

------------


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Darien stirred as there was a soft sound nearby. It came again and he realized it was someone clearing their throat. He blinked his eyes open, then quickly shut them again as bright light dazzled them. He rubbed his hand over his eyes. "Why is it so bright in here?" He grumbled groggily.

"Because it is morning." A gentle voice replied, "I trust you will get used to it again."

Darien's eyes flew open, blinking back the brightness as he sat up, waking Ginny who had been curled up at his side.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Ginny squeaked in alarm, sitting bolt upright.

Dumbledore smiled at her genially from where he stood beside the bed. "Good morning Ginevra. I trust you both slept well?"

They both blushed brightly. "I'm sorry sir..." Darien said, looking over at Ginny worriedly and quickly trying to think up a good explanation as to she was in his bed with him instead of one of the many open beds available. He was grateful they had at least gotten their clothes back on. There would be NO explaining THAT away!

Dumbledore chuckled softly. "Don't call me sir, Darien. You'll make me feel old."

Darien's eyes went wide and slowly shifted back over to Dumbledore. He stared at him in silence for a moment, then pulled aside the covers and got up, walking over to stand before him. He stared intently into Dumbledore's face. "Alby?" Darien asked in awe.

Dumbledore broke into a wide smile. "It's been ages since I've been called that!" He chuckled, "It's wonderful to see you again."

Darien let out a laugh, and much to Ginny's shock, wrapped his arms around Dumbledore and hugged him. Dumbledore even hugged him back without hesitation! When he stepped back again he surveyed Dumbledore at arm's length. "Alby... you're..."

"Old." Dumbledore smirked, "I'm well aware of that fact, thank you."

Darien let out a laugh. "I never expected to see anyone I knew again... I had heard the headmaster's name was Dumbledore, but I thought at most he might be related... a son perhaps... I never dreamed..." He let out another laugh. "I can't believe they let you pass with those crazy stunts you used to pull, let alone take over the place!

"I was quite surprised myself to tell the truth." He said with a conspiratous smile.

Ginny smirked, suddenly realizing why Dumbledore insisted so quickly that Darien's spirit be left alone.

"I knew the moment that I set eyes on Draco that it was more than mere heredity... he looked like your twin! I was a bit dismayed at how different his demeanor was though... He had all of your vitality... your wildness and your determination... but none of your heart... I see now that perhaps there was a reason for that..." He mused.

Darien blushed and dropped his eyes. "He's had a hard life... and it can't have been easy living it incomplete as he was..."

Dumbledore rested his hand reassuringly on Darien's shoulder. "I'm well aware of that. Admittedly, there have been times when I was more lenient on him than perhaps I should have been. It was just so hard to pass judgment on him while looking at the spitting image of my dearest childhood friend..."

Darien blushed, staring studiously at the floor. "I... I'm sorry... I never meant to hurt you... I just..." His throat tightened painfully, cutting him off.

Dumbledore sighed sadly. "Don't Darien. I've long since made my peace with your passing. Believe it or not, I've known love a time or two in my day... when my first wife passed from this world I understood your actions completely. If I hadn't students that depended on me for guidance at the time, I shudder to think what would have become of me. Love is a strange and powerful thing. It can do more damage than the darkest magic... yet it can also bring you to the greatest heights of bliss that this world has to offer... and can bring about seeming miracles as well..." He said, smiling at Darien significantly.

Darien looked up at him, his eyes troubled. Dumbledore saw the hesitant glance he gave towards Ginny and cleared his throat. "Ginevra... I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of having one of the house elves gather you some fresh clothing from your dormitory. I left it by the door. There is a lavatory you may use near Poppy's office."

Ginny took the hint and nodded, quickly heading over. Dumbledore and Darien watched until she disappeared into the bathroom, then looked at eachother again.

"I believe there is something you wanted to ask me?" Dumbledore prompted gently.

Darien dropped his eyes. "I... I guess... I've always wondered... did she ever... find anyone else? I mean she never came back to my grave after she left Hogwarts... so I thought maybe..."

Dumbledore's eyes filled with sorrow. "Dear boy... did you never even know?"

Darien looked up at him searchingly, "Know what?"

Dumbledore sighed. "She died, Darien. Three days after leaving. She never had the _opportunity_ to visit you again."

Darien looked at him, eyes wide with shock, "But... but how? What happened?"

"No one is quite sure... they simply found her floating in the pond behind her home one morning. She appeared to have drown." Dumbledore said as gently as he could.

Darien backed up, his eyes full of turmoil, then sat abruptly on the bed as his legs came up against it. After a moment, he found his voice. "Did... did she...?"

Dumbledore sighed deeply. "That was the most popular belief... it is what the authorities of the time believed... but no, I don't believe she took her own life. I could never believe that."

"Why not?" Darien asked, his voice aching, "After what I did to her... leaving her like that..."

"Because." Dumbledore said, moving forward and placing his hand on his shoulder comfortingly. "No matter how distraught she was over your death, she would never have taken the life of your child."

Darien jerked back as if struck, "What?"

"Before she left Hogwarts I spoke to her, trying to comfort her... That's when she told me... your family had been making barely veiled threats for several months, as you well know, trying to get her away from you... it was only when she discovered she was with child that she became truly frightened. She broke it off with you because, at the time, she thought it was the only way to protect your child."

Darien started shaking, his mind thrown into chaos.

"Darien..." Dumbledore said in concern.

Darien shook his head. He didn't want to hear any more. He got up and darted past Dumbledore, dashing out the door and running headlong down the corridor. He didn't know where he was going, and could barely see through the tears that flooded his eyes. All he knew was that he had to get away... just go somewhere where he could think... Everything was a horrible jumble in his mind. He didn't even notice when he left the castle, but the next thing he knew, he was crashing heedlessly through the forest.

He stumbled to a halt as he realized where he was. Before him was the little clearing that he knew all too well. He walked forward on shaking legs, staring down at the gravestone that he had watched Dumbledore place over a century before. He collapsed onto his grave and lay there, sobbing and wishing he could return to it... return to the mindless drifting... so far away from the pain he couldn't avoid while trapped in this body.

Even in his misery, he felt the stirring inside him. **_What's happened? _**Draco's tired voice asked, sounding worried.

Darien couldn't handle verbalizing what he had just learned... instead he shoved the memory of the conversation at Draco. Draco's voice fell silent, leaving him to his misery for a few minutes before softly intruding on his mind again. **_I cannot tell you how sorry I am... but it is past... you have to let it go... this won't solve anything._**

"They did it! My family! They killed her! I know they did!" Darien said, pounding his fists against the hard ground.

**_Probably._** Draco admitted. **_I know something like that wouldn't be surprising from my own father._**

"They poison everything they touch! If I had been born into any family other than that accursed lot Ginevra and I would have had a happy life! We would have gotten married and had children! Maybe grandchildren or even GREAT grandchildren by now... they stole that from me! They stole it from her!"

Draco's voice sighed in his head. **_Yes, but there is nothing that can be done about it now, Darien. Dwelling on what might have been will do no one any good. You have to get over this..._**

"How can I get over this? They killed my child!" Darien said, his voice throbbing with pain.

**_Ya, well they're DEAD now!_** Draco said, his voice losing its patient tone, _**Ginevra's BACK Darien. She returned to us. So quit this bitching and moaning and get back in the castle before we freeze to death! You may not be too fond of living at the moment, and a week ago I would have gladly followed you off the nearest tower, but I find I don't much like the idea of dying at the moment. Besides, even if you could leave, all that would accomplish would be hurting her yet again. We've been given a second chance... are you going to throw it away so easily?**_

Darien let out a shuddering sob. He knew Draco was right, but he wanted nothing more than to flee the pain that churned inside him. "She'd still have you." he said softly.

**_And to think,_** Draco sneered sarcastically, **_I thought you were supposed to be the sensitive, caring half. Don't you think she deserves all of me? Stop being such a selfish prat and think about her first this time!_**

Darien recoiled, stung by his words. How often had he relived those days following his death? Seeing her sobbing on his grave? He couldn't bear seeing that pain in her again... especially knowing it was his fault.

Darien looked up as something brushed him. He stared in surprise. Tiger was standing beside him, looking down at him with unmistakable concern. He just watched as the little colt settled down beside him, nudging him with its snout tentatively.

Darien reached over, running his hand down Tiger's silky mane. Tiger took this as an invitation, shifting over against him and rubbing its head against him enthusiastically. Darien felt a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth despite his pain. He slipped his arms around the colt, holding it and burying his face in the side of it's neck. It just let him hold it, as if sensing his need for comfort, it's mere presence strangely consoling.

**_Why do they like us so much?_** Draco asked, curious despite the situation.

Darien smiled against Tiger as he heard a soft, purr-like rumbling start up deep in its chest. "Thestrals are kind, gentle, loving creatures... and yet they are judged by how others perceive them. People shun them and fear them for what they believe them to be... not who they really are..." He said softly, "They know a kindred spirit when they see it..."

"That explains a lot..."

Darien looked up, seeing Blaise approaching. He walked over, and without another word, pulled off his robe and lay it over Darien. Darien hadn't even noticed how very cold he had gotten until the warm material was draped over him. He snuggled into the comforting warmth as Blaise settled beside him, eyeing Tiger warily. Tiger huddled closer to Darien, watching Blaise just as warily with its blank white eyes.

Darien looked over at Blaise, unsure what to say. "Um... how did you find me?" he asked at length.

Blaise let out a little snort. "Like that was hard! You ran right past the Great Hall. A good several dozen people saw you. I followed you as best I could, but even barefoot you're a lot faster than I'd ever have given you credit for. Its a good thing I had an idea where you were going."

Darien sighed, stroking Tiger's fur. "I don't really want to talk about it..." He said before Blaise could ask.

Blaise nodded. "Ok, but can we not talk about it inside?" He said, shivering.

Darien blushed, feeling guilty for having taken his robe. He nodded, starting to struggle up while trying to keep covered. He was still nearly numb with cold.

"Hold on... let me take care of your feet first..." Blaise said, pulling out his wand.

Darien looked down, seeing the drying blood on his feet. Well, at least he knew how Tiger had found him now. He glanced around as Blaise set to work. Tiger, having been dislodged from his place at Darien's side, was trotting back to the shadows of the surrounding trees. When Darien squinted, he could see the slight shifting of several other Thestrals watching.

Blaise caught his glance and looked over as well, then quickly turned his attention back to his task. "Misunderstood or not, they still make me a mite nervous..." He muttered.

As Darien looked over at him, the brown flowed away from his eyes. "Since when can YOU see them?"

Blaise looked up sharply, then his whole posture seemed to relax a bit, "Draco!" He sighed in relief. "About time you wandered back to the land of the living!" He said, smiling, then the smile slipped away. He looked back down studiously at what he was doing. "Since this summer."

"Who did you see die?" Draco asked softly.

Blaise didn't answer for a long moment, then said softly, "My father."

Draco's eyes went wide, "Your father died? You never even said anything!"

Blaise finished up the foot he was working on and took ahold of the other one, examining it, "No reason to. My father wasn't worth mentioning." He replied in a very businesslike tone.

Draco had never heard Blaise's voice so hard and cold before. "How..?" he asked hesitantly.

"Aurors." Blaise replied in a clipped, emotionless voice.

"You mean he was a..."

"Since the beginning." Blaise replied before Draco could complete his question, not wanting to hear the hated title.

Draco eyed him in silence for a moment. No wonder Blaise had never had a problem with Draco's father being a Death Eater, even after it had become public knowledge. "I... didn't see it in the paper..." Draco said questioningly. The Daily Prophet had been publishing a running commentary on all the war related subjects, including a list of all major incidents between Aurors and Death Eaters. They even had a list of other miscellaneous names of Death Eaters who had been killed or imprisoned without much of a struggle... he knew, because he had been scouring it on a daily basis, hoping to see his own father's name. Preferably among the dead. Surely he would have noticed a Zabini on the list?

"They agreed not to list him." Blaise said softly.

"Why would they do that?" Draco asked, surprised.

"The way they got him wasn't very... chivalrous... from behind while he was wandless..."

Draco's jaw dropped slightly. "They disarmed him, then killed him when he tried to run?"

"No." Blaise said, releasing Draco's foot and putting away his wand, then hugging himself. Draco remained silent. "He was using my mother as a shield!" Blaise said after a long pause, his voice aching.

"_You_ disarmed him..." Draco said softly.

Blaise sighed and nodded. "The aurors got him while he was running me through with the sword he always kept mounted to the wall behind his desk."

"He...?" Draco began, looking shocked.

Blaise waved it off, quickly standing. "It was nothing. They had me patched up within five minutes."

"Still..." Draco said as Blaise helped him to his feet.

"Just drop it." Blaise said firmly, staring at the ground.

Draco grabbed ahold of Blaise's arm as he tried to turn away, turning him back to face him. He stared him in the eyes for a moment before speaking. "Heredity only creates our bodies, not our souls." He said softly, "We'll never be our fathers."

Blaise just nodded, his downcast eyes getting slightly glassy. He started in surprise as Draco stepped forward, wrapping his arms around him. When the surprise wore off, he gave a shuddering sigh and hugged him back. They just held eachother in companionable silence for a moment.

"This doesn't mean we're dating!" Draco said in a mischievous voice, breaking the silence.

Blaise let out a bark of laughter, shoving him away. "Like I'd WANT to date you! Please. You're far too high maintenance!"

Draco laughed and clapped him on the shoulder as they started out of the clearing.

A pair of glowing red eyes watched them from the shadows as they left.

-----------------------------

AN - In case any of you are about to say "There's no way Dumbledore is THAT old!" I just want to point out that J.K. Rowlings says he is 150. Once again, my source is Mugglenet dot com. That would make him a year younger than Darien.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N - Warning: Adult stuff. (can anyone tell I'm getting tired of putting warning labels on everything?) :)

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Chapter 18

"We should probably take you in one of the minor entrances. I'm sure your earlier mad dash set off enough rumors." Blaise said as they approached the castle, "No need creating more..." He looked over, then made a little amused sound. "He made you walk back?" He asked, spotting the brown eyes.

Darien gave him a wane smile. "Well, he had a good point. I was the one who dragged us all the way out there barefoot in this cold in the first place." He said, shrugging.

"We're going to have to get you some dark glasses if you don't want everyone knowing about... um... this..." Blaise said, unsure how to refer to the possession without sounding offensive to Darien.

"Probably best for now." Darien agreed, nodding.

"There you are!" Ginny called out breathlessly as she ran up to him. "Why did you run off?" She asked worriedly. She fell silent and watched warily as a couple of Ravenclaws walked by on their way out to the lake while Darien looked studiously in the other direction to hide his eyes.

"We should get out of sight." Darien muttered softly once the Ravenclaws were out of easy earshot.

Ginny just nodded and followed him as he led around the base of the towering castle. She drew up short as he made his way into some dense shrubbery in one of the recessed areas. "Where are you going?"

Darien poked his head back out. "Into the castle of course. Don't want to use the main entrance wearing this!" He said ruefully, tugging on the front of the nightshirt showing through the opening of the robe. He slipped back into the brush.

"But there's no..." Ginny began, but was cut off by the sound of stone grinding against stone. She and Blaise hurried into the brush after him. Once past the initial vegetation, there was a small clear area. There was a stone passage in the wall before them, which now lay open.

"Bloody Nora! Where does THIS lead?" Blaise asked.

Darien looked back at him, surprised. "Into the dungeons of course. Don't they use it anymore?"

"Not that I've ever heard of." Blaise said, examining the opening. He pulled out his wand and muttered "_Lumos_." Moving forward into the passage, pushing back the pitch blackness within with the light of his wand.

Ginny took her wand out and lit it as well before moving into the passage. Darien closed the door behind them, then took her free hand, leading her forward.

He led them through the twists and turns of the ancient tunnel. It became obvious it hadn't been used in a VERY long time. The cobwebs alone were evidence of that. After trying to get through the first couple of dusty, yet still clingy webs, Ginny decided she'd had quite enough of THAT. She let Blaise provide the light, spelling her own wand to emit a blast of wind that cut through the ghostly masses with ease.

Blaise pause as they passed a branch off of the tunnel. "Where does this lead?" He asked curiously.

"Just rooms." Darien said offhandedly.

"Rooms?" Blaise said interestedly, "What kind?"

"Bedrooms, lavatories, a small gathering room... even a small kitchen I believe. This is a siege tunnel. In times of war it is used as a secret hiding place for refugees. It is specially made to amplify Guarding and Concealment charms, though I'm sure by now most of them need to be refreshed. There used to be a connecting passage that led straight into Slytherin Dungeon, but I noticed it appears to have been covered over on the Dungeon end. Maybe the tunnel collapsed... They do that here sometimes, despite Integrity charms. The place is ancient after all. This was probably last used for it's intended purpose back in the middle ages... In my day this was mostly just used as a place to snog without getting caught." Darien said with a smirk.

"Is that so..." Blaise said thoughtfully. "I think we need to get some house elves down here..."

Darien rolled his eyes. "I should have known better than to let _you_ see this place!" he said ruefully. "Come along."

Blaise hesitantly continued on, looking deep in thought. From the smirk that kept flitting over his lips as he went on in silence, Darien knew this tunnel wouldn't be unused for long.

They were all thankful when they arrived at the other end of the tunnel. When they emerged through the back of a little alcove, still brushing off the remainder of the cobwebs, Blaise looked around wonderingly. "This is right around the corner from the Potions classroom!" He said, making a mental note of it's exact location for future reference.

"Indeed." Darien said, smiling over at Ginny as she used her wand to blow a couple of residual cobwebs out of his hair before dismissing the wind spell.

"How do you open it?"

Darien smirked. He knew Blaise would find a way to worm it out of him if he refused to tell. He decided to just give in now. Blaise wasn't one to deny if you wanted to stay sane. "You press your palm to the stone and seek safety."

Blaise arched an eyebrow. "Seek safety?"

Darien smiled, "Just fill your mind with the thought that you need a safe place to go... seek it in your mind and it will be provided. Kind of like the Room of Requirement. I KNOW you know about THAT one!"

"Brill!" Blaise said with an excited grin on his face. He glanced down the corridor as he heard talking. "No offense, but Draco might want to take over from here. At least until we can get you some glasses..." Blaise suggested, noting some students moving through the corridors nearby.

Darien nodded and fell silent. After a moment he rolled his eyes in exasperation. "He can be very grouchy when you try to wake him up." He said, sounding caught between amusement and exasperation.

Blaise chuckled. "Tell me about it!" He said mirthfully. "Let me give it a try." He said, moving over closer. He leaned in, whispering in Darien's ear. "Hey Draco... I have a very special present waiting for you in the Dungeon... something you'll really, REALLY like... Wouldn't want to sleep through that, now would you?" He asked smirkingly.

"Like what kind of present?"

Blaise laughed at the pale eyes that turned towards him with interest. "You'll have to see for yourself. It is beyond description." He said tantalizingly.

Draco still looked tired but followed eagerly, slipping out of the alcove behind him, still holding Ginny's hand. She hesitated when they reached the door to Slytherin Dungeon, but he just gave her a reassuring smile and led her in.

As soon as they entered the common room, Blaise's present became immediately visible. Above the mantle piece was a larger than life Wizard photo of Ginny, wailing on Harry in a continuos loop. Ginny turned bright red as Draco let out a laugh of pure pleasure.

"Thank Merlin for Colin Creevey and that blood ever present camera!" Blaise said gleefully.

Draco just couldn't stop watching as she beat on Harry endlessly, "I can't believe I missed that!" He said laughingly, "I do believe this is the best present I have ever received, Blaise! Other than you of course..." He said, sweeping a surprised Ginny into his arms, dipping her back and kissing her with dizzying intensity.

There was laughter and applause from the Slytherins who had been lounging around the common room, appreciating the new addition to the décor. By the time he set Ginny back properly on her feet, she was brilliant red. She was mortified at having her moment of lost control plastered up on the wall like that, but couldn't help but feel a little bit pleased by how much everyone here seemed to be enjoying it.

"Little Colin wasn't easy to convince to give it up... he is still rather loyal despite what he saw for himself of Harry's character. Of course he isn't exactly rich... once the offer reached two hundred galleons he caved." Blaise said with a wicked smirk.

Ginny looked over at him in shock. "You paid two hundred galleons for that photo?"

Blaise snorted with laughter. "I'm not daft. I paid two hundred galleons for the NEGATIVE. And believe me, I've already more than made it back. I believe everyone in Slytherin now owns at least one copy. I have even been receiving orders by owl from some of their friends and family members that heard about the picture... not to mention quite a number of discrete purchases by members of other houses... and a few staff members..." He said, grinning like a cheshire cat.

Ginny's blush returned to full brightness and she felt light headed. She stared at the photo. The look on her face exemplified pure, unadulterated outrage, the blows she rained on him not drawn in the slightest. It looked like she wanted to kill him! "Merlin..." She said faintly, "Did I really look like that?"

Draco came up behind her, slipping his arms around her. "It looks like I'm not the only one that's protective of what's theirs..." He whispered in her ear.

She was about to retort irritable when the words caught in her throat. Did he just indicate that he was hers? He pulled her tighter, his body pressing up against hers and she suddenly became aware of just _how much_ he liked the photo...

"Would you like to see my room?" He murmured in a low, husky voice.

She shivered as the sound went right through her, She gave a little nod, not sure she could work her mouth at that moment.

Blaise just smirked and joined the others as Draco pulled Ginny off to his room.

Draco let out a little laugh as he shut his door, noticing the copy of the photo now hanging on the wall next to his bed. It was smaller, but still the size of a standard portrait. Draco pulled her into a deep, passionate kiss, backing her towards the large bed as he expertly began removing her clothes. By the time they reached the bed they were both without a stitch.

Without warning, he picked her up, tossing her onto the bed. She let out a laugh as he crawled after her. The almost predatory look on his face made her both nervous and excited at the same time. She let him shift her around, settling on top of her. He looked over at the photo again for a long moment. When he looked back down at her, his eyes were full of smoldering lust.

He took ahold of her thigh, sliding it up beside him, shifting into position. His pale eyes watched her avidly as he drove himself into her. She cried out in pleasure, her arms going around him as he started moving with more fervor than he'd ever shown before. Before long, even his sturdily built bed was quaking with the intensity of his thrusts. Every time she looked at him he would be either staring down at her... or over at the photo. She always knew when he looked over at it. Every time he did, his thrusts got harder and faster.

She arched up against him as she peaked with near blinding intensity. He kept right on moving, her wild writhing not breaking his rhythm in the slightest. She held only a tenuous grip on consciousness as his ardent pummeling seemed to draw out her peak far beyond what seemed possible. It was almost a relief when he finally rammed into her, spending himself with a deep groan.

He lay on top of her as they came slowly down, kissing her between his gasps for breath. After a few minutes, he gathered his strength, shifting himself off of her a bit. He pulled her close and dazedly grabbed a blanket, pulling it over them as the cool air quickly began to chill their sweat soaked bodies.

He gave the photo one last look, smiling blissfully. "Merlin... I think I'm in love..." He sighed, nuzzling up against her.

The words sent a trill through her. She looked over at him, not sure she heard him correctly, then sighed as a smirk slipped onto her lips. He was already drifting back off to sleep.

---------------


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Draco woke, blinking around wearily, looking for the source of the irritating sound. He spotted Snape leaning one shoulder casually against the stone wall, knocking on the headboard of his bed with a bemused smirk on his face. He stopped knocking and folded his arms across his chest as he saw that Draco was awake.

"Bloody hell!" Draco growled, scrubbing his fingers through his hair. "Everyone keeps telling me to get some rest, then they keep waking me up! Make up your bloody minds!" He said, pulling Ginny a bit closer and trying to go back to sleep.

She woke as well, her eyes going wide as she looked up at Snape, horrified.

Draco felt the tension in her and chuckled. "Calm down. It's just Snape."

Ginny looked between Draco and Snape, dumbfounded. Surely a teacher would be shocked and upset finding two students in bed together? Ok, Dumbledore hadn't been upset, but they had been in the Hospital Wing and fully dressed that time!

Snape's smirk widened. "We're not quite as prudish in Slytherin, Miss Weasley. If you want to shag him into a coma to get him to rest, I suppose that it is as valid a method as any. In fact, its probably the easiest way in his case." He said, obviously very amused.

Her jaw dropped.

"Just came to see if you wished to stay here or return to Gryffindor tonight. From the way the other students have been today, I wouldn't suggest returning to your own House, but it's your decision." Snape said offhandedly.

"Stay HERE?" She asked, surprised. Her staying overnight in the hospital wing was nothing that unusual... but in SLYTHERIN HOUSE?

"Yes... well I can see how this would be a difficult decision for you..." He said, a hint of sarcasm creeping into his voice, "Either I can tell your head of house that Mr. Malfoy still needs looking after and that you will bunk in a cot here for the duration, send house elves to fetch some of your things, and leave you here to shag your little possessed lover all you want... or you can return to your precious tower, get taunted, ridiculed, and possibly even have some nasty pranks pulled on you as they have been doing with your dear brother..." He shrugged. "As I said, completely up to you."

"Um..." She said, biting her lip and looking over at Draco. She knew it would be even worse later if she stayed there... but then again... she wasn't sure she could face going back to Gryffindor yet... "I... think I want to stay here... for tonight at least..." She said tentatively. She could test the waters out tomorrow during classes before deciding any further ahead than that.

He nodded. "Only logical course really... but then I never know what's going on in the minds of you Gryffindors, so I thought I'd check first." He said, shifting away from the wall.

"And next time knock at the DOOR." Draco growled.

Snape snorted. "I DID knock at the door. Not my fault you didn't hear me. Besides, YOU are hardly the one to be lecturing anyone on knocking!"

Draco chuckled. "You aren't required to knock before entering a classroom!" Draco said with a wide smirk.

"Can I help it if she has a thing for classrooms?" Snape asked with a wicked smirk. "And I would have thought that a bright boy like you would have figured out that it would be best to knock before entering MY classroom after the first time! But we're off the subject..." Snape said with amusement. "Get some sleep and take care of yourself. I expect to see you EATING at EVERY mealtime as well!"

"Yes mother." Draco said mirthfully, snuggling up to Ginny.

-------------

Ron made his way into the library wearily. It had been a VERY long day. By now he was quite longing to be ignored again. He had never heard so many 'snake lover' jokes and lewd comments in his life, and ever since what had happened at breakfast he hadn't touched food or drink that hadn't come directly from a house elf. They, at least, weren't against him.

He eyed the other students in the library warily, but they all appeared to be oblivious to his presence. He wasn't one for studying, but anything was better than hanging around the Gryffindor common room right now. Actually, his bedroom was the worst. Seamus and Dean both seemed dead set against him. Neville at least didn't seem to bear any ill-will towards him, but wasn't likely to make his opinions known, preferring to just stay away when they were having a go at Ron. The part that bugged him most about being in his room though was that every time he went in there Harry always seemed to be there... and he just kept glaring it him with silent anger the whole time. It was unsettling.

Ron walked along the shelves until he found the section on charms. He had an essay to write on Preserving charms. Pretty dry subject, and it wasn't actually due until Thursday, but he welcomed the distraction. It took him a couple of minutes to find the book he wanted, then he picked a seat away from the others, settling down and taking off his school bag. He flipped it open, reaching in it for some parchment and a quill, then jerked his arm back out with a cry of pain. He dropped the bag onto the floor and jumped up on his chair as dozens of snakes poured out of his bag. They slithered away, disappearing once they got a few yards away from the bag. The other students, who he now realized had been watching and waiting covertly, burst out into laughter.

"What's the matter Weasley?" Dean called over, "Your little snake friends turn on you?"

Ron scowled at him angrily, then eyed the dozen or so puncture wounds on his arm that were now dribbling blood freely. He stepped up onto the long table and walked far enough along it so the remaining snakes couldn't get him before jumping down and stalking off, heading for the hospital wing, already feeling queasy from the bites.

As he left the library, he spotted Harry leaning casually against the wall in a shadowy alcove, watching him with an unnerving little smirk. Ron paused. The look on Harry's face was just a little too knowing... he began wondering just who had cursed his bag...

"Getting in a little bit of studying _Weasley_?" Harry asked with a malicious smirk.

Ron narrowed his eyes. "Did _you_ do that?"

Harry looked at him with an obviously effected look of innocent shock. "Me? Why Weasley, you wound me." He said, then his expression turned darker. "So quick to try to lay blame for your every misfortune on the one you betrayed. It's sad to think I once believed you were my friend... how foolish of me..."

Ron glowered at him. "I _was_ your friend! I'd like to say I still am, but I'm not so sure about that anymore. All I did was tell the truth, Harry. You act like I was making things up to make you look bad. YOU'RE the one who made you look bad!"

Harry walked over towards him. It may have just been the snake bites effecting him, but for some reason Harry's slow, stealthy approach made Ron want to back away. He held his ground, despite the almost overwhelming sense of immanent danger that inexplicably filled him.

Harry came to a stop bare inches before him. "Truth is a matter of opinion, Weasley." Harry said in a low, growling voice. It was a tone Ron had never heard him use before, full of rage and hatred. "That despicable prat doesn't even deserve to LIVE, let alone deserve the benefit of your misbegotten _opinions_. I suggest you reexamine your views and make some adjustments, because all this betrayal is getting you is the loss of respect and support from your _friends_... do you really think Malfoy gives a fuck about you? You really think he gives a fuck about ANYONE? It's quite obvious he's somehow slithered his way into your sister's knickers already... what are you going to do in a month or two when you find yourself a friendless outcast, with a sister who's knocked up and emotionally destroyed? Hmm? Sound like a pleasant scenario, does it Weasley?"

"That's not going to happen!" Ron growled, angry despite the growing buzzing that had started filling his head.

"Yes... I think I see it now... you think Zabini will be there to protect you I suppose..."

Ron's already paling face drained of it's remaining color. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh please Ron. We both know full well the benefits of the Maurader's Map. You really think I wouldn't watch to see where you went when you ran off from Gryffindor tower and didn't return all night?"

Ron opened his mouth, but could think of no way to refute it. He had no doubt Harry HAD been watching, and the map never lied.

"Tell me..." Harry said, his tone changing. Becoming softer, "Would you have 'told the truth' if _I _had been the one that shagged you that night?"

Ron's throat went dry. He didn't even try to respond to that. Harry couldn't possibly have known about the way he felt about him... could he? He was feeling quite dizzy by this point.

"If all you wanted was a shag, all you had to do was ask." Harry said in a soft, sensuous voice, "I could see the desire in your eyes all along... I kept waiting for you to come to me... but you never did... never had the balls to ask I suppose..." He said with a little smirk.

Ron wavered slightly, "Wha... what about Hermione?" He asked, unable to believe what Harry was saying.

Harry gave a little snort of laughter. "You didn't really think I was going to wait forever without getting a good shag or two, did you? I'm a teenaged boy for Merlin's sake! I have needs. If you aren't going to take care of them, that doesn't mean they go away on their own."

"So... so Hermione is..." Ron began, trying to clear his befuddled mind.

"A means to an end... just like you are for Blaise. Don't fool yourself. That slut is never going to truly care for you. He only shagged you because you were exceedingly easy." Harry said with a knowing smirk.

Ron staggered back, leaning heavily against the wall, "But... but..."

Harry chuckled. "This is about that night in your bed, isn't it?"

Ron blinked up at him, his jaw dropping. He couldn't possibly mean THAT night...?

Harry moved closer again. "I gave you the perfect opportunity and you threw it away... you wouldn't have even had to _ask_..."

"I... I wouldn't have... I could never..." Ron said, shocked by the implication. He might have liked a bit more kissing, but he never would have shagged him while he was passed out!

Harry chuckled. It wasn't a pleasant sound. "That's your problem, Weasley... you're always so worried about propriety... always too afraid to take what you want."

The corridor seemed to be spinning around him... the colors smearing together...

"What's going on here?" A distant voice demanded.

He vaguely heard Harry saying, "Just telling Ron he should go to the Hospital Wing. He isn't looking very well..."

Ron felt a little surge of anger at the boldfaced lie, but it became unfocussed and slipped away... along with everything else...

------------

Ron came suddenly awake as an acrid smell invaded his nose. He coughed, pulling his head away. He tried to focus his eyes... then thought perhaps that hadn't been a good idea. Snape sat in the chair at his bedside, eyeing him shrewdly while he recapped a small green bottle that had obviously been the source of the foul odor.

"Welcome back Mr. Weasley." He said sarcastically.

Ron sat up, the sudden movement making his head swim. "What...?" Ron said, trying to figure out what was going on. When his head cleared again he saw that he was in the Hospital Wing. Madam Pomfrey was bustling over with a tall black bottle, looking upset.

"He should have been brought to me right away! Another ten minutes and my best potions would have been useless!" She said briskly, measuring out a large spoonful of black, tar-like fluid from the bottle and thrusting it into his mouth without preamble. He grimaced, trying to force the foul stuff down his throat. It tasted a bit like burnt rubber. He glanced over at the bedside table, noting the large number of bottles there. He wondered just how many potions they had already used on him...

He looked over in surprise as Snape took ahold of his arm. He watched him fearfully as he pulled out his wand, waving the dark instrument over Ron's arm and muttering softly. Ron just watched, too afraid to pull away. After a moment, he felt an odd tugging. He watched in shock as a pair of three inch black fangs pulled free of the skin. At Snape's direction, they levitated over, then dropped with a clang into a waiting metal pan.

"Bloody hell..." Ron muttered as Snape began casting cleansing spells on the remaining wounds.

"One of your little pets was a magical Flame Adder, Mr. Weasley. They leave their fangs behind, continuously sending poison into their victims, magically regrowing a new set in mere seconds and ready to strike again." He said as he worked, falling into his teaching tone, "You have been given the antidote for the poison, but it would eventually have worn off, the fangs poisoning you over and over again until you had removed the fangs or cut off the effected limb. The fangs can only be removed using a very special incantation which, fortunately for you, I happen to know. Interestingly, the Adders are not flame colored..." He said distractedly as his wand started closing the small wounds, "They're actually jet black... the name 'Flame Adder' comes from the fact that their victims spontaneously combust at the moment of death, leaving nothing but a fine ash behind. They are extremely rare, and one of the few species who's venom can, and often does, prove fatal to wizards."

Ron swallowed hard. That didn't sound good at all. He hugged his aching arm to his chest once Snape had released it, feeling cold inside.

"Who wants you dead, Mr. Weasley?" Snape asked in a low tone, eyeing him shrewdly.

Ron dropped his eyes. He had a feeling... but he couldn't prove it... and he couldn't believe it... it had to have been an accident...

Snape sighed. "Very well. Keep it to yourself, but I might not be around next time to drag you to Madam Pomfrey. Think on that."

"Well, that's all I can do for you." Madam Pomfrey said, looking at him. He could have sworn there was a hint of sadness and worry in her eyes. Admittedly, it was his third visit to her that day, but the first two times were just minor nuisances really... of course the pranks magically endowed teens played on eachother were considered minor as long as they weren't _immediately_ life threatening and could be reversed without lasting damage... "You can stay here the night if you want." She offered.

He looked at his watch. It was a little after curfew and he had classes in the morning. Considering it was a school night, everyone would probably be asleep already so he shouldn't have to deal with anyone, and he would have to go to his room sooner or later for his books and such anyway. Besides, if he stayed there he was sure it would just increase the teasing. They would say he was hiding. He might sleep better, but he didn't think it would be worth the aggravation later on.

"I'm fine..." He said tiredly, pulling aside the covers.

Pomfrey sighed and shook her head, making her way back towards her office. Snape stood and actually helped him to his feet. He looked up at the imposing man, unsure how to take the seeming kindness from someone who had always appeared to openly hate him.

Snape didn't release his arm right away. He looked troubled. Not something Ron was used to seeing in those cold black eyes. "If... for any reason... you should feel you are in any danger..." Snape said, his voice softer than Ron had ever heard it, "Don't hesitate to come to Slytherin Dungeon. Anyone in my House will allow you entrance."

Ron stared at him, shocked. "But... I'm not a Slytherin..."

"No... but you are in danger for speaking up for one. We all know this. It isn't often someone from a different house does that. You will be safe in Slytherin House. You have my word." Snape said, then inclined his head curtly and left.

Ron watched him go in shock. This was just getting stranger and stranger. It was like everything he knew was getting turned on it's ear and shaken for good measure. He rubbed his aching arm and made his way back towards Gryffindor Tower, his mind full of confusion.

---------------


	20. Chapter 20

A/N - Warning: How to put this? Please make sure your seat backs and tray tables are in the upright and locked positions, and buckle your seatbelts. ;)

Chapter 20

Ron made his way up to his room, grateful that everyone did indeed appear to be asleep already. He was especially quiet as he crept into his room, just taking off his shoes and robe. He knew his trunk's hinges would squeak quite loudly if he tried to get into it to get his night shirt since he still hadn't remembered to oil them, so decided he'd rather sleep fully clothed and a bit uncomfortable than risk waking one of his roommates. He slipped into his bed and pulled the hangings shut, then settled down. He was so exhausted that he fell asleep almost immediately.

As he drifted into a deeper sleep he began to dream... he was laying beside Blaise in the Room of Requirement. Blaise started to touch him. Ron let out a little sigh, pressing closer. Their lips met and he kissed him back unhesitatingly. As the kiss deepened, Ron suddenly started to feel like there was something wrong. Blaise had never kissed him like this... The lips were pressing against his almost painfully, the tongue invading his mouth roughly, having none of Blaise's tenderness.

Ron blinked his eyes open, then started struggling as he realized he wasn't asleep anymore. The dark figure on top of him backed off some and in the dim candlelight he saw, much to his shock, that it was Harry. "Stop struggling." Harry said irritably, untucking Ron's shirt and pulling it open, popping a few of the buttons in his haste.

"What the bloody hell are you doing?" Ron asked, trying to pull the shirt shut again, "Get off me!"

Harry chuckled. "Stop playing coy and get your clothes off!" He said, grabbing for Ron's zipper.

Ron quickly blocked him, holding his zipper firmly. "No!"

"Oh come on, Ron. I put silencing spells on the other beds, no one will hear us. Stop worrying..." He said, leaning down and kissing him roughly again.

Ron shoved him off. "That's not the point!" Ron said, scrubbing off his lips with the back of his hand. "I don't want you Harry! Stop it!"

Something changed in Harry's eyes, his expression darkening. "I thought you wanted to be friends again..." He said, his voice low.

Ron drew back a bit more. "That doesn't mean I want to shag you!" He said, pulling open his hangings and trying to get away off the other side of the bed.

Harry grabbed him and pushed him down against the bed with more strength than Ron expected.

"Do you want to be a complete outcast, Ron? You think you have it bad now? I guarantee it can get much, MUCH worse... I can make today look like a picnic if you cross me again..." He said menacingly.

Ron stared up at him in shock. He couldn't seriously be saying what he thought he was saying... Ron tried desperately to get away, but Harry grabbed him and tossed him back down effortlessly, crushing him to the bed.

The expression that came over Harry's face then was one of pure evil... He chuckled as he peered down at Ron, "In a way I'm kind of glad you decided not to cooperate... it'll make it that much more enjoyable for me..." He said in a strange, hauntingly terrifying voice.

Ron looked up at him, his mind filling with panic as he saw a blood red glow spring to life behind Harry's eyes... Ron let out a cry of pure terror and started jerking around, trying desperately to free himself from Harry's steel-like grip. Harry just laughed a low, inhuman laugh, watching his struggles with open amusement.

The glowing red eyes danced merrily as Harry shifted his grip to Ron's throat, pressing him down hard. Ron grabbed the hand, trying to pry it off as the grip tightened, cutting off his air supply. Harry brushed aside Ron's shirt, drawing his nails slowly across Ron's pale skin. "Yes..." He hissed in an inhuman voice, "This should be _very_ entertaining... and please... feel free to scream..." He said, watching with relish as blood dripped from the deep slashes he left behind, chuckling deep in his throat.

Ron's eyes darted over as he heard something. Neville had drawn open his hangings, reaching for the pitcher of water on his bedside table.

Harry sprang off Ron instantly. The movement drew Neville's attention. "Ron?" He asked, squinting through the near darkness.

Ron glanced up at Harry, who was now standing beside his bed, glancing from him to Neville calculatingly, as if deciding what to do. The red glow was completely gone, but there was still a dangerous glint in his eyes.

Ron quickly assessed the situation. He was sure now that Harry... or whatever the hell that thing was... was planning on killing him... and if he said something to Neville it would just get the poor boy killed as well.

"Ya..." Ron said, quickly sitting up and pulling his shirt closed.

"What are you doing?" Neville asked, eyeing Harry curiously.

"Um... Harry was just reminding me that I have to patrol tonight..." Ron said, thinking quickly. He got up, yanking on his shoes and grabbing his robes. "Goodnight Neville..." He said, hurrying out of the room as Harry glared at him menacingly.

Ron practically flew down the stairs. He had no doubt Harry would be on his trail the second Neville went back to sleep. There was really only one place he could go...

He dashed out of the portrait hole, running headlong for the dungeons. At this point, he fervently hoped that Filch or one of the other teachers would catch him out of the dormitories. Unfortunately, the corridors were eerily deserted tonight.

By the time he started down the last flight of stairs he felt light headed from lack of oxygen, gasping desperately for breath. He knew he dared not slow, despite his muscles shaking with exhaustion.

As he rounded the corner into the corridor containing the entrance to Slytherin Dungeon he skidded to a halt. His heart seemed to stop in his chest as ice water rushed through his veins. Harry was standing there at the other end of the hallway, leaning against the wall and waiting casually, not even breathing hard.

Harry chuckled, the red glow springing back to life behind his eyes as he saw Ron's fear and confusion. "You didn't really think you could get away, did you?" He asked with sadistic glee, pushing off from the wall and walking slowly towards him. Ron's eyes darted past him, noting the broomstick leaning against the wall behind him. He'd never even thought about that! He glanced at the Slytherin door. It was halfway between them... but perhaps there was still a chance?

Seeing no other way out, Ron made a mad dash towards the door. Harry whipped out his wand, muttering in a dark, inhuman voice. Dozens of glowing red lights burst forth from the tip of his wand and darted at Ron. Ron tried to dodge aside, but several of them still hit him, searing his flesh like chunks of red-hot iron. He cried out, struggling to free his wand. He knew he had little chance against Harry at this point, but he wasn't going down without a fight.

Ron cast a spell at him that should have knocked him back at least twenty feet... but instead it seemed to only give Harry a slight shove. Harry chuckled, casting again, sending a beam of blinding yellow light rushing down the corridor. Ron dodged again, but the edge of it was enough to incinerate a good portion of his robe. If that had hit him dead on...

Ron sent a couple more spells at him. They were ones the twins had taught him... ones that were a bit on the dodgy side of the law. Despite their brute power, they barely phased Harry, who hadn't even bothered to avoid them. Ron kept trying to work his way closer, while dodging the spells Harry was sending at him. Harry's spells were unlike anything he'd ever seen before. They were muttered in that strange language that seemed to cling to his mind like some disgusting stain. The very sound of it repulsed him and made him feel sick to his stomach.

Ron barely got up a shielding spell as a wave of flame-like power surged down the corridor, searing it wall to wall, floor to ceiling. Ron felt the force of it ravage his senses despite the shield that he held with all his strength.

When it had passed, he made the last dash towards the door, pounding on it desperately. He wasn't sure even a whole house of wizards could help him from this creature, but his will to live took over, grasping at any chance of survival.

Harry growled and Ron suddenly felt himself lifted by a wave of suffocating magic and tossed against the opposite wall like a ragdoll. He crumpled to the ground as it released him, too dazed to move.

"I _was_ going to make this easy on you... it was _you_ who chose to go this way. Just remember that." He growled, raising his wand.

Ron shrieked in agony as Harry cast the Cruciatus curse on him, writhing madly as pain unlike anything he'd ever felt ripped through every cell of his body. Time seemed to stand still as wave after wave of pure hell flowed through him. He quickly began praying for death... for ANYTHING that would put an end to this agony...

And then it was gone. He lay there, basking in the sudden absence of the ceaseless pain... he knew Harry would cast his final spell and end his life at any second, but that didn't matter... the pain was gone. He just lay there, welcoming the end.

He felt hands on him, but all will to fight had left him. He just hung there limply in the grasp. A hand brushed his cheek and he vaguely heard someone saying his name. His senses were returning to him slowly... there was noise... a lot of noise... he opened his eyes and blinked to clear them.

For a moment, he thought he was seeing an angel... slowly he realized it was Blaise holding him, trying desperately to wake him. Tears of relief blurred his eyes as he grasped feebly at the front of Blaise's night shirt.

He became more aware as Blaise started to pull him. He wondered why he was dragging him... he blinked away his tears, trying to take in his surroundings... the corridor... he flinched as a bolt of light sped overhead, ricocheting madly off the walls as it made a high pitched wailing sound. He looked over, seeing a whole group of Slytherins casting down the corridor and dodging spells. Blaise was pulling him towards the door to the Dungeon, trying to keep low and out of Harry's range.

The group of Slytherins called out and parted as a huge pulse of crimson flew between them, winging several of them as it passed and passing within inches of Blaise's head, making him fall back a bit to avoid it. Through the gap, Ron caught sight of Harry. Their eyes met and a look of rage came over Harry. He cast again in the blink of an eye, sending a stream of ghostly blue-white light directly at him. Blaise jerked on him, trying to pull him out of the way, then dropped down on top of him, letting out a cry of pain as it struck.

When the light had faded, Blaise started moving again, dragging him towards the door without another word. Ron looked around dazedly, worried about the pained rasping sound that started deep in Blaise's chest, seeming to get a little bit more pronounced with every breath he drew. Through the door he could see his sister being physically restrained by Pansy. Once Blaise had pulled them close enough, Pansy released Ginny, who ran over, grabbing Ron and dragging him into the common room while Pansy seized Blaise and dragged him in as well.

The other Slytherins began pulling back, shooting spells down the hall in a volley, then all but diving back into the common room, closing and sealing the door behind them.

Ron looked over as a secret passage ground open in the middle of the common room wall. Snape came through, looking alarmed. He took in the sight of the injured students, then looked up sharply as a thunderous boom sounded at the door. The thick metal of the door actually had a dent in it the size of a grapefruit. He hurried over to the door in a swirl of black robes, pulling out his wand and beginning an incantation. As he spoke in an ancient tongue, the door began to glow, ghostly runes flowing across its seamless surface like smoke, radiating out and skittering across the stone of the walls , ceiling and floor. In moments, every exterior wall was shimmering with protective runes and the edges of the door began to glow brilliantly, then the light faded and he lowered his wand. There was no further sounds of attack from the other side of the door.

That done, he turned briskly, surveying the damage to his students. He walked over to where Ginny was holding Ron protectively. He knelt beside him, then after a quick check, he sighed in relief. "You'll live..." He concluded, then looked around for other injuries.

Draco came over, slumping down onto the floor and wrapping his arms around Ginny protectively, his bare chest marred by a number of scorch marks, his face smudged with soot. "What the fuck WAS that?" He muttered tiredly.

Snape looked up at him grimly, but remained silent. At the moment he only had theories... none of which he felt it would be good to share with his students right now... Very few creatures could have dented the six inch thick, magically reinforced metal of that door.

"Snape..." Pansy said worriedly, looking down at Blaise, who's head she held cradled in her lap, Blaise's hands were covering his face and he was visibly shaking, the rasping in his breath much more audible now.

Snape shifted over, checking him and having to force his hands away. There didn't appear to be any superficial damage, but his skin was draining of color even as they watched, his lips slowly turning white. "Open your eyes." He said in a commanding voice.

Blaise reluctantly complied. Snape drew in a sharp breath, seeing the thick, milky white film that covered his eyes. "Sweet Merlin... the White Wraith curse!" He hissed, quickly searching through his robes. After a moment he came up with a tiny green bottle with a dropper top. "I'll need help holding him down." He called out briskly.

Pansy tightened her grip on him. Snape snorted, "No offense Parkinson, but you'll be no match in a moment." He motioned over a number of the larger boys and quickly instructed them in how to hold him. When they were in place, Snape drew out the dropper, poising it over Blaise. "Brace yourselves boys." He said in all seriousness. Blaise was trembling fearfully, but kept his eyes open, trusting Snape without question. Snape reached over and quickly dispensed several drops into each eye.

There was a delay of a couple of seconds, then Blaise let out a shriek of pure agony and began thrashing around wildly. Even with four boys, each outweighing Blaise by quite a bit, they were barely able to hold him down. A number of the girls started crying fearfully, most everyone else looking on in horror as his screams echoed around the room deafeningly. Ron let out an anguished cry, trying to get over to him, but was still too weak to break free of Ginny's grasp. After a moment he gave up, slumping down and sobbing as he watched Blaise, the tortured cries cutting him like a knife. For several minutes it looked and sounded as if they had cast the Cruciatus curse on him. Then, slowly, the fight flowed out of him and he slumped down, falling silent except for soft keens of pain. He just lay there limply, tears streaming from his eyes as he gasped for breath, the rasping diminishing only slightly. Snape nodded and they released him.

Pansy, who wasn't even trying to hide her tears, was looking down at Blaise fearfully. "It didn't work!" She said, looking at his still milky eyes.

"That was only to stop the progress of the curse. Blindness is just the very beginning of the first phase. The drops I gave him work to block the progress of a number of the darker curses. It isn't a pleasant potion, but it's much better than the alternative. If I hadn't had that... trust me, you wouldn't have wanted to keep watching much longer. I should be able to brew the antidote, but it will take time." Snape said grimly. He looked around. "Anything else life threatening?"

Ginny finally released Ron. He got to his knees shakily and crawled over to Blaise as Snape went off to care for some of the other injuries. Pansy moved back, letting Ron gather Blaise in his arms. "I'm so sorry..." He said tearfully, clutching Blaise to him. "I shouldn't have come here... he was only after me..."

"Stop..." Blaise said in a drained voice, reaching up and finding his cheek, his hand shaking as if he had palsy. "I'll live... you wouldn't have if you hadn't come here... I'm just glad you trusted us..." He shifted up shakily, managing to find Ron's lips and kissing them. Ron kissed him back, closing his eyes as tears trickled down his cheeks.

-------------

A/N - And THAT is what happens when you are seriously sleep-deprived and listening to "Get down with the sickness" by Disturbed on a loop ;)


	21. Chapter 21

A/N - Warning: This chapter contains not-entirely-consensual sex. If you don't want to read it, just drop down past the first divider (---)

Chapter 21

Harry streaked back up towards Gryffindor tower, seething in anger. The little bastard had gotten away! Now he would have to act swiftly to cover his tracks... His mind quickly clicked through the possibilities, then an evil grin spread over his face as he settled on one.

Perfect.

When he reached the tower he headed over to the girl's side. He eased up to the sixth year girls' room, listening carefully. Slipping inside, he quickly muttered silencing spells to keep any of the others from waking, then walked over to Hermione's bed. He pulled the hangings open. Hermione started to wake, rubbing her eyes, but he quickly stunned her. Just easier that way. He picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder, getting back on his broom. He dissolved the silencing spells on the other beds and flew out the window.

When he reached his own window he checked to make sure all his roommates were in bed, then slipped in, tossing Hermione's limp body on the bed as he passed it. He put his broom away, then went over to Ron's bed, removing all evidence of anything ever happening there. When he was done he went back over to his bed, pulling off his clothes, carefully mending them and removing all evidence from them as well, then casts healing and cleansing spells on his body. When he was done, he quickly stripped Hermione's limp body. Before he got into bed himself he smirked, casting a contraceptive spell on her. Unless Voldemort loaned the Ministry his wand to force the Priori Incantatem on Harry's own, they could only check the very last spell cast. Let them make what they would of THAT one.

With that, he set his wand and his glasses on the bedside table and crawled on the bed, closing the hangings. At least he'd get SOME pleasure out of this night... He grinned evilly as he shifted her legs apart. She was just starting to come back around. He kissed her hungrily as he settled down on top of her.

She slowly became aware, kissing him back dazedly. She gasped as he thrust himself into her. She looked around, thoroughly disoriented as he started moving in her. "Wha... Harry... what are you...?" She said, trying to get a handle on what was happening.

"Shh..." He whispered, "Don't try to think... just lay back and enjoy it..." He said, grinning down at her as he started moving faster.

"Ok..." She said dazedly, sounding a little frightened by the suddenness of it.

He chuckled, thrusting harder.

After a minute she started making little pained sounds. "Harry... not so rough... you're hurting me..." She said in a small voice.

He chuckled again. If she had any idea how much he was having to restrain himself just to keep from damaging her... He pounded her harder for having objected. She didn't object again, but her nails dug into his back as she let out pained whimpers. He grinned wider, enjoying the feel of her nails digging into his flesh. He let himself go a bit more, ramming into her hard a couple dozen times before tensing, spending himself inside her.

All of the tension seemed to flow out of him as he sank down on top of her with a sigh.

--------------

Harry woke, dazed and scared as light and noise erupted around him. The bed hangings had been pulled open and there were people standing there. He tried to make out who they were, but he wasn't wearing his glasses. He reached for them and there was a sudden flash of light as something stung his hand. He jerked back, holding his hurt hand to him and he tried to get away, falling backwards off the other side of the bed, tearing the hangings down in the process.

As he hit the cold stone floor he realized he was naked. He grabbed the torn hangings, trying to cover himself as he backed up against the wall, curling into a protective ball and covering his head as figures darted towards him.

"Severus calm yourself!" Dumbledore's voice commanded firmly.

"It nearly killed several of my students. Don't tell me to be calm. That creature needs to be contained!" Snape hissed angrily.

"We don't know for sure that it was even him." McGonagall said placatingly.

Harry was peeking up fearfully from where he crouched, surprised to hear familiar voices and trying to figure out why he was being attacked. "Professor Dumbledore?" He asked hopefully, trying to make out which of the blurry figures might be him.

He heard Dumbledore sigh. "Harry..." He said sadly, "I have to ask you where you've been tonight."

Harry thought furiously. Even his memories were as blurry as his vision. "I... I went to bed... and..." He thought furiously. Why was it so hard to remember?

"Let me help you out, Potter. Next, you attacked Mr. Weasley." Snape said sarcastically.

"Severus!" McGonagall said disapprovingly.

Harry was staring up with wide-eyed shock. "Ron was attacked?" He asked in alarm.

"As if you didn't know." Snape growled.

"Harry," Dumbledore said softly, "When was the last time you saw him?"

Harry searched his memory, "I... I woke up... I heard something... I went over to his bed... he looked like he was having a nightmare, so I tried to wake him... then Neville woke up... and... Ron left..." Why did that sound so strange to him? It was what he remembered... wasn't it?

"So then you just crawled back into bed and went to sleep without any witnesses and just now woke?" Snape asked sarcastically.

"He was with me!" Hermione's voice said defensively from the doorway. The figures all turned. "I was just... returning to my room when you came in..." She said, her voice dropping off a bit with embarrassment.

"We'll deal with you later Miss Granger. Disgraceful. You know very well it is against the rules to be in the boy's dormitories!" McGonagall said in a highly disapproving tone. Harry's nakedness hadn't passed her notice.

"I think that Harry and I are old enough to be seeing eachother after curfew if we want! You don't object when the others are snogging in the middle of the common room!" Hermione said defensively.

Snape snorted derisively. "We really don't care about your sex life Miss Granger. Go shag the whole House for all I care!"

"Severus!" McGonagall said, shocked.

"We are here for the safety of the students! If he didn't do anything, why did he reach for his wand when he saw us?"

"He was obviously reaching for his GLASSES!" Hermione said irritably.

Harry started slightly as someone came closer, but then realized it was Hermione. She leaned down and slipped his glasses on his face. He adjusted them thankfully, relieved to have the world in focus once again. That was, of course, until he saw the expressions on his professors' faces.

"What's this about?" He asked worriedly, "What happened to Ron? Is he ok?"

"Oh stop playing innocent. He have over a dozen witnesses!" Snape said, his eyes narrowed.

"Severus, please..." Dumbledore said gently. He looked down at Harry. "We'll have to take him somewhere we can safely test him. It will be readily apparent if he is lying. A creature powerful enough to do that much damage should be easy enough to recognize with the proper spells." He looked down at Harry again, looking him in the eyes for the first time in a long time. "Will you come willingly?"

"Who's going to be doing this testing?" Harry asked, eyeing Snape's angry countenance fearfully.

"You will not be harmed." Dumbledore said reassuringly.

Harry glanced down at himself. "Um... can I get some clothes on?"

--------------

"This is ridiculous!" Snape said, pacing.

"Severus, we have conducted every test three times. There is simply no creature or entity in him, and we all know there is no way a mere mortal could have cast even half of those spells. Perhaps it has fled, and if so, I fear we may never find it."

"If that is the case, if it _did_ simply flee him, why is Miss Granger insisting that he was with her the whole time?" Snape countered.

"Perhaps he was. We cannot completely rule out Miss Granger's suggestion. Anyone with polyjuice potion or some similar spell could have made themselves look like Harry... and he did leave enough blood on the playing field the other day to make it a simple thing for anyone to acquire the necessary ingredients for such a spell..."

Snape snorted derisively. "I have one student blinded, four with injuries that might take WEEKS to recover from fully, and a whole slew of other injuries... Madam Pomfrey still hadn't finished with half of them last I checked! Not to mention a highly damaged corridor. It looks like a war was waged down there! It'll take days to repair it! If I didn't have a protective spell in place that the Devil himself couldn't get through it may well have slaughtered every last one of them!"

"I understand your concern, Severus! Believe me, I am just as worried about the safety of all of our students as you are... but you can't punish Harry for something that we simply cannot prove he did! He has no injuries, nor indication of possession... his wand is clean... according to Poppy, he and Miss Granger _do_ appear to have... been together tonight... there's nothing more we can do. He has been very cooperative with the whole process, and expressed nothing more than confusion and fear at the allegations against him. I will of course allow the Ministry officials to examine him when they arrive, but you know as well as I do that our own tests are more thorough than theirs. You have to accept that he may not have been the one who did this."

Snape narrowed his eyes angrily. "You can accept that, but I believe my students." He said, spinning around and storming out.

----------

Harry sat in the little cell they had put him in, staring up at the ceiling, his mind in turmoil. This had to be a nightmare. There was simply no other logical explanation. He glanced around distractedly at the room. A sleeping mat along the wall opposite him and a small sitting pouf were all the furnishings it contained. It didn't pass his notice that they seemed to have very carefully removed anything and everything that could possibly have been used as a weapon. There wasn't even a torch. Instead there was just a section of the ceiling that had been spelled to emit light. It was a pale light that reminded him of muggle florescent panels. It didn't really do much to dispel the dank, eerie half darkness of the cell. He imagined it looked much like a cell at Azkaban. That thought made him shiver. There was a sleeping mat... just how long did they plan on keeping him in here?

He looked up sharply, his errant thoughts dispelled instantly as the door opened. He sighed in relief as Dumbledore entered. He came over to stand before Harry as the door closed and locked behind him. Harry felt queasy in the pit of his stomach as he saw the troubled, sad look in Dumbledore's eyes.

"The Ministry officials are here, Harry. They are preparing their tests."

Harry let out a shuddering sigh and nodded. He drew his knees up, staring at the floor.

"How's Ron?" He asked, fearing the answer.

"He should recover in a day or so. Others will be longer in their recovery, but with luck there should be no lasting damage."

Harry swallowed and nodded, the tightness in his chest easing just a bit.

"Arthur Weasley has asked to be the one to administer the tests."

Harry sighed in relief, then paused, looking hesitantly up at Dumbledore, the tension returning to his muscles, "Does... he think I did what they say I did?" He was Ron's father after all... and he had seen the man hold a grudge! They STILL weren't speaking to Percy, and he was _family!_

Dumbledore studied him for a moment, then said in a gentle voice, "He will be fair and impartial, Harry. No one knows for sure what happened, and he knows this. He didn't request this duty to condemn you. He knows full well how the Ministry has reacted in the past... how they jump to conclusions when they feel it will make them look better. He knows there will be pressure on the Ministry to catch the culprit... he just wants to make sure they catch the right one."

Harry nodded, staring at the stone floor as his chest ached with tension.

"Is there something troubling you Harry?" Dumbledore asked gently.

Harry would have laughed if his throat weren't so tight. Was something troubling him? Everything! Still, he knew from the tone Dumbledore was referring to something more specific. He often wondered if the soft spoken man had some natural Ligilimency talents...

Slowly he nodded.

Dumbledore conjured a chair and sat, waiting patiently for Harry to continue.

Harry looked up, noting that the chair was a somber, straight backed wooden one... not the usual laid back and over stuffed lounger Dumbledore usually summoned to sit on. It made the situation seem all the more serious. Harry took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I feel... strange..." He said, trying to figure out just how to put his feelings into words. "Every since Sirius..." He trailed off, his vocal cords tightening painfully and cutting him off as his eyes got glassy. After a moment he swallowed and went on, "Everything has just seemed so... disjointed... like nothing was... _real_... I just thought it was... dealing with... things... but... now... I'm not so sure..." He took another deep breath and looked up at Dumbledore searchingly. "Do _you_ think I did this?" he asked seriously.

Dumbledore watched him in silence for so long Harry started feeling queasy. At length Dumbledore sighed, "I'm afraid it is not beyond the realm of possibilities that it was indeed you that did this... From what we can tell of the creature responsible, if it was you that it was inhabiting, you would most likely have been oblivious to it's presence. That is the nature of these creatures. I would like nothing more than to believe you were innocent beyond a shadow of a doubt... but I simply can't do that."

Harry dropped his eyes and nodded.

Sensing the discussion was at an end, Dumbledore rose, banishing the chair. Harry tried to pretend he didn't see the pitying look that crossed Dumbledore's face just before he turned and left without another word.

Harry hugged his legs to his chest, huddling back into the corner and resting his forehead against his knees as he started sobbing softly.

------------------------------

A/N - And now this is where I apologize to the Harry HATERS. Sorry. Well, he's obviously going to be feeling horribly guilty, so that should please you ;) Least I got in some good bashing while it lasted, eh? And never know... there _might_ be more in his future...........


	22. Chapter 22

A/N - EVERYTHING can't be about D/G or this would be a pretty flat, one sided story. There WILL be more D/G, have PATIENCE. And if you don't like drifting focus, then I shouldn't even bother posting my other fic. Anyhow, back to the show :) oh, and there is another, more lengthy note at the end. Sorry.

Chapter 22

It was nearing dawn, but most of the Slytherins were still gathered around in the common room. Every piece of furniture was occupied, the rest were camped out on the thick furs and rugs covering the floor. Some had even brought in their pillows and bedding. The major wounds had been taken care of, and Madam Pomfrey was working her way through the more minor ones, already looking a bit haggard. Though most of them had either been uninjured or healed already, they remained. The attack had been so sudden and violent that it had left them all shaken. It was unsettling to think one creature had done all of that damage, and a large group of their strongest housemates had left it apparently unscathed.

Draco was sitting tailor fashion in his usual seat, a large overstuffed leather chair by the fire, Ginny curled up in his lap as he held her comfortingly.

Ron looked about ready to nod off on the couch. Blaise was draped across him, his head nestled against Ron's shoulder. He was fast asleep, the effects of the curse leaving him very weak, though the color was slowly beginning to return to his face, and the rasping had thankfully finally gone away. Pansy was sitting on the thick rug, her head resting against Ron's side, her hand clinging to Blaise's even in her sleep. Ron was stroking her hair absently as his eyes drooped tiredly.

The sleepy air of the room ceased instantly as the entrance door clicked open. Everyone tensed, looking at it fearfully. There was an audible collective sigh of relief as Snape entered. Then the atmosphere turned abruptly uneasy as they all saw who followed him in.

"Mum!" Ginny said faintly, glancing up at Draco. Oh this wasn't going to be good... She was just thankful that when they had sent for Pomfrey someone had thought to flip the picture over the mantle! It now showed the innocent looking landscape they had affixed to the back for just such occasions.

Molly lost her obvious hesitance to enter Slytherin house when she heard her daughter's voice, hurrying towards her. She paused when she saw who she was sharing a seat with, staring wide-eyed. When she was able to peel her eyes away from them, she looked over, spotting Ron.

He hadn't moved, not wanting to wake Blaise. He sighed. He knew it would have to come out sooner or later... he had just been hoping for later. Like in ten years or so...

After a moment, she seemed to snap out of it, picking her way through the Slytherins on the floor until she reached the couch. "Ron!" She said tearfully, not missing the dark, hand shaped bruise that stood out so starkly on the pale flesh of his neck and the blood that stained the front of his shirt. She leaned over, hugging his head and kissing his forehead, then started fussing over him, "Why look at you..." She said fretfully as she saw the edge of the claw marks on his chest peaking out of his open shirt. She eyed the holes burnt in his clothes, revealing the angry, seared skin beneath. "You really need tending to." She said worriedly.

"I'll be fine mum." He said tiredly. "Pomfrey has her hands full."

"Well, I don't." Molly said resolutely, taking out her wand.

He sighed, letting her move his head around as she cast healing spells on his neck, then each of the scorch marks that she could see in turn. When she was done, she tried looking at his chest, but Blaise was half laying on the shirt covering the wounds. She looked at the boy, unsure how to broach the subject. "Ron dear... I need to get to the cuts..."

"Don't... Let him rest... I'll be fine."

Blaise stirred, obviously having woken and heard her. "I'll move..." He said wearily.

"Blaise don't... it's ok..." Ron protested as Blaise started shifting off him, his muscles protesting jerkily.

"No... you need to be fixed up." Blaise said, trying to get some leverage to shift over out of the way. His eyes opened reflexively as he slipped a bit, barely catching himself. Molly gasped, covering her mouth as she saw his sightless eyes. He quickly closed them. "Sorry." He muttered, shifting over and leaning back against the couch.

"What happened to him?" She asked, horrified.

"He got hit with a curse aimed at me." Ron said, sitting up. His muscles weren't cooperating much better than Blaise's had. "They're all hurt because of me... I led that thing here. It was after me." He said morosely, looking around at the gathered Slytherins, most of which were clustered together in pairs and small groups for solace.

"What was it? Why would it be after YOU?" Molly asked, horrified.

"We aren't sure what it was... it... tried to attack me in my room... I got lucky and got away, but it headed me off when I got down here..." He said evasively. He had been asked not to mention too much about who he believed it was before they could investigate the incident.

"But why would you come here?" She asked, trying hard not to make it sound like an insult to the surrounding Slytherins.

"Snape said I could come here if I felt I was in danger... and... they... were the only ones I trusted..." He admitted self-consciously. Many of the gathered Slytherins smiled at this, including Blaise.

"And why would he think you might feel you were in danger?" She asked shrewdly.

Ron dropped his eyes.

"Because his housemates were playing deadly little pranks on him." Blaise said bluntly.

Molly looked over at him sharply, then back at Ron. "What?"

"Most of them were harmless..." Ron said, blushing.

"Except the one that nearly killed you." Blaise added pointedly.

Ron sighed, "Blaise..." He said plaintively. Why did he have to bring this up again?

Blaise shifted his head towards him. "It wasn't an accident, Ron. Stop making excuses for them. Even before this, Gryffindor simply wasn't a safe place for you to be! You have to swallow your pride and start taking this seriously!"

"Tonight was different... it wasn't one of the pranks." Ron insisted.

"No kidding." Blaise said with a sarcastic edge, opening his eyes and staring at him significantly for a moment before closing them again.

Ron dropped his eyes, the guilt rising in him again at the sight of Blaise's blank stare.

Draco chuckled. "Get used to it, Ron." He said mirthfully. "The more he cares about you, the more he nags. Trust me. It's like having a second mother."

Molly looked over at Draco, then back, looking searchingly between Ron and Blaise.

Blaise's cheeks had colored slightly, "Shut up Draco." he said, an embarrassed smirk on his lips.

Ron's face had gone red all the way to his ears. He didn't meet his mother's eyes.

"Oh Merlin..." She sighed, closing her eyes and rubbing the bridge of her nose. She took a deep breath and forced a smile, "So... Ron... are you going to introduce me to your... friend?" She asked tentatively. From the look on her face he knew she was much more interested in the nature of their relationship, and had a good idea already what it was... but was still clinging to the hope that they were just friends.

Blaise turned his head towards Ron again, obviously just as interested in his answer.

Ron swallowed a lump in his throat. He looked at Blaise for a long moment. He took a deep breath. "This is Blaise Zabini... he's... well... I guess he's my boyfriend..." He said uneasily, not sure he could really assume that...

A brilliant smile lit across Blaise's face, washing away any doubts Ron had about his acceptance of that title.

Ron smiled, reassured, "Blaise... this is my mum."

Blaise looked stunned, obviously having slept through that part. "Your MUM?" He asked in a near whisper.

Ron chuckled. It wasn't often he saw Blaise so disconcerted. "Yep."

Blaise quickly brushed off his shock, realizing he was being rude, and smiled again. He reached his hand out in her general direction, trying to keep it from shaking too much. "Pleasure to meet you ma'am."

Molly still looked a bit disconcerted, but she took his hand. As soon as she grasped his hand her expression turned to one of concern, feeling how feather light his grip was, his muscles trembling lightly with the effort of holding his arm out.

"You need to lay down dear..." She said with concern. She looked back at Ron, then quickly waved her wand over him taking care of the nasty claw marks (though pale impressions remained on his flesh). As soon as that was done, she tucked away her wand and guided him firmly back down on the couch, not even bothering to ask. Then she moved over a bit and very gingerly urged Blaise to lay back down as he had been before. He complied with a bemused smirk on his face.

"There we go dear... have you eaten anything? You look like you could use a spot to eat..." She said dotingly as she brushed his hair away from his face.

"I'll be fine... just tired..." Blaise said, smirking.

"I think I'll have the house elves bring something up anyway, in case you get hungry later." She said in a motherly fashion.

Ron had to smirk. His mother never could resist taking care of everyone around her. Still, he was shocked how well she seemed to be taking this...

Blaise reached out, feeling along the edge of the couch until Pansy reached out and touched his hand. He smiled, taking her hand and pulling it over, holding it to his chest. She had been sitting by silently, not wanting to draw attention, so this was the first time Molly had even noticed her. Ron saw his mother's questioning stare and realized he hadn't finished the introductions. "Oh... um... and this is Pansy Parkinson." He said, his cheeks coloring again as Pansy looked over at him, surprised at being introduced.

Molly looked down at the girl curiously, noting Blaise's hold on her hand, then over at Ron, "And she is...?" She said, confused.

"Our girlfriend." Blaise said with a smirk.

Molly arched an eyebrow, peering down at the now furiously blushing girl. "By 'our'... you mean yours AND Ron's?" She asked carefully.

Blaise smirked and nodded against Ron. Ron blushed and nodded as well.

"Oh thank Merlin!" Molly sighed in relief.

"What?" Ron asked, stunned by her reaction.

"I was beginning to fear I had no chance of getting any grandbabies out of the entire lot!" She said, beaming at him. "I have six boys and you're the first one to introduce me to a girlfriend yet!" She leaned down, "It is a _pleasure_ to meet you dear." She said, beaming and offering Pansy her hand.

Pansy took it with her free hand and shook it, looking up at Ron in shock.

---------------

"Mum..." Ginny said tentatively as she came to a stop next to her mother.

"Just a moment dear..." Molly said, finishing the healing spell she had been casting on Goyle's leg. "There you go." She said, smiling at Goyle and standing up.

"Thank you, ma'am." Goyle said in a surprisingly polite tone, examining the pale scar that was all that remained of his wound. Molly had jumped right in, helping Pomfrey with the remaining injuries. She may not be a trained medi-witch, but having raised seven rambunctious children, she had learned her fair share of first aid spells. Especially with the twins!

She looked around, tucking away her wand as she saw Pomfrey was already tending to Draco, who appeared to be the last remaining 'patient'. "What is it dear?" She asked, turning her attention to her daughter.

Ginny blushed. When her mother had arrived, this was the last subject she had wanted brought to light... but her mother's seemingly total lack of interest in what she had been doing curled up against Draco Malfoy had her perplexed. It was normally the LAST thing Molly Weasley would have let slide!

Still, she wasn't quite sure how to broach the subject... "Um..." She said uncertainly, tucking her hair back behind her ear self-consciously and glancing back at where Draco was. She took a deep breath and plunged in head first, wanting to get it over with. "Draco and I are... kind of seeing eachother..."

"I know dear." Molly said, her smile fading a bit.

Ginny blinked in surprise. "What do you mean you know?"

"It was just a matter of time really..." Molly said gently.

Ginny's eyes went round, "What? What does THAT mean?"

Molly took her hand and patted it reassuringly, "Maybe we should talk about this somewhere else dear..."

Ginny sighed and nodded, looking around. There was no space in the common room that was even remotely private. She led her mother over to Draco's room.

As Ginny closed the door behind them she went beet red, spotting the photo near Draco's bed at the same time her mother did. She hurried over to it, flipping it over even though she knew her mother had already seen what it showed. She turned back, trying to figure out how to explain that. "Um..." She said as she scoured her mind for a logical explanation for it.

Molly rolled her eyes. "Oh please, dear! Stop fretting. The copy the twins have in their livingroom is much bigger."

Ginny's eyes went wide. "The TWINS have a copy of that???"

Molly chuckled, "Yes... I believe they said they had one of the first orders. Seems Lee Jordan clued them in before Colin had even handed over the negative! They said they've never been so proud!"

Ginny ran her fingers through her coppery hair, trying not to giggle nervously, "And you and dad... What do you think?"

"Well... we are both glad you know how to take care of yourself. That's very important for a witch in this day and age..." Molly said a bit evasively.

Ginny grinned and let the subject drop. "Um... so... what did you mean?"

-------------

Draco watched Ginny and her mother leave the room, then looked around, spotting Snape and catching his eye. As soon as their eyes locked, Draco shifted his head, subtly indicating he wanted to talk. Snape's eyebrow arched slightly, but finished up his conversation with the fourth year he'd been talking to and made his way over, making his path look random.

As soon as Pomfrey was done healing the last of his injuries, Draco thanked her and made his way down one of the hallways. He rounded the corner, then leaned against the wall and waited patiently for Snape. He arrived a few moments later, eyeing him questioningly.

"How's it going with Potter?" He asked, keeping his voice low. There was no one down this hall at the moment, but he didn't want sharp ears in the common room hearing voices and coming to investigate.

Snape snorted derisively. "Not supposed to talk about that, now are we?"

Draco rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest, tilting his head to the side a bit and waiting expectantly.

Snape gave him a little smirk, then his expression turned sour. "Nothing. We can't find a trace of anything in him that could have caused that kind of devastation."

Draco nodded thoughtfully. "I didn't think you would. They're far too smart to have stayed in a body after it's hiding place had been discovered. If it didn't take his soul with it, he's extremely lucky."

Snape narrowed his eyes shrewdly, "You know what did this?"

Draco nodded without a hint of doubt.

"How could you know?"

"I don't..." Draco said, then his eyes shifted to dark brown,

"I do." Darien said with a grim expression. "The Malfoys used to have nearly a dozen of them before they were outlawed. That probably wouldn't have stopped them if one of the new ones hadn't gotten out of hand and slaughtered two of my uncles, an aunt and three cousins. They are only bound to the eldest living member of a bloodline. Grandfather hadn't remembered to tell that one explicitly not to injure anyone in his family. They don't like being bound, and if they find a loophole, you're in trouble."

Snape folded his arms before him, "What else do you know of them?" he asked with avid interest.

-------------------

Ginny was sitting on the bed with her face in her hands. "This can't possibly be right." She said, lifting her head and looking at her mother resolutely. "I'm not some ancient, long dead relative! I mean I would _know_ wouldn't I? I mean why ME? Why would she want to be ME? And how could you possibly KNOW? I mean do I just look like this girl? Because if it's the hair... I mean I'm a Weasley... it's not like the color was an option!"

Molly sighed deeply. She pulled over the chair from the desk and settled down in it. She sat in silence for a moment, gathering her thoughts, then started in a soft tone, "When I was a child... your father's family and mine were friends... we would visit their home... the Burrow... and one summer... I met her. From the moment I saw her I felt like there was some kind of connection between us, though I didn't understand it at the time... everyone thought I was just imagining things... a made up friend like many children create... they thought it was just from the stories the family sometimes told about her... how they would speculate on how she really died, even though it had been about a century since it happened... it had been a big turning point for the family... no one really believed she killed herself... but no one else had ever seen a ghost either... but I always knew she was real... I had only seen her the once, but I never forgot her."

She settled back a bit in the chair, looking as if she were bracing herself for her daughter's reaction, "When I got older... your father and I had inherited the Burrow... and I had my six boys... And I was content with my life... but I still very much wanted a daughter... It was like this burning desire in my heart that I couldn't extinguish, even though I knew that not a single female had been born into the Weasley family since the night Ginevra Weasley died. One night I had a dream. In the dream, I returned to the pond... and she was waiting... we didn't even speak... but somehow I knew it was time for her to return... and... I know it sounds strange... but I felt like I had always known that time would come... had always known what I was destined to be... her mother... _your_ mother, Ginny dear... You were born nine months later." She said, reaching out and stroking Ginny's cheek gently.

Ginny stared up at her mother, getting increasingly worried about her.

Molly smirked. "I must admit, when I first met young Draco, I was sure you'd made a mistake... He looked just like the old painting of Darien that had been in Ginevra's school trunk in the attic... but I thought sure there was no way THAT boy was destined for my precious daughter! Still... from talking with Dumbledore I've come to understand a bit better at least. I can't say I'm content with the way things are of yet... but... I'm willing to see how it goes."

Molly straightened, becoming more businesslike. "Well, I best finish up in the other room and get back to Dumbledore's office. Your father is helping with some kind of tests and is expecting a full report on how you are both fairing. I do hope they are testing some kind of way to ward off or destroy whatever beast did all that damage! I certainly don't like the idea of such a creature going after one of my children! Never thought I'd be so thankful for a group of Slytherins!" She said smirking.

Ginny forced a grin and nodded. Her mother kissed and hugged her, then left.

-------------

A/N - I don't usually respond to reviews in the story, especially in any lengthy way, because I'm afraid other readers will find it boring, but my description of Thestrals has been questioned, so I will respond (and I thought this at least might hold some interest for other readers as well). To the one who wrote the review, _PLEASE_ don't take this the wrong way. I'm not getting on you, but I feel the need to respond. I take research into my stories seriously. I am well aware of the differences between Thestrals and Hippogriffs. I will now directly quote J.K. Rowling, from Pages 196 & 197 of OOTP (american edition) "The coaches were no longer horseless. There were creatures standing between the carriage shafts; if he had had to give them a name, he supposed he would call them horses, though there was something reptilian about them, too. They were completely fleshless, their black coats clinging to their skeletons, of which every bone was visible. Their heads were dragonish, and their pupil-less eyes white and staring. Wings sprouted from each wither - vast, black, leathery wings that looked as though they ought to belong to giant bats. Standing still and quiet in the gathering gloom, the creatures looked eerie and sinister..." And the information that is added when Hagrid has them in class is that they prefer the darkness, are very intelligent, have an amazing sense of direction and can take their riders pretty much anywhere they want to go, they are carnivorous, are attracted to the scent of blood, that they make a sound like a "loud, shrieking cry that echoed through the dark trees like the call of some monstrous bird." (That is if Hagrid did a good imitation of their call), and have pointed fangs. Later, when Harry & co. ride them to the Ministry, Harry describes them as being very reptilian, and strangely beautiful once he stopped fearing them. It was also mentioned that they had long black manes and silken coats (fur, pelts, whatever) and are wicked fast and very agile from the description of their flight! Never once are their feet described as having hooves. Their feet aren't described at all in fact. Their being horse-like does not necessarily mean they HAVE to have hooves. I can't think of any carnivores with hooves off hand, therefor, as far as I'm concerned, it is only logical that they have some kind of clawed or taloned feet. I figured it would be pretty hard for them to take their prey down with fangs alone. What do they do? Bludgeon them to death? In _Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them_, they are in the Winged Horses section on the very last page, but it looks to be a very vague category, and they are described merely as "...the rare Thestral (black, possessed of the power of invisibility, and considered unlucky by many wizards)." If there is some other source of information on how Thestrals look other than J.K., I have not seen it. I take her word for it without question like any good little star-crossed fan :) As for him bowing to it, I never said it was _required_. He was being _respectful_. Even if Draco hadn't been inclined to show respect before, I think Buckbeak taught him it is better to be safe and respectful than on the ground bleeding and looking up at an enraged beast! I will be the first to admit that Hagrid also said _he_ brought the Thestrals there in the first place, but I like to think that it is possible there were wild ones there before that... I mean there are all sorts of creatures in there nobody knows about. Besides, Darien was there like eighty years or so before Hagrid. Maybe the Thestrals left...? Or just hid, then their descendants slowly integrated with Hagrid's herd... never said they were the SAME Thestrals, in fact I would very much doubt it considering the time difference. Draco/Darien just appeals to all Thestrals :) Anyhow, I hope that answers your question about what I was basing my description on.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"There you are!" Draco said, coming in and sitting next to Ginny on the bed. "Your mum left already... You should have seen her doting on Blaise..." He said with a little chuckle. "After hearing the others recounting what happened, and how Blaise got hurt dragging Ron out of danger, she was all over him! I've never seen him blush so much! I don't think he's _ever_ been fussed over like that! Is she always like that, or just during crises?" He chuckled.

She gave him a little, somewhat forced smile, not answering.

His smirk faded away. "What's the matter?" He asked, sensing something was wrong.

She sighed and drew her legs up onto the bed, hugging them to her. "I'm.... I just..." She sighed again. "I think my mums gone barking." She said worriedly.

Draco eyed her for a moment, looking a bit bemused. "She's told you then?"

Ginny's head snapped up, her eyes darting over to him, "About what?" She asked guardedly.

He smirked. "About us. You and me. Now and... before... I got the sense from the way she looked at me that she knew..."

Her eyes were round as saucers. "You don't honestly think... I mean that's just nutters!"

He leaned against the bed post and smirked. "Ya... I guess so... about as mental as having an old drifting piece of soul getting stuck in you and telling you he's your other half I suppose..." He said with a playful smirk.

She made a growling sound, covering her face. "Just because my mum had some mad dream before I was born doesn't mean I'm some kind of reincarnated dead girl!"

Draco shrugged. "Darien certainly thinks you are."

She looked over at him sharply again. "He does?"

Draco chuckled. "You think that little choir boy would have shagged you if he didn't think you were her? He did himself in just because he thought she didn't love him... it's not like he'd just forget all about her the second he got the chance to get a bit of skirt. I mean he was a MALFOY! And a drop dead gorgeous one at that!" He said with a arrogant smirk, "I'm sure he could have gotten plenty back in his own time if that's all he wanted."

She stared at her fingernails, picking at them distractedly, choosing to ignore his obvious attempt to make her smile. At length she sighed. "I'll admit I wondered about that..." She said dejectedly, "But come on... do YOU honestly think I'm this girl?" She asked plaintively.

He reached over and slipped his arm around her, drawing her up next to him. He looked deep into her eyes for a long moment before speaking. "Would it be so bad?" He asked, his voice unusually gentle.

She blinked. "Would what be so bad?"

"The thought that you are somehow my long lost love... and that we were meant to be together..." After a thoughtful moment, he gave a little shrug, "Admittedly, it struck me as a bit sappy and all that... and if I heard someone going on about shite like that I'd probably curse them as a matter of principle... but still..." He said, a smile pulling up the corner of his mouth. "I was kinda getting to like the idea..."

She blushed brightly. "Um... well... when you put it like THAT..." She said, smirking, obviously embarrassed.

He smirked, then it softened a bit. He reached up, cupping her chin in his hand and lightly brushing his thumb over her lower lip. "To tell the truth... I don't really care about the past... what did or didn't happen doesn't really matter... all I know is... touching you... kissing your lips... waking up with you by my side... it feels good... feels _right_... so does it really matter what anyone else thinks?"

She blinked, stunned. That was probably the most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her! It was all the more stunning coming from DRACO! It was hard to believe that not long ago he had seemed like such a heartless bastard... The leaps he had made emotionally were just this side of astonishing... she wondered if this had always been hiding deep inside him. Maybe it was just that nobody had ever tried to see any deeper... As she stared at him in contemplative silence, she realized that he was right... the past didn't really matter... She leaned forward and kissed him.

He kissed her back with such intensity it made her head spin. When he finally broke the kiss he gave her a little smirk. "Still want to go back to Gryffindor?" He asked teasingly as he kissed his way down her neck.

She laughed. "Not likely..." she said, twining her fingers in his hair.

"Good..." He said, smirking up at her. He kissed her lips softly, then he shifted his head over, "Come to bed..." He whispered in her ear.

--------------

"Merlin..." Blaise said as Ron and Pansy led him into his room, both supporting him (though Ron was little help in his own weakened state), "I thought your mum was going to adopt me!" He said, chuckling ruefully.

Ron grinned. "A lot of people get that impression. When anyone needs taken care of she's all mum... but don't ever cross her!" He said, chuckling.

"Don't worry about that... I'm already well aware of the Weasley temperament." He said teasingly.

They set him down on the edge of the bed. "You need anything?" Pansy asked, still looking a bit worried.

"Just you two." He said, smirking.

She chuckled and rolled her eyes. "He'll be fine." She said in a bemused tone.

She and Blaise were already in their night clothes, so Pansy quickly helped Ron out of his outer clothes, stripping his down to his boxers. They were the only garment he had on that wasn't burnt or bloodstained anyway.

She stole a little kiss, smirking at him mischievously, before going back over to help Blaise settle in the middle of his big bed. When he was situated, she helped Ron in beside him before circling around and climbing on the bed herself.

As they settled in, Blaise was still smirking. "You know... I'll admit I've had more than my fair share of relationships... but... that's the first time anyone ever introduce me to their mum..." He said, his cheeks coloring slightly.

Pansy smacked his shoulder playfully, "I introduced you to MY mum!"

Blaise laughed, "That wasn't an introduction!"

"Sure it was!" She said defensively, but with a smirk on her face.

Blaise laughed so hard he had tears at the sides of his eyes.

"What's so funny?" Ron asked with a bemused smile.

After a moment, Blaise was able to master himself. He turned his head towards Ron, "Ok, let's see if YOU think this counts... I remember it word for word! Me and my family were at Pansy's for some big Christmas party... usually horribly boring affairs... I was just beginning to enjoy myself, and Pansy walks in and says, and I quote, 'Mum! Get off Blaise! He's only fifteen bloody years old!'" He said, breaking into more laughter.

"See!" Pansy said immediately, "Even you admit, I said she was my mum and I told her your name. That was an introduction!" She said, smirking mischievously.

Ron burst out laughing, "You were shagging her MUM?" he asked incredulously.

"No!" Blaise said, sobering marginally and holding up a finger to signify an important point, "I was letting her go down on me. Big difference! I'll have you know I _do_ have a few scruples... I mean I probably wouldn't have shagged her while her husband was in the mansion at any rate..." He said chuckling. He shifted over towards Ron a bit, lowering his voice to a conspiratous whisper, "But you should SEE her! She looks even more shaggable than Draco's mum!"

Ron's jaw dropped, "You didn't...!?!"

Blaise laughed, "No! Not a chance! Not that it wouldn't have been _brilliant_... and Merlin knows the poor woman could _use_ a good shag, but Lucius is the type to gut you for so much as _GLANCING_ at her. I prefer safer shags, thanks."

Ron chuckled, shaking his head ruefully, "So... what happened with her mum?"

Blaise gave a little shrug. "She 'got off' as requested and left... glaring at her daughter most venomously as I recall..." He said smirking. "It was too bad really... her mother was quite amazing..."

"And then he made _ME_ finish!" Pansy said, smirking.

"Couple of points here..." Blaise said, "First, it was the least you could do for interrupting... and second, I have never once MADE you do anything! You do that all on your own!" He shifted his head over towards Ron, "I'm telling you, you just can't get a horn around this one and expect her to keep her hands off it." He said in explanation, grinning mischievously.

She smacked him lightly again, "That is NOT true!" She said petulantly.

"Really?" He asked her, smirking over towards her evilly. He took her hand and pulled it under the covers.

Her eyes widened, then she rolled them. "You are incorrigible! Laying here, weak as a kitten and half dead... and still you can get it up!"

He chuckled. "If I can't, feel free to bury me."

Ron laughed.

"Now I challenge you to keep your hands to yourself." Blaise said with a smirk to Pansy.

She just glared at him, pulling her hand back and crossing her arms across her chest testily. He couldn't see it of course, but he didn't have to.

He turned his attention back over to Ron, "So..." He said, his voice losing it's playfulness, "Seriously... What happened? I mean did he just attack you in the corridor?"

Ron blushed bright red. He had been taken into another room to tell the teachers what had happened, so no one else really knew anything more than they had seen for themselves. Blaise knew it had been Harry of course. He'd had plenty of opportunity to see their attacker before he was blinded. "No... he didn't attack me immediately..." He said uneasily.

Blaise shifted his head around to face Ron, sensing there was something more to his hesitance. "What happened?" He asked again gently when Ron didn't go on right away.

Ron shifted uneasily. "I... I was asleep... and he came over... and..." Blaise just remained quiet and Ron knew he wasn't going to let him get out of telling him. He let out a deep sigh. "He... he was trying to..." He trailed off. He really couldn't think of any way to word it...

"He tried to shag you, didn't he?" Blaise asked softly.

Ron's eyes went wide.

Blaise took his silence as confirmation. "I kind of thought maybe that's what happened... I mean with the bruising a saw starting on your neck... and the shirt and claw marks..." He sighed.

"He... he didn't though..." Ron said firmly, still beet red. "I said no and that's when he started... I dunno... at first he tried to threaten me... when I still wouldn't... that's when... well... you saw..."

Blaise gave a little shutter, then nodded. He slipped his arm around, drawing Ron closer. Ron shifted over so Blaise wouldn't have to move too much, hugging him. "You're safe now..." Blaise whispered softly, holding him.

Ron sighed, holding him tighter. Blaise's grasp felt tenuous at best, but somehow it did make him feel safer. He lifted his head and found Blaise's lips. Blaise returned his kiss passionately. As their tongues caressed lovingly Ron couldn't help but sigh into his mouth. This was how it was supposed to be...

They found themselves lost in the kiss... forgetting all about Harry and the horrible events of that night for the moment. For several minutes they just lay there, enjoying the blissful abandon.

Finally, Blaise broke the kiss, chuckling. "I thought I told you to keep your hands to yourself." He said in amusement.

Ron looked over and saw Pansy blush, but she didn't pull away from him, obviously rubbing him under the blanket. "You're an evil prat, Blaise." She said petulantly, slipping her hand into his underwear. "You lay there right next to me, snogging him senseless and pitching a tent and expect me to just ignore it... that's just... _evil!_"

He chuckled. "And yet still you come back..." He said, smirking and giving a contented sigh as she stroked him. "That's my little wanton witch..." he murmured.

Pansy glared at him, but didn't stop.

Blaise turned his head towards Ron and asked in a stage whisper, "She's glaring at me, isn't she?"

Ron chuckled. "Too right, she is! You sure you want her around your choicer bits when she's mad at you?"

Blaise chuckled. "She'd never hurt that. She likes it far too much!"

"Don't be mean Blaise." Pansy said, feigning hurt.

He reached over and found her, stroking her cheek. "Ah, but it's your wanton side that keeps bringing me coming back, love. Not to mention you're marvelously twisted... that's so hard to find nowadays..."

She let out a laugh, pulling the blankets aside. In just a few deft movements she had mounted him, having already doffed her knickers while they were distracted.

Blaise groaned, pulling Ron back over and started kissing him hungrily while she started moving. Ron closed his eyes, losing himself to Blaise's ardent kisses once again. Blaise usually had very good stamina, but in his weakened state he was gasping too much for kissing in just a few minutes, even though Pansy was doing all the work. Ron shifted down a bit, kissing his neck so he could breath. Blaise kept his arms around Ron, absently stroking his hair with one hand. Suddenly Blaise tensed, letting out a strained groan as he clutched Ron to him.

Pansy tensed as well, moaning as a look of bliss came over her face.

As Blaise's trembling grasp loosened, Ron looked at him worriedly. He was gasping for breath, looking like it was all he could do to remain conscious. Pansy moved down beside him, cuddling up against him. Blaise gave a wistful smile, wrapping one arm around her, then pulling Ron back down beside him with the other. They both snuggled up to Blaise as his breathing slowly started stabilizing, the little smile broadening on his face.

Blaise sighed contentedly, "In my very own room, nestled between two warm, amazingly shaggable lovers... I could get used to this..." He said mirthfully.

Ron grinned, "Me too." he said softly.

Blaise turned his head towards him, smiling brilliantly, then kissed him soundly before nuzzling up to him and settling down happily for sleep.

-----------------

Ron woke, feeling movement next to him. The movement came again, and he heard Blaise's breath panting in his chest. He quickly turned over, trying to see him in the dim light. He could see perspiration on his forehead, the hair framing his face starting to cling to the damp skin. Ron looked him over with concern, then started to reach over to check him, but suddenly Blaise sat bolt upright in the bed, a shriek tearing from his throat, "RON!"

Ron immediately sat up, wrapping his arms around him, "It's ok... I'm right here..." He said quickly.

Blaise's hands quickly searched, finding his face and reassuring himself it was indeed Ron. He let out a shuddering sob of relief and clutched Ron to him as if his life depended on it. Ron leaned back, pulling Blaise back down into a laying position, stroking his hair and murmuring reassurances soothingly.

"You weren't... weren't moving..." Blaise sobbed into his chest, "I thought you were...." He broke off, his body wracked by wretched sobs as he held Ron tighter, trembling.

"I'm fine... you saved me... we got away..." Ron said gently, his heart aching in his chest.

Slowly, Blaise's sobs and trembling faded away and Ron realized he had drifted back off to sleep. He looked over, seeing Pansy watching silently, a pitying look in her eyes as she watched Blaise. Seeing he was asleep again, she shifted over a bit more, spooning up against Blaise's back and draping her arm over him comfortingly. She looked up at Ron and softly whispered, "He should be ok now..."

Ron blinked. "This has happened before?" He asked, keeping his voice low to keep from waking Blaise.

She nodded solemnly, "At least a couple times a week for so long as I've known him. Usually it's his father he dreams about though... tonight must have been even more traumatic for him than I thought..." She sighed, cuddling closer to him.

Ron looked down, watching the tension slowly easing from Blaise's face as he slept. Blaise had been having a nightmare about Ron... about thinking he had died... the thought made his chest tighten with emotion.

"Sometimes it's hard to believe there is anything more than mischief and libido to him..." Pansy said softly, a little smirk flitting over her lips. "But people who think that have never been with him during one of his bad nights... and that barely even registers as one of those... trust me..." She kissed Blaise's shoulder lovingly, then glanced up at Ron, "Don't bother asking him about it in the morning... he won't remember... he never does..." She said, settling down and closing her eyes. In a few minutes her breathing had evened out and he knew she was asleep again.

Ron held Blaise a little tighter, his own sleep a bit harder won.

------------------

A/N - yes, more R/B/P smut. Deal with it. I happen to like them. Your D/G smut will be in the next chapter, so just hold yer taters. :) And yes, I _was_ planning on going into what possessed Harry more... I mean it's not like they're just gonna go on with their lives as if it hadn't happened and forget all about it ;)


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Ginny woke with a sigh of contentedness as she felt lips softly kissing her neck. She ran her fingers through Draco's hair and chuckled softly.

"Ah... the red headed angel awakes..." He murmured playfully, nipping at her neck.

She giggled. "And it is the blond _fallen_ angel that wakes her..." She responded with a smirk.

He chuckled ruefully. "Well... I never really thought of myself as a devil... but I _do_ appear to have a horn at the moment..." He smirked down at her wickedly as he slipped his hand into her knickers. "Care to help me get rid of it, sweet angel?"

She grinned and kissed him passionately. She shifted around eagerly, letting him slip her knickers off. After their discussion they had gotten into bed and just held eachother... and snogged eachother senseless of course, then fell asleep in eachothers arms. It had been wonderful... but she had to admit she'd been dying to feel him inside her again.

She looked at him, surprised as he pulled away, drawing back the covers. He smirked at her as he got up, his 'horn' quite apparent through his boxers. He held his hand out and she let him guide her out of the bed and onto her feet.

She just followed, puzzled as he led her towards a door near the back of the room. As they entered, she saw it was a large bathroom. Against the far wall was a bathtub nearly as large as the one she heard they had in the prefect's bathroom...

"I usually just use the shower, myself..."

She looked around, slightly stunned. The tub was full, covered in a delicate layer of foam, filling the air with lightly scented, warm steam. All around the tub there were lit candles... and there were even a couple of roses scattered about. She stared, wondering how long it had taken him to arrange this...

She looked up at him as he started unbuttoning her shirt. He smiled at her, and it was a genuine smile for a change. He brushed the shirt off her shoulders, pulling her close. "I figured you would prefer a bath... thought it might make for a pleasant distraction... a little stress relief..." he said with a hint of mischief.

She smirked, looking over at the candles. "You planned all this? Wherever did you come up with the idea?"

He gave her a wicked smirk. "Don't ask."

She laughed, "Ok..." She said, slipping his boxers down. He stepped out of them, then took her hand, leading her down into the tub. There were actually steps build into one end, the water in the main part of the tub was a bit higher than her waist. The temperature was just perfect, the foam swirling around them as they made their way into the water.

Ginny sighed delightedly, letting go of his hand and slipping under the surface. When she came back up he watched her with undisguised lust, his eyes following the suds as they traced their way down her wet skin. She slid through the water over to him, grinning up at him mischievously. "You're looking a bit too dry sir..." She said with a smirk. He let her dunk him under the water. When he reemerged she kissed him before the water had even finished running off, pressing herself up against him as she brushed the soaking strands of hair away from his face.

He slipped his arms around her, moving them over towards the side. He broke the kiss once they were close enough, reaching over and snagging up a dark green washcloth. She chuckled as he wet it and rubbed it on a bar of soap, loading it up with suds. She closed her eyes and sighed as he started running the washcloth across her skin. He held her close while he was washing her back with lazy, swirling strokes, then drifted away teasingly, continuing his task. She smirked as he very diligently cleaned her breasts.

Her eyes opened in surprise and she looked down as she felt his tongue on her nipple. She watched as he licked away the fine covering of foam the washcloth had left, then gently suckled on her breast. She giggled. "Doesn't that soap taste bad?"

He smirked up at her, then drew his tongue across a a broad patch of suds before shifting up and kissing her, slipping his tongue into her mouth before she could think to object. She giggled against him as the taste of fresh strawberries filled her mouth. As he broke the kiss she smirked, "I should have known..." she said mirthfully.

He just smirked, slipping back down and carefully 'cleaning' her other breast. When he was done, he let go of the washcloth, licking his way up to her neck as his arms slipped back around her, pulling her close.

He pressed her against the side of the tub, capturing her lips and kissing her passionately. She wrapped her legs around him, pressing close. He broke the kiss, looking her deep in the eyes as he pressed himself into her.

She moaned, the pleasure of having him in her amplified by the way he was watching her with such intensity. He kept watching her avidly as he started thrusting into her. She closed her eyes, feeling a bit overwhelmed, leaning her head back against the smooth side as the warm water washed up against her in waves caused by his movements.

She listened to the sound of the water and his breathing as it quickened... the little moans and sounds of pleasure he was making... In no time at all she felt the by now familiar sensation building inside her. She cried out as it broke over her, sending a rush of pleasure through her entire body. She felt dizzy as she started coming back down a bit, though he was still thrusting into her, continuing to send waves of pleasure through her.

She opened her eyes. He was still watching her, his eyes slightly hooded with lust and passion. She found herself staring back, enthralled by his gaze. As she watched, her eyes widened. She stared, unsure she had really seen what she thought she had. As she watched, it happened again. Wispy tendrils of brown flowed through the pale gray of his eyes. If he was aware of it, he gave no outward acknowledgment of it, intent only on her.

She watched in fascination as it continued, no more than tenuous threads of color, but definitely there. His eyes started to lose focus as he sped up a bit more. He drove himself into her and shuddered. She caught a brief glimpse of the brown swirling in his eyes before he shut them as a groan of release escaped him. When the tension in him eased a bit, he pressed closer, sagging against her a bit as he nuzzled up to her, trailing kisses across her neck.

After a minute, he sighed. "We should probably finish up and get dressed... they'll be coming to get us for breakfast soon..." He said regretfully.

As he pulled back a bit, she looked curiously at his eyes, but the tendrils of color were completely gone. She quickly nodded in agreement as he eyed her searchingly, wondering if there was something wrong. "Ok..." She said quickly.

------------

Ron blinked his eyes open wearily as he heard a knock on the door. He ruffled his fingers through his hair, his body aching from the previous nights events, trying to gather his wits. The door opened and Pansy came in. Ron glanced groggily at the empty space on the other side of Blaise. He hadn't even known she'd left.

"I've got some visitors with me." She said, smirking.

Ron looked past her and turned beet red. Fred and George were standing in the doorway, giving him identical smirks as they noted Blaise, who was still draped across his bare chest.

"Um..." He said, disconcerted.

Fred put his finger to his lips as he and George went over to the side of the bed. Ron just watched in stunned silence. Fred sat on the edge of the bed, stroking his hand down Blaise's back as if it was the most natural thing in the world, while George crouched beside the bed, brushing the hair out of Blaise's face.

Blaise stirred slightly.

"How's our precious little serpent?" George asked in a soft, loving voice.

Blaise's head jerked up slightly, "George?" He asked groggily. He felt the hand on his back and shifted his head around, "Fred?"

Ron stared from his brothers to Blaise, thunderstruck. He, their BROTHER, couldn't even tell the two apart... and yet Blaise apparently could even while BLIND? Ron's mind boggled, and he couldn't help but wonder just how well these three knew eachother... especially with the way the twins were acting!

They chuckled softly. "Didn't think we'd stay away when we heard our little Slytherin was hurt, did you?" Fred asked with a smirk, still stroking his back.

Blaise's cheeks colored as he felt the tension in Ron. He shifted his head up towards Ron. "Um... Ron... we... I mean... I never..." He said, more embarrassed than Ron had ever seen him.

Fred and George both chuckled.

"We haven't shagged your little boyfriend, Ron." Fred said reassuringly.

"We just... played with him a bit..." George said mischievously.

"He never even looked at boys before we 'took him in hand'..." Fred said, running his hand down Blaise's back with a fond, reminiscent smile.

"So you should thank us..." George chuckled.

"Her, on the other hand..." Fred said, indicating Pansy.

"We've shagged on a number of occasions..." George finished with a smirk.

"Not easy to find girls who'll let us share." Fred said smirkingly.

"Glad to see they're staying in the family." George added with false seriousness.

Pansy was bright red, staring studiously at the ceiling, though a slightly embarrassed smirk was tugging at the edge of her mouth. "Ok..." She admitted blushingly, "Perhaps I _have_ had a Gryffindor or two... but I hardly think _they_ count as Gryffindors... as mischievous as they are, they should definitely have been in Slytherin! Besides, my having shagged your brothers didn't really seem like something you needed to know at the time..."

They both chuckled, but then sobered, looking back at Blaise.

"Let us see your eyes." Fred said softly, peering down at Blaise seriously.

Blaise hesitantly opened his eyes as requested. The twins both let out little hisses of dismay. George reached over, shifting Blaise's head around a bit and examining him closer.

"Definitely the White Wrath." George said grimly.

"If that hadn't been caught in time..." Fred said, appalled.

George looked up at his twin, "We could probably get the ingredients from our connection in India..."

Fred nodded. "Looks like we'll have to... not like Fudge is going to provide them."

"Bloody wanker." George muttered, "Everyone knows he has them in the vaults at the Ministry."

Fred just nodded grimly.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, looking between them in confusion.

"The ingredients for the counter curse potion." George said.

"Some of them are forbidden..." Fred said in explanation.

"Just because they COULD be used for dark magic." George added.

"And Fudge won't approve the use of them..."

"Even though they're medically necessary..."

Fred's face had gone red with anger, "Someone needs to strip that bloody prat down and stake him down in the middle of a dragon preserve!"

"During mating season!" George added with a malicious grin.

That made Fred smirk. He nodded. "Let them have a go at him..." He said, obviously liking the idea.

"Charley could probably arrange it..." George pointed out with a chuckle.

They both chuckled, the others joining in as they all pictured it.

When they had all settled back down, Fred fished in his robes and pulled out a pair of muggle sunglasses. "Anyway, we brought you these..." He said, putting them in Blaise's hand.

Blaise shifted over, sitting up and feeling them. He opened them up and slipped them on, then looked over at Ron, "How do I look?" he asked with a smirk.

Ron smirked. "Utterly shaggable."

George took out a second pair of glasses. "They asked us to bring an extra pair for Malfoy..."

"Did he get cursed too?" Fred asked curiously.

"Long story." Blaise said with a smirk. "But no, he's fine."

"And how's our baby brother?" George asked with a smirk.

Ron blushed slightly, "I'll be fine... just tired... and aching all over..." He said, flexing and wincing as his body protested.

They looked at him with concern. "Didn't they give you anything?"

"There's no counter for the after effects of the Cruciatus Curse." Pansy said softly.

They both looked at Ron with concern. "It hit you with that?" Fred asked, aghast.

Ron nodded, not meeting their eyes. "I think I know now why it drives some people mad..." He said, shivering as he remembered it... the way it had made him pray for death... if he had been under it much longer he was sure his mind would have snapped. He wondered if it was that strong when a normal human cast it...

George put his hand on Ron's arm and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Well... we should probably let you boys get ready..."

"You'll be going to breakfast soon..."

"Hear everyone is going as a group..."

"And we should leave before the Ministry Officials spot us..."

"We aren't exactly supposed to be here..."

Ron smiled and nodded. "Thanks for coming..." He said sincerely. It had been ages since he'd seen them... and to have THEM be ok with him and Blaise... it was more than he'd dared hope for... He had been sure all of his brothers would disapprove, or take the mickey out of him at the very least.

"We'll come back once we've looked into those ingredients." Fred said reassuringly.

"And of course if you two are still laid up then..." George said leadingly, glancing at Pansy.

"We could always keep Pansy entertained for you..." Fred finished with a wicked smirk.

Ron chuckled and rolled his eyes while Pansy smirked and blushed.

They got up, leaning over, each of them kissing one of Blaise's cheeks before they made their way towards the door, leaving Blaise blushing bright red.

"Oh yeah..." George said, pausing.

"Thanks for the picture..." Fred said with a broad grin.

"It really brightens the place up!" George added with a chuckle.

Blaise grinned. "No problem."

When they had left, Ron looked over at Blaise curiously, "What picture?"

---------

Ginny started in surprise as two sets of arms wrapped around her the minute she stepped out of Draco's bedroom. She grinned, recovering from her surprise quickly and hugged the twins back. When they released her they both beamed at her.

"Just thought we'd check on you while we were here..." Fred said, beaming at her.

"And tell you how very photogenic you are..." George said with a smirk.

She blushed bright red.

"How's our baby sister doing?"

"We were so worried..."

She grinned, "I'm fine."

They nodded, then looked past her. Draco was standing in the doorway, unsure if it was safe to approach. They both surveyed him for a moment, then went over to him. George took out the second pair of glasses and handed them to him. "Heard you could use these."

Draco gave a nod and accepted them. "Thanks."

"No problem..." Fred said with a nod.

As one, they shifted around to either side of him, each looping an arm across his shoulders.

"We know about you and Gin."

"And we just wanted you to know..."

"You hurt her..."

"And we'll castrate you..."

"Dice up your Hampton..."

"And feed it to you."

"But other than that..."

"Welcome to the family." Fred finished with a smirk.

Draco blinked, stunned. "That's it?" He was relieved, having expected quite a bit worse, but was still wary.

"Well..." George began with a smirk.

"You should really thank Blaise for that."

"If he hadn't always spoken so highly of you..."

"We probably would have given you a right pasting."

"That's our only baby sister..."

"Don't forget that."

Draco smirked. "I won't."

They released him, clapping him on the back. "Good lad." They said in perfect unison, smirking at him.

Ginny and Draco just watched as the twins sauntered out, then smirked at eachother.

-----------------

A/N - So now you know where Blaise got his 'thing for redheads'! ;)

A/N 2 - You would not BELIEVE what it took to get this chapter to post! ARGGGHHHH!!! It had BETTER format properly...


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Ginny felt queasy as she surveyed the damage on the way to the Great Hall. She glanced back, noticing how the Slytherins unconsciously huddled in the middle of the corridor as they made their way along it as one large group. A number of the teachers and a group of Ministry workers had taken half the night just getting the floor safely smoothed out. Blaise was the lucky one, being led through by Ron and Pansy, completely oblivious to the devastation surrounding him.

Ginny looked up in horror as she passed a particularly bad section that would have been right near where Harry had been standing from what she had been told. There was a huge hole blown in the ceiling, the gaping cavity leading into a now heavily damaged classroom. The extent of the damage that had been done in such a short span of time was appalling.

She was thankful when they got past the destruction and made their way up the stairs out of the dungeon. It wasn't until they approached the Great hall and saw Gryffindor House filing in ahead of them that she realized just how awkward her situation was. Draco took her hand, sensing her unease. She smiled over at him. She quickly decided that what the others thought of her didn't really matter at this point. She moved a bit closer, letting her shoulder brush his as they walked. He smiled at her.

As they entered, they saw that they were the last house to arrive. The other three tables were all buzzing with conversation, but it dropped off as Slytherin entered. It didn't pass the other students' notice that several of the Slytherins were limping, and one of the seventh year boys had his arm in a sling. It was obvious that the other houses had been told very little, if anything, about last night's events. They knew only that their Houses were sealed the night before, and they were told they must go the breakfast in one large group, accompanied by several teachers per house. Ginny looked over at Ron. They both felt a little uneasy sitting at the Slytherin table with everyone staring like that, but did so anyway, Ron helping Blaise before taking a seat by his side. Ginny of course sat at Draco's side, looking over to see the shocked looks on her Housemates' faces. She just set an unreadable look on her face and ignored them.

It was hard to ignore Hermione though. She had a haunted look on her face, looking like she'd been crying. Hermione caught sight of Ron and bit her lip, looking like the crying might start up again at any moment. Ginny couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl, wondering if Harry had really been possessed... and if he had, what he might have done to her... she knew Hermione and Harry had been seeing eachother for a little while now... Hermione looked so alone sitting there without Ron or Harry by her side. Harry was, thankfully, not present.

Dumbledore rose and the Great Hall instantly fell silent. He surveyed them grimly for a long moment before speaking. "We had a very disturbing event last night." He said grimly, "An attack by a dark creature that left a large number of injured and quite nearly proved fatal for several. The Ministry has examined the evidence left behind, and have confirmed that the creature that did this was, in fact, a Shadow Demon."

There was a sharp intake of breath from a number of students (Most of them sitting at the Ravenclaw table of course). Dumbledore raised his hand for silence as muttering started up as those who knew what that meant were questioned by their housemates. They fell silent immediately.

"It is true that it has been nearly a century since one has posed a threat to the wizarding community, but the evidence is irrefutable. This creature is as stealthy as it is dangerous, inhabiting the bodies of unsuspecting persons and controlling them to it's own demented purposes. When you return to your Houses, you will be given more information about the nature and habits of these loathsome creatures. Knowledge is our best defense at the moment... because, I'm truly sorry to say, there are no known ways to track such a creature other than simple observation. The Ministry officials will remain, trying to help us locate and dispatch this creature if it remains on the grounds, but for now we simply cannot guarantee your safety if you are left to wander the grounds on your own."

There was a murmur of fear and uneasiness at this.

"If you wish to return to your homes and receive your schoolwork by owl, it will be allowed at your discretion until the crises has been abated. The carriages will be available immediately following breakfast. For those of you who chose to remain... until further notice, classes and all extracurricular activities have been suspended. You will be given your assignments for your classes in your Houses. You will take your meals as a group. Trips to the library will be scheduled, and no group of students shall leave their Houses without at least two teachers to accompany them. All houses will also be sealed half an hour before dusk each night, and not even owls will be allowed entrance. Today I'm sure we will have a number of departures to work out, but starting tomorrow we will schedule some time after lunch for you to go out on the grounds for some much needed fresh air each day. It should be relatively safe so long as the sun is at it's zenith. I cannot tell you how sorry I am that this has happened, but I assure you that we will do everything within our power to catch this creature as soon as possible."

Dumbledore glanced over at Snape for a moment, before clearing his throat, putting an end to the conversation that had started almost the instant he fell silent. "Professor Snape has also requested to say a few words." He said, nodding his head to Snape in acknowledgment and taking his seat. Snape rose, looking more forbidding than ever as he slowly stalked around the head table, coming to a stop in the center of the open space between it and the House tables. The nearest students shifted away a bit unconsciously as he surveyed them, his eyes lingering on the Gryffindor table. There was no need for him to silence them. In the face of his unmistakable anger, not a sound was heard in the entire hall.

"It seems..." He began, his voice low but carrying, "That there has been a deplorable lack of House unity. A student has even been placed in grave danger by his own housemates. I don't think I need to recount the incident of which I speak." He said, glaring at Gryffindor table. Most of them suddenly found other places to stare, their cheeks flushing with shame. "Last night, that nearly proved fatal. This student, who should have been able to depend on his Housemates for help and protection, was forced to seek such help elsewhere... and very nearly did not make it." He paused, but silence continued to reign. Ron was beet red and staring intently at the table before him. Blaise was resting his hand on Ron's leg under the table for comfort. "We in Slytherin find this disgraceful. Especially since this breakdown in unity seems to stem from something so simple as the telling of a single truth. The truth may not have benefited your House, but that didn't justify the treatment that was received." He hissed, glaring once again at the Gryffindor table. They were all looking decidedly uncomfortable by now.

Snape surveyed the silent assemblage. "Despite the events of last night, I cannot trust that this despicable breach in trust will cease. It was for this reason that we in Slytherin held a vote early this morning. Our decision was unanimous." He straightened a bit more, "Slytherin house hereby declares Sanctuary to Ronald and Ginevra Weasley. These two have risked ridicule and bodily harm, perhaps even their very lives, simply to do the honorable thing on behalf of a member of Slytherin house. One did nothing more than tell the truth, the other defended one unable to defend himself. By the authority of the charter set forth by Hogwarts' four original founders, we grant this as a matter of honor. Any who attack them, attack all of Slytherin house. Under these guidelines, we retain the right to defend them at any time, and in any _fashion_ we deem necessary until we unanimously agree that the threat has been removed, or they graduate from Hogwarts. Consider yourselves warned." He said ominously, turning in a swirl of black and returning to his seat.

Everyone just sat in stunned silence for a long moment before the first hushed whispers began. In moments the Hall was rumbling with conversation. The students barely even noticed when the food appeared on their tables.

Ginny and Ron were looking around at the Slytherins, still in shock. The Slytherins were all just smiling at them. Ron looked over at Blaise, "What... just happened?" he asked, still unable to grasp the enormity of what Snape had just said.

Blaise gave Ron's leg a squeeze, then patted it playfully, "You just got adopted." he said with a smirk.

-----------------

When they returned to the Dungeon, Snape stood at the door, casting detecting spells on each student as they passed. Once they were all in, he closed and locked the door. He didn't seal it with the runes, but it was still reassuring.

They all gathered in the Common Room, as instructed, but to their surprise, it was not Snape who went up to stand before them, but Draco. Actually it was Darien, but with his dark glasses in place, no one could tell. He surveyed them for a moment, then as soon as he was sure he had their undivided attention, he began. "Shadow Demons. Here's the basics: They inhabit the bodies of unsuspecting people... they can go unnoticed, even by their host, for so long as they wish to be... unless of course certain spells are used to detect them. They prefer darkness and especially night, as their name would suggest, and are, unfortunately, extremely easy to pass from person to person. They can pass unnoticed through simple physical contact, or even shadows at night. Very rarely will they leave a host without another to pass directly into. They wear the person as a shield against detection and sunlight, and therefore tend to develop a bit of a phobia against being outside a body. Sunlight weakens them and can even kill young ones. They live off of souls they have stolen from witches and wizards, carrying them inside and continuously draining off the excess energy only magically endowed souls exude. If you can catch them off guard, they are susceptible to physical attacks and even magical attacks if you can take them down with the first spell. Unfortunately, as we all now know only too well, they are virtually impervious to magical attacks if they are expecting them. They use their demonic powers to gather the energy from such attacks and either absorb it or deflect it back at the caster. Their native language is very disturbing for witches and wizards to hear because of it's demonic nature, and damage they inflict with spells they cast in their own language or directly through physical attack by themselves or their current hosts also tend to leave scars, despite healing magic that would normally have healed the wounds without leaving so much as a blemish. I'm sure many of us already knew _that_ as well..." He said, scratching at the spot where one of the spells had left a pale pink welt on his left side.

He dropped his arm when he realized what he was doing, starting to pace as he began speaking again. "Once on their guard, they are susceptible only to Green magic, as all things other than souls that are pure and natural are anathema to them... but unfortunately that form of magic is apparently very rarely taught nowadays, and it would takes weeks for me to teach you enough of the basics to even get you casting. Another important subject... souls. When they inhabit a body, they cannot take the soul and still utilize that person's wand, since our wands only work if they resonate with our souls, therefor the person's soul is safe so long at the demon remains... once they are finished with their host, however, they will often steal their soul as they leave them unless they must flee quickly. There aren't any wards to keep them from inhabiting you that I know of, unfortunately. If any of you know of one, please inform Snape and we will of course see if we can buy or make them. Any questions?"

He fell silent, coming to a stop and looking over his somewhat stunned Housemates.

"How do you know all that?" Crabbe asked softly.

Darien looked at him for a moment, then said simply, "Next question."

Crabbe looked disconcerted and fell silent.

"Why did this one come out of hiding?" An intimidated looking first year asked from her place on the floor.

"Good question." Darien said thoughtfully. "Most likely it was its vindictive nature that drew it out. These creatures are vain and extremely arrogant... and there is nothing that enrages a Shadow Demon more than being crossed. They take it as a personal insult. Once it feels this has happened, it will stop at nothing to get vengeance. This is why I believe it is still on the grounds. It's vendetta has not yet been appeased, not to mention whatever purpose brought it here in the first place. Only direct orders from its master can override such impulses."

"Its master?" a third year asked, his eyes widening.

Darien nodded. "These creatures don't usually go wandering about on their own. They greatly prefer deep subterranean caverns and will not venture above ground unless forced. It was SENT. Before you ask, I don't know who its master is... but I'm sure we all have a good hunch."

There was a lot of worried muttering.

Crabbe looked around, furrowing his brow, "But... not that we agree with them or anything, but half of us are related to Death Eaters. Why would it attack us?"

"We weren't the target. We got in it's way. Apparently it was not given specific orders not to harm Slytherins. It would have been nice, but oh well. If we're lucky, perhaps it's master will contact it when he hears about the attack and call it off... but we can't assume he will be able to... or will even WANT to." Darien said with a shrug.

"How do you tell if someone has one of those things in them?" Millicent asked.

"Well... mostly it is a change in attitude... it can be very subtle, but they seem unable to inhabit a body without effecting it in some way. I'm afraid I can't be any more specific than that, as they are all highly individual."

"So these things just live to jump from person to person, stealing souls?" A girl near the front asked, confused.

Darien considered that. "No... their need for souls is usually sated after the first dozen or so that they steal... after that the souls they carry are enough to sustain them... and they steal additional souls more for pleasure... They revel in chaos and the pain of mortals... They are driven by their lust for pleasures... often driving their human hosts to provide these pleasures for them..." At the many confused looks, Darien rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "Let me spell it out. Among other things, the people possessed by these creatures tend to like to _shag_ a lot. And since Shadow Demons are asexual, they don't narrow their desires to one sex or the other either... so a sudden change in sexual preference can be an indicator as well. They will only refrain from such activities if it is so out of character for their host that it would reveal their hiding place or interfere with their master's plans."

"Blimey!" Goyle said with a smirk, "It gets in here and we'll never find it!"

That brought a round of laughter that broke the tension that had been building.

Darien chuckled, then waved his hand for silence. When they had settled, he continued. "Well, thankfully we will be checking everyone before they enter our House, as Snape did upon your return from breakfast, and every night after dinner, Snape will seal off the Dungeon. Snape will also be teaching a number of the upperclassmen to cast these spells so he doesn't have to spend every waking moment in front of the door! The other Houses may lose a lot of sleep, but you can sleep soundly. There's no way it's getting through THAT barrier." He straightened a bit, "On a sad note, this means we will all have to do a better job cleaning up after ourselves. The house elves will only be allowed entrance to Slytherin Dungeon once a day while we are at lunch."

There were a lot of groans and grumbles at that.

"You going to check the house elves too?" A pensive looking second year boy asked.

Darien smirked. "Don't need to. House elves are magical creatures... as such, they are unsuitable hosts for Shadow Demons. Their very nature is to serve us and never allow us to come to harm... and this instinct is much stronger than the Demon's will... trying to force its way into one of _them_ and trying to make it do its bidding would almost certainly destroy the Demon. Personally, I hope this one doesn't know that... It would certainly take care of _our_ problem."

That brought more smirks.

"I have given all of this information to the other House heads as well, so... don't go acting odd in front of the other students or they might take it as an excuse to attack and say they just thought you were possessed." He said with a smirk.

There were some more smirks at this, but also a bit of uneasy shifting. After a minute, Goyle cleared his throat, looking decidedly uncomfortable, but resolute. "Draco... you know how we all feel about you... but..." He looked around, gathering strength from the supportive looks of his friends, then took a deep breath, "What the bloody hell is up with you?" There was a murmur of agreement, "I mean I hate to say it, but you are the only one who meets almost that entire description... You've been acting strange all year, now you're suddenly so... different... and now you're an expert on some obscure creature no one has seen in a century and won't even tell us how... and I couldn't help but notice you were the only one Snape didn't check on the way in..."

There was more nodding and agreement as they all watched closely for his reaction.

Darien sighed, "He didn't check me because I'm the only one here that is immune. The creature can't enter me."

They were all looking at eachother in confusion. Darien looked over at Snape. Snape just shrugged. "I think they can handle it, but I'll leave that up to you."

Darien sighed again and nodded. "It can't enter me because... well... I'm already... occupied..." He let out a little groan of frustration and went over to his usual chair, in which Ginny was currently sitting, and slumped down wearily on the arm, ruffling his fingers through his already tousled hair. "This is going to take a lot of explaining..."

--------------


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

"I thought they took that rather well..." Ginny said with a smirk as Draco shut the door behind them. She chuckled as she spotted her trunk against the wall.

He came up and wrapped his arms around her. "There was a bit of a room shortage... hope you don't mind..." He said playfully.

She just grinned.

He kissed her shoulder, then went over, flopping down on the bed with a sigh. "I must admit... it was a bit of a relief to get the whole house taken care of at once... the gasping and staring every time my eyes change is getting tiresome... best to just get it over with all together."

Ginny grinned as she lay down beside him, propping her head up so she could look at him. "Isn't it Darien that has to deal with that?"

He furrowed his brow. "Um... ya... but..." He shrugged and fell silent, looking slightly puzzled.

"Um..." Ginny said, looking a bit reluctant. "I've been meaning to ask you about him... I mean... he's been pretty quiet for a while..."

"Getting bored with me already are you?" Draco asked with a smirk.

"No! That's not it." She said quickly, blushing, "It's just... I was wondering if... I dunno... maybe there was something wrong...?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "He's just still all depressed. His moping is starting to get irritating actually... Him telling me about the Demon was pretty much the first I'd heard out of him since I brought you into the Dungeon."

"Why is he depressed?" She asked, concerned.

"Maybe you should ask _him_." Draco said a bit uncomfortably, not really wanting to go into it.

"Can I talk to him?"

Draco's eyes went slightly unfocused for a moment, then he rolled his eyes again. "He's being stubborn." He said exasperatedly. "Hold on..." He laid back on the bed and closed his eyes, a look of concentration coming over his face. Ginny peered closer. It was almost as if she could see a silent struggle going on as his eyes moved under the lids, his jaw tensing and relaxing for a moment.

Suddenly the struggle ceased and he let out a sigh of exasperation. "He is such a _bloody prat_." He said, opening his dark brown eyes, looking irritable.

Ginny grinned, relieved to see him. She had almost started to think he had left. Then her smile faded. "You didn't want to talk to me?" She asked softly.

He sighed, rolling over and wrapping his arm around her, pulling her close. "It's not that... I just... haven't really been feeling like talking to _anyone_ lately..."

"Is it something about me?" She asked worriedly.

"No." He said, then paused, looking indecisive. "Well... not really..."

She sighed. "It's about _her_ isn't it?"

He couldn't look her in the eyes. "Ginny... please... I don't want to talk about it..."

"You're going to have to talk to someone about it sooner or later..." She said gently, snuggling up against him comfortingly.

"I just can't..." He said in a pained whisper. "Not yet... not with you..."

She sighed and nodded. "Ok... I'll wait..."

They held eachother in companionable silence for a few minutes before Ginny tentatively broke the silence. "I... I wanted to ask you something..."

He shifted back a bit so he could look at her, "What?"

"Earlier this morning..." She said, her cheeks coloring.

He blushed as a shy smile slipped over his lips, knowing without asking what she was talking about. "That was amazing..."

She blushed with pleasure, but pressed on. "Were you... there?"

"Well... I'm pretty much _always_ there... not like I have eyes I can close or anything..." He said, looking highly embarrassed.

"No... I mean I know that... but... when... well... I saw something in Draco's eyes..."

His gaze suddenly became avid. "What?"

"It was like... little wisps of brown drifting through his eyes..." She said, trying to put what she'd seen into words.

A brilliant smile broke on across his lips. "Really?"

She blinked, surprised by his reaction, "Ya... What was that?"

"Sounds like we're starting to integrate on a deeper level... I knew he'd been feeling closer... Probably because he's finally openly accepted me..." Darien said happily.

"And this integrating is a good thing?" She asked, eyeing him with a smirk on her lips.

He laughed. "A very good thing..." He sighed, his smile fading a bit. "You have no idea what it's like to have your very soul torn apart... of course I'm not sure Draco and I will ever _fully_ reintegrate... we are very different... and... well... we've both grown while we were apart..."

She furrowed her brow. "Grown?"

He nodded, "Souls tend to try to heal themselves... if part of one is removed, it will start to regrow over time. Given enough time it might even become whole on it's own again if it was only a smaller portion taken... we were nearly perfect halves when separated... but while we were apart our souls started mending themselves... It took him all that time to become whole enough to be born again... and it took me all those years just to regain enough sense of self to be able to rejoin him when he came back. Today..." he made a little frustrated sound, trying to figure out how to express it. "It's like we are now both quite a bit more than half a soul... together we are nearly a soul and a half now... that's why there is no room for the demon to get in... but that means fully combining just might not be possible..." He gave her a little flicker of a smile, "But... to tell the truth, I was... well... a little bit frightened of the thought of fully combining anyway..."

"Why?" She asked, surprised. He had always seemed to want to be a part of Draco more than anything.

He blushed and dropped his eyes. "I... was afraid of losing myself... and... though Draco won't admit it, I've felt the fear in him a time or two... especially lately..."

"Oh..." She said softly, "I hadn't really thought of it that way... I don't want to lose you. Either of you..."

He smiled and brushed his fingers over her cheek. "No matter what happens... I am sure of one thing... whoever we end up... we'll love you. I can't see that ever changing." He said sincerely, then leaned forward and gently kissed her lips.

She pulled him closer, her soul singing in her chest at his words, deepening the kiss. For several minutes they just lay there, enjoying the feel of their bodies pressed together, lost in the kiss. When it finally ended, Ginny smiled at him. After a moment, a mischievous look crossed her face. "Do you suppose... the same thing would happen to _your_ eyes...?"

A broad grin sprang to his lips. "I don't know... sounds like something we should look into..."

-------------------------

"Let's at least get you settled in before lunch." Blaise said, letting Ron lead him as they left the common room. "Your things are in my room... but I know of a spare room if you'd prefer..." Blaise said with a smirk.

Ron grinned. "Wouldn't want to have to log my stuff around too much..."

Blaise chuckled, holding Ron's arm a bit tighter.

When they got into the room, Blaise made his way over to the bed, sitting down. "They said they would put it in here..."

"Ya..." Ron said, spotting it against the wall. "It's right here."

"You might want to hang up your robes so you don't go around looking like something the kneazle dragged in." Blaise said with a smirk. "There should be room in the wardrobe."

"Ok..." Ron said, opening his trunk and pulling out his robes, which had been folded and placed on top. He threw them over his arm and made his way over to the wardrobe. He opened it, grabbing a couple of loose hangers and hanging his robes.

"You should think about getting some Slytherin robes... I think you'd look tasty in green..." Blaise said flirtingly.

Ron chuckled, looking down the row of robes trimmed in green. There were some other clothes at the end... mostly green... but something odd caught his eye. He pulled out one of the garments and looked at in confusion. It was a long green silk dress. What was THAT doing in his wardrobe?

"No fondling my clothes unless I'm in them roomy." Pansy said as she came in.

He looked over at her, then blushed, quickly returning the dress to the wardrobe, noting the other female clothing behind it as well. He closed the wardrobe and looked over at her questioningly. "You two share a room?" He asked, surprised.

"Most nights." Pansy said with a smirk. "I was rooming with Millicent the first couple years, but... I tell you, that girl snores like a dragon with a sinus condition! And silencing spells can only last so long..." She said rolling her eyes mirthfully. "Snape doesn't care if we change rooms... and Blaise always has a warm bed..." She said mirthfully, leaning down and kissing Blaise.

Blaise quickly got ahold of her and pulled her down on the bed, making her giggle.

"So... how long you two been... sharing a room?" Ron said, going over and leaning against the bedpost near them, watching as Blaise began tickling Pansy mercilessly, sending her into fits of giggles.

Blaise paused, looking thoughtful. "I'm not sure... Let's see..."

Pansy smacked his shoulder, "Since fourth year. You'd think that wouldn't be too hard to remember!" she said with a smirk.

Ron looked at them, stunned. His feeling of being an interloper in their relationship suddenly multiplied. He had no idea they had been so close for so long... "Oh..." He said softly.

Blaise turned towards him, hearing the uncertainty in his voice. "What's the matter? You knew we'd been together..." He said, puzzled by Ron's reaction.

"Well... I knew you'd... well... been shagging for a while... but..."

Blaise sighed and reached out, managing to get ahold of Ron's sleeve and pulled him down onto the bed beside him. Once he had him down, he rolled over, pinning Ron. He ran his hand up Ron's chest, getting oriented so it wasn't too awkward to find his lips. He kissed him tenderly, trailing his fingers down his cheek. When he broke the kiss he remained close, his nose brushing Ron's. "Pansy is amazing..." He said softly, "One of a kind... I can never seem to get enough of her... but we both know we aren't enough... I'm not enough for her, and she's not enough for me... I, quite frankly, can't fulfill her desires on my own, no matter how hard I try... and there are things that I want that... well... she's just not equipped with..." He grinned, "You fulfill both our needs quite nicely... you aren't intruding... I know that's what you think... I've seen it in your eyes when I'm with her... I hear it in your voice now..." He sighed, caressing his cheek tenderly. "You're the missing piece, Ron... together, we three make one hell of a couple..." He said with a mischievous smirk.

A smile found it's way onto Ron's lips. He lifted his head, kissing Blaise.

They broke apart as Pansy cleared her throat loudly. "Sorry boys, but we have to get out there. They'll be leaving for lunch any minute, and if you two keep _that_ up, you're gonna get all aroused, and then I'm gonna have to molest you, and we'll all end up missing a meal... and you both need your strength. So save it for later, ok?" She said, smirking mischievously.

They chuckled and relented.

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A/N - there will be some SLASH shortly. If you don't like it, skip ahead to the next chapter. I didn't say until now so you wouldn't skip the entire chapter :) You don't have to stop reading right away, but I didn't want to break into the scene. It's pretty safe until they go to bed :) If you are skipping the smut, please drop down and read the end A/N.

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By the time Slytherin Dungeon was sealed up for the night and the students were filtering off to their rooms, Ron had made serious progress towards being the new Slytherin champion at Wizard's chess. He had to admit that the Slytherin's chess set was much more entertaining than the ones he'd used before. With their set, the pieces didn't just smash eachother apart... they drew tiny wands and had impressive little Wizard duels.

Ron looked up as he spelled the pieces back together and into place for the next game. Pansy was smirking down at him. "We're all very impressed, but it's bed time. Give it a rest, Ron."

He blushed and smirked, nodding. He got up and looked around. "Where's Blaise?" He asked, not even having noticed he was gone as engrossed as he'd been in the game. Goyle had been a shockingly good opponent. He would have never thought the tall, husky boy capable of playing tic-tac-toe, let alone chess! He was quickly getting the impression that Draco's large friends weren't quite as thick as they let on.

"He's already in the room. He headed back a little while ago. I think he's trying to be independent." She said, smirking.

Ron sighed. "They'd better be able to put him back to rights soon... he's not going to be able to do much class work without seeing where he's aiming his wand..." He said sadly.

She gave him a little smile. "Don't worry. There's a cure, and sooner or later we'll get all of the ingredients for it... even if Snape has to turn Fudge into a salamander for a while to get them!"

Ron grinned. He could picture Snape doing just that. His once most dreaded teacher wasn't nearly as bad from this side of the Dungeon door. Of course it probably helped a lot that he wasn't constantly standing next to Harry. Still, Snape may be sarcastic and scathing at times, but Ron got the impression that he cared about his Slytherins just as much as, if not _more_ than McGonagall cared for her Gryffindors.

Pansy looped her arm in his as they slowly made their way back towards the room. She looked over at him contemplatively as they walked.

"What?" Ron asked, noticing the stare.

She gave him a little shy smile, "I was just wondering... would... would you mind if... um... when the twins come by again..."

He blushed, catching her meaning. "Blaise doesn't have a problem with it?"

She grinned. "We have a very open relationship... we have a strict 'don't ask' rule, but usually end up telling eachother afterwards anyway." She said with a wicked smirk, but then it faded, "But... I mean I didn't know how you'd take that..."

He thought about it for a minute then shrugged. "I guess if you really wanted to..." He said uneasily, "I mean it's not like you really owe me any loyalty or anything..."

She grinned. "I really like you Ron. We both do. What you think matters to me. If you say no I won't."

He sighed. He knew from her tone that she really wouldn't if he said no... but there was a hint of sadness that told him she wouldn't be happy about it. He rolled his eyes, "Fine. Shag them all you want... just... don't tell me any details or anything. They're my brothers. That'd be bang out of order!"

She giggled. "Deal."

He opened the door as they reached the room. He looked around when they entered, but Blaise was nowhere to be seen. "Must be in the bathroom." She said, going over to fish out her night things.

Ron grinned. The Dungeons were more extravagant than he'd ever have thought. Of course, since it was under ground, no one outside had any idea just how expansive it really was. Each room had a large bathroom, and from what he'd heard and glimpsed in passing, most of the rooms were only single or double occupancy. Of those, few other than the ones for the youngest students had more than one bed, though all of the beds in the single bed rooms were nearly twice as wide as the one he'd had in Gryffindor. When they said Snape was open minded about room sharing, they hadn't been exaggerating!

Ron spun around as he heard something smash in the bathroom.

"Bloody hell!" Blaise's voice growled from the other side of the door.

He hurried over, opening the door. Through the light steam that swirled around, he spotted a shattered bottle on the floor, obviously having been knocked off of the shelf below the towel rack. Blaise was standing in the open shower stall, drying his hair with a towel, his movements a bit irritable as he muttered to himself.

"I got it." Ron said, pulling out his wand and casting a repair spell on the bottle, then a cleaning spell to get rid of the spilt liquid. Shampoo from the look of it. He set the mostly empty bottle back on the shelf.

"I could have gotten it." Blaise said.

"Ya, well I was just getting it out of my way. You're not the only one who needs a shower." Ron said smirkingly. He didn't want to point out the fact that Blaise didn't have his wand around that he could see, and would probably have cut his feet on the widely scattered glass shards had he tried to get out of the shower to get it without being able to see them.

Blaise had to smile. "Ya ya..." He said, wrapping the towel around his waist and picking his way carefully out the door, dragging his fingers along the wall for guidance.

When the door was closed, Ron sighed. He couldn't help but feel guilty still. What if they couldn't make the cure? He shrugged it off. Best not to even think about that.

He quickly doffed his clothing and took his shower. When he had finished with his nightly routine he tossed his clothes in the little hamper, taking only his wand with him. Since he hadn't grabbed his nightshirt he padded into the bedroom in just a towel.

Pansy looked over from where she was draped across Blaise's lap on the bed and smirked at him. She gave Blaise one last kiss, then slipped off the bed, walking over and wrapping her arms around Ron's neck, pulling him down slightly so she could kiss him. When she let him up again she smirked. "You boys have fun. Night!" She said, releasing him and heading towards the door.

His eyes widened in surprise. She was only wearing a small lacy nighty and she was leaving the room? "Where are you going?"

She turned back towards him as she opened the door. "Ah ah ah! Remember, no asking!" She said playfully, then flounced out the door.

He smirked after her, going over to his trunk. He couldn't believe she was running out on his first official night there. He wondered who she was going to see, but quickly ended that train of thought. It had to be a Slytherin, since the House was sealed... and he really didn't want to know which other ones she might be shagging!

"What are you doing?" Blaise asked from the bed.

"Just getting something to wear." Ron said, picking through his trunk.

"_Why?_" he asked with a smirk.

Ron looked over at him. He was laying back in the bed with his arms folded lazily behind his head, a light blanket covering him to the waist, but it was pretty obvious he had nothing on underneath. Ron chuckled. "I guess you have a point. Just habit." He said, tossing his towel over his trunk and taking his wand over with him, placing it on the bedside table. They may be sealed in and taking every precaution possible, but he still didn't feel safe without his wand within easy reach.

He slipped under the covers and Blaise moved closer. Ron kissed back eagerly as their lips met. Luckily, the aches in his body had mostly worked out over the course of the day. Even if he hadn't been hurting the night before he hadn't really wanted to do anything, still being a bit thrown off by what had happened... and he was glad Blaise and Pansy hadn't tried anything with him... but he felt the urge returning in full force now.

He was almost instantly at 'full attention' when Blaise started running his hands over him. Blaise had always liked touching, but without the use of his eyes he seemed intent on 'seeing' him with his hands. Ron didn't mind in the least, reveling in the feel of the warm hands exploring his body. Blaise pulled off the blanket, but he didn't notice the slight chill of the room at the moment. He let out a little moan of pleasure as Blaise caressed him.

Blaise smiled, tilting his head up and finding his lips again. Ron deepened the kiss in anticipation as Blaise reached across him, finding the bedside table and opening the drawer. If the Room of Requirement was any indicator, he had no doubt what he was reaching for. As Blaise's hand withdrew from the drawer he deepened the kiss more, exploring Ron's mouth with his tongue. Ron gently sucked on the tongue, pressing up against Blaise, by now achingly aroused.

After a minute, Blaise backed off slight and moved his head over a bit, his cheek lightly brushing Ron's. "Ron..." He said softly.

"Ya?" Ron asked, surprised by the slight hesitance in Blaise's normally confident voice.

"Would... you like to... shag me?" He asked, his voice sounding even more hesitant.

Ron let out a little laugh. "I'd think that would be pretty bloody obvious." He said, grinning. Was he actually worried Ron wouldn't want him without Pansy there? They had already been together alone once before.

Blaise's head drifted back a bit more and Ron saw a little smile on his lips. "I don't think you understand what I'm asking..."

Ron looked at him, puzzled, then his eyes darted down as he felt Blaise caressing him again, but this time his hand had warm oil on it. Ron's eyes went wide as it clicked in his head. Blaise had always been the one technically doing the shagging...

Ron felt unexpectedly jittery at the prospect. Sure, he'd shagged Pansy a number of times now... but for some reason this seemed worlds different...

Blaise turned over, laying on his side facing the other way. Ron felt rather awkward and nervous at first... he was so afraid he was going to hurt him... but Blaise didn't say a word.... and then suddenly he was in. He pressed in slowly, then shifted around a bit so that his body was spooned up flush against Blaise. He let out a groan. He worked his right arm under Blaise and wrapped it around his chest, the left slipping around his waist as he pulled Blaise tightly against him.

Then he started moving. If it had been Pansy, he probably would have been shagging her hard and fast as aroused as he was... but with Blaise he found himself going very slowly, still holding Blaise tight as he kissed his shoulder and the back of his neck. For some reason this just seemed so much more intimate than it did with her, and he didn't want to rush it.

He listened carefully for any indication he wasn't doing it right, but all he heard from Blaise was his breathing, faster and deeper than normal... and the occasional soft moan. He had folded his arms over Ron's, holding it to him.

For the longest time they just remained like that... reveling in the slow, intimate melding of their bodies. Ron wasn't sure how long it lasted... time seemed to stand still... but he was sure it was the longest he'd ever taken to peak.

At long last he felt the familiar rush coming on. He sped up some, then thrust in hard, spending himself with a shuddering groan. Blaise's breath caught in his throat and he trembled in Ron's grasp. Ron just lay there for a minute, feeling the sensations flowing over him as his head spun. He'd never felt closer to another human being than he did in that moment.

As he started to come back down a bit, he nuzzled against Blaise. He started to move his hand down to caress Blaise, but Blaise quickly grabbed his wrist and pulled it away as another hard shudder went through him. Ron shifted up, looking over him and grinned. Blaise hadn't needed any extra help...

Ron slipped his hand out of Blaise's grasp and managed to reach his wand. He disengaged himself as gently as he could, then cast spells to clean them and the sheets. When he was done cleaning up and had put his wand back away, he looked over at Blaise in concern. He still hadn't turned over or said anything.

"Blaise?" He asked gently, "You ok?"

Blaise rolled over, slipping his arms around Ron and holding him tight, just silently nuzzling up to him. Ron was getting increasingly disconcerted by his silence, but didn't press it. He couldn't help but notice that Blaise's cheeks felt a bit damp. He just held him until Blaise had drifted off to sleep.

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A/N - sorry I didn't go into the Slytherin's reaction to Darien more... couldn't think of how to do it without being wretchedly redundant. I'm sure there will be some more effects from this later... unfortunately, you all are catching up with me... you read faster than I write apparently ;) I will still try to update frequently, but I may have to drop it to every other day unless I get my second wind :) To think, I only had like seven chapters written when I started posting this... and I thought it would end soon or I wouldn't have started posting it... it just kinda took on a life of it's own! I blame it on Blaise! ;) Too bad it appears to be getting into the time of year when sinuses get all wretched (grumbles) So I'll have to get some good meds and see if I can actually get some alone time with my computer this weekend ;) This chapter was a little longer than usual, but I trusted that wouldn't be too off putting for you all! For the diehard D/G fans, I may have some mainly R/B/P chapters in the near future, but don't worry, I haven't forgotten about D/G!!! (or is it D/D/G???) Sorry I didn't write their smut into this chapter, but I don't like to... well basically repeat... I mean I only write the smut if it is somehow _different_... Unfortunately I doubt I will be writing an in depth scene with P/F/G... how can you get those two in bed without going over the NC-17 line??? ;) I do love twins...


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Ron made his way into the darkened Common Room wearing an old pair of jogging pants he'd thrown on. Going over to the huge fireplace, he settled down on the hearth rug. He picked up the fire poker and stirred the dying fire, then set it aside, watching the glowing embers.

"What are you doing in here?"

Ron's head jerked around. He clutched his chest and gave a sigh of relief as he made out Pansy's form in the near darkness. As his heart rate calmed, he looked at her, puzzled. She was curled up on the couch with a blanket over her. "I could ask the same."

She sighed. "What happened?" She asked sadly.

He furrowed his brow. "Nothing." He said, turning back to the fire and drawing his legs up, wrapping his arms loosely around them.

She came over, pulling the blanket around her like a cloak and sat beside him, looking at him imploringly. "What happened?" She asked again softly.

He sighed. "He... he let me..." He dropped his eyes, a bit embarrassed to talk about it aloud, even with her.

"And... what? You didn't like it?" She asked, puzzled.

"No... I did!" He said, looking over at her quickly, then dropping his eyes again, "It was the most amazing thing I think I've ever felt... oh.. um... no offense..." He said sheepishly, blushing as he realized he was belittling his experiences with her.

She grinned, "None taken."

He sighed, looking back at the fire. "I'm just... I'm afraid I might have hurt him... I mean I've never done it like that before..."

She tilted her head slightly, "Might have? Did he say you hurt him?"

"No."

"Did he sound like you were hurting him?"

"No..."

"Then why do you think you hurt him?"

He blushed, staring studiously at a small scorch mark on the stone before him. "He... I think he cried... his cheeks were wet..."

"Oh..." She said softly. She put her hand on his arm and squeezed it reassuringly, "That's not that uncommon. It doesn't mean you hurt him."

He looked over at her, puzzled. "Does he always do that then?"

She grinned. "I don't know... That was his first time."

Ron looked at her wide eyed, struck dumb for a moment. "What?" He finally managed.

She chuckled, then leaned her head against his shoulder. "His very last little shred of innocence. I mean obviously he's shagged boys before, but he's never even thought about letting any other boy do that to _him_. Just between you and me, I don't think he's ever trusted anyone enough before... It's just _safer_ when he's the one in control... you know? He told me he was planning on letting you do that tonight... that's why I gave you two some privacy. As much as I would have loved to watch that, I just felt it was too... personal... I mean he didn't ask me to leave or anything, but I knew he'd be uncomfortable with anyone else there... he has this thing about showing any kind of vulnerability... he always has to seem impervious to everything... I think it's one of those things his father ingrained in him growing up. He may have hated the bastard, but he can never seem to completely escape his influence..." She shook her head sadly, then a little smile flitted across her lips as she looked up at him, "He's shown more attachment to you than he ever has for anyone else... even me. I think he always wants to make it seem like no one really matters to him... like they were just another shag... that way, if they leave him he can act like he doesn't care..."

"So... you think he really cares about me?" Ron asked, still feeling a bit stunned.

She grinned at him. "I can't say what Blaise does or doesn't feel... I don't think anyone but Blaise could tell you that... if he'll ever admit it that is. I'm just telling you what I see."

He gave her a little smile, his heart beating strangely. "I... think I'm going back to bed..." He said, blushing slightly.

She patted his arm. "You do that. Wouldn't want Blaise to wake up to an empty bed. Probably been years since _that_ last happened!" She said with an evil grin. "See you in the morning. And just remember, I get to be there next time!"

He grinned and got up, heading back to the room.

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Ginny sighed, watching the condensation from her breath drift lazily away as she walked down towards the water. She knew she shouldn't be outside... knew it was dangerous... but she had her wand, and she just couldn't handle being cooped up in the house and watched over constantly. She knew they all meant well... just wanted to protect her... but most her life she had been overlooked... and she had been just fine with that. She couldn't handle having people around her every single minute! Sometimes she just needed some time to herself... some time to think and just try to work things out in her head.

She strolled down the slight hill, the crunching of the dry leaves under her feet sounding loud in the hush of night. When she got down to the water's edge she sat down, huddling in her warm cloak and staring out over the water, watching the moonlight glint off its surface. She let out a sigh, resting her chin on her drawn up knees. Things had just gotten so turned upside down... it felt like her world would never be the same.

She tensed, her eyes instantly shooting wide as she heard something behind her. She darted her eyes around, searching the shadows, but there didn't appear to be anything there. After a minute of fruitless searching, she sighed again and settled back down, staring over the water once more. She'd been so tense lately... she hadn't had been able to get herself to let down her guard since... that night... She hugged herself tighter with one arm, reaching up and twisting a bit of her long copper hair around her finger absent-mindedly, trying to force her mind away from that dark path. She wouldn't let it occupy her every waking moment... she couldn't let it.

Her head whipped around as she heard something again. She let out a strangled cry of fear and surprise as she dropped down flat, seeing something springing at her. It flew over her, landing on the other side and turning to face her. She couldn't make out what it was, as the dark of night seemed to cling to it, but it's eyes were pure venom.

She scrambled to her feet, nearly tripping on her cloak as she stepped on it. It was blocking her way back, so she sprinted in the other direction as fast as her legs would carry her, running parallel to the water's edge.

She could hear it crashing through the twigs and leaves behind her on all fours. It wasn't gaining on her, but she got the definite impression it could if it wanted to... it was just playing with her... its arrogance scared her even more. She struggled to pull out her wand, then clutched it tightly, but she didn't have enough of a lead to turn and cast before it would be on her yet. She pressed her legs to go faster even though her side was already burning from the effort. She ran past the area where they usually pushed the boats in, the depression it left in the shore leaving a thin layer of water over the layer of rocks they'd put down to provide a firm surface to launch the boats from. She plunged through it heedlessly, the water too shallow to slow her much.

She turned her head, darting a glance back as she heard a skidding sound. The dark figure had skidded to a stop. As she watched, it darted around the edge of the water. Hope sprang in her chest. It didn't like water! She glanced at the shore as she ran. There was too much shallow water leading in... the drag of the water would greatly slow her and it might brave shallow water if it thought she was about to escape.

Her eyes fixed on the small ramshackle pier and she made for it, putting every last ounce of strength into it. If she could make it to the pier she could jump out into deep water and swim away. She was a good swimmer and could probably stay afloat until dawn if she had to. She was sure they would notice her gone as soon as they woke and go looking for her.

As soon as her feet hit the first plank of the pier she heard a horrid screech of rage. It had obviously figured out her plan. It's speed instantly doubled. As she reached the end of the pier it had caught up. She was jerked back as it nabbed her trailing cloak. She spun as best she could, bringing up her wand and screaming the strongest spell she knew with the last of her breath. Her wand exploded straight into its face, illuminating it for one horrifying second. It let out a shriek of rage and pain, a huge hand with unnaturally long talons snapping around. She felt it slice through her abdomen like butter, bringing a wrenching agony unlike anything she'd ever felt. The night seemed to spin around her as she fell back, her body going numb. Vaguely she saw the moon rippling wildly above her, slowly fading into darkness...

"GINNY!"

Ginny blinked her eyes open as she was shaken roughly, her throat on fire as she heard her own screams echoing loudly around the room. Her voice fell away as she let out a sob, grabbing ahold of Draco and burying her face in his shoulder, shaking. He wrapped his arms around her and held her tight, rocking her gently and pressing his cheek against the top of her head.

She heard the door burst open and he looked up. She heard him reassuring his worried housemates that it was only a nightmare, but her mind was still blazing with the memory of it. How could that have just been a dream? Her dreams had never hurt her before... well... at least not the ones Tom hadn't given her. She mentally shied from those awful memories, pressing closer to Draco, even though she could barely breath she was so close already.

By the time she became fully aware of her surroundings again, the room was silent except for her breathing, which was still ragged from sobbing. Draco was rubbing his hand over her back reassuringly. "You ok?" He asked softly.

She drew a shuddering breath, then smacked his shoulder. "No thanks to you and my bloody mum!" She said in an aching voice.

"What?" He asked in shock. That had definitely not been the answer he expected.

She drew away from him, sitting up and rubbing the tears off her face, then scrubbing her fingers irritably through her long tousled copper hair. "All that bloody talk about me being some bloody dead girl, that's what!"

He sat up, looking over at her in concern. "What happened in the dream?"

She looked away, giving a pained sound, then dropped her eyes to her lap. "This blood _thing_ was chasing me... and... and I almost got away and..." She shuddered, drawing her legs up and hugging herself tightly. "I tried to get it with my wand... I saw it's face...." Her voice locked up as tears poured down her cheeks again. When she regained her voice, it was strained, "It... it was the most horrific thing I'd ever seen... it... it lashed at me with these huge claws..." She shuddered, trying to force the image from her mind. "It felt like it ripped me in half!"

Draco shifted over, wrapping his arms around her again, ignoring her attempts to squirm away. "It's ok Ginny... it was just a dream..." He said soothingly.

She sniffled, looking up at him. "Are you sure?"

"They... said she drown." He said as delicately as he could. "Your family may not have believed that was all that it was, but I'm sure they wouldn't have even thought of declaring her death a drowning if she was torn in half." He said with a little reassuring smile.

She sighed, snuggling closer to him as her body lost a little bit of it's tension. He held her for a few more minutes, then released her, shifting over and grabbing a bottle and a small cup off the bedside table. "Here." He said, measuring some out. "You need to get some rest... This is a draught for dreamless sleep. Pomfrey gave me about a case of it." He said with a rueful smirk.

Ginny gave him a little flash of a smile and accepted it. He made sure she drank it all before taking the glass back and setting it aside, then took her back into his arms and held her as she quickly drifted off to sleep.

Draco lay there for a long time, unable to sleep himself. He couldn't help but wonder...

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A/N - Sorry if this was a little shorter than normal, but the next bit was too long to fit in this chapter (and I'm not done with it, so you woulda had to probably wait just as long to read it anyway! Hope this will tide you over.) Oh, and sorry if I have more errors now... I usually read them over like half a dozen times before posting, but I just don't have enough time for that now that you're caught up.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Ron was a bit concerned when he heard what had happened with Ginny the night before, but she had brushed it off when he asked, saying it was just a dream. He let it drop, knowing how she could get when pushed, but kept an eye on her.

Blaise, for his part, acted as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened between them the night before... as usual. Ron had to marvel at how quickly he bounced back from anything that was thrown his way. He gets blinded and a couple hours later he's shagging Pansy. It just seemed impossible to put a dent in his playful demeanor.

That morning after breakfast they got their first round of homework, much to everyone's dismay. Blaise had also received a few things to help him do his homework. There was a quill that was spelled to copy down what he said, and what looked like nothing more than a small marble. When placed on the page of a book, it rolled across the lines of text and read them aloud. Blaise of course complained that the voice was too androgynous and implored Snape to change it to sound like 'someone shaggable'. Everyone had a good laugh at that one. Snape just rolled his eyes and left. Blaise took his new toys to the room so he wouldn't bother the others.

The rest of the morning was spent on homework. Ron was actually a bit surprise how quickly they settled in to work, the Common Room quickly falling silent except for the sounds of scratching quills and pages turning. At his obviously surprised look, Pansy informed him (in a hushed voice) that Snape had a policy of get it done first, then you can do whatever you want. It certainly explained why Ron couldn't recall ever seeing a Slytherin handing in a parchment late. He might have liked to put it off, but he had to admit it made sense. Why spend all his free time with the worry in the back of his mind that he might forget his assignment or just not get it done in time... or simply dreading it?

By the time lunch rolled around, some quiet chatter had started up again as many of the Slytherins finished up all their work. Ron, on the other hand, trying hard to finish his last parchment, had to work right up until Blaise practically dragged him out, barely making it to the end of the line heading out for lunch.

Lunch, as with the other meals they had had since the incident, was a very subdued occasion. Harry was still very conspicuously not present. By the time it was over, everyone was greatly looking forward to some time out in the open air, even if it was rather chilly. Actually it wasn't bad at all considering it was December. Their light winter cloaks were more than enough.

The students scattered out across the grounds, though most kept in groups. Ron couldn't help but notice how a number of the Gryffindors were watching him, noting how Blaise had linked his arm with his as well as Pansy's. "Um... let's find someplace more private..." Ron suggested.

Blaise chuckled, "Oh come on Ron, it's too cold out here even for _me_..."

Ron chuckled, his cheeks coloring slightly. "Not for _that_... I just... everyone is staring at us..."

Blaise grinned wickedly. "Nice cover up. Fine, I'll play along. Lead the way. They probably won't go near the Forbidden Forest."

Ron smirked and nodded. He felt relatively safe going near it during the day... but most of the others probably wouldn't feel the same. They made their way over, having to guide Blaise carefully on the uneven terrain.

Ron found a spot under a tree that was hidden from easy view by some thick brush and settled down. He leaned back against the tree, shifting around a bit. "Not very comfortable I'm afraid."

Blaise felt around, then settled down. Much to Ron's surprise, he shifted around and leaned back, half laying on Ron's lap, nestling his cheek against Ron's belly. He smirked up at him, "You just have to know how to find the comfortable spots..."

Ron chuckled, brushing Blaise's cheek and making him smile.

"Good idea." Pansy said, settling down with her own head resting on Blaise's stomach.

Blaise just chuckled.

The three of them lay there for a while in companionable silence, just enjoying being out in the fresh air with the sun shining brightly around them. The dungeon was great, but without so much as a single window, Ron had been feeling a bit... enclosed. That was a good thing at night when it made him feel more secure, but during the day it was nearly maddening at times. How were you supposed to do your homework without a window to stare out of at frequent intervals to break it up?

Ron looked down at Blaise. He looked so content... Ron ran his fingers through Blaise's silky black hair, making him sigh happily, nestling closer. Ron stared down at him, what Pansy had said the night before running through his head for what felt like the hundredth time. There was so much he wanted to ask him... but Pansy's warning about how he avoided showing attachment held him back. He was afraid Blaise would be evasive or maybe even blow the questions off to avoid exposing his feelings.

Still... there was one question he just _had_ to ask... "Blaise...?" He asked tentatively.

"Mmm?" Blaise murmured absently.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Pansy's eyes sprang open and she bit her lip, stealthily shifting herself off of Blaise.

"Tell you what?" Blaise asked curiously.

"That it was your first time..." Ron said gently.

Blaise tensed, the smile slipping off his face. "Pansy!" He growled, sitting up and grabbing for her.

She was too quick, darting away quickly. He lunged after her but she scampered away, giggling. He waved his arms around in a vain attempt to locate her, but she was well out of reach. "Just remembered I have to ask Goyle something...." She said with a smirk, romping away.

Blaise settled back down on the ground, grumbling irritably. Ron didn't catch most of it, but he did hear something about 'getting the little minx later'. Ron grinned. When Blaise still hadn't responded a few minutes later, Ron prompted him gently, "Well?"

Blaise sighed, his shoulders slouching some. "Does it really matter if it was my first time or my fiftieth?" He asked awkwardly.

"It does to me." Ron said softly.

Blaise wrapped his arms around himself. "It's just a natural progression isn't it? You start off not being interested... then start to like guys... go down on a couple... eventually shag a couple... just a matter of time before you let one shag you..." He said, shrugging.

"So... this was just another step for you... and I just happened to be the guy who was around when you reached it. Is that what you're saying?" Ron asked. He didn't believe it for a moment, but that didn't mean Blaise's denial didn't hurt.

Blaise let out a little pained sound, then sighed. "Please don't make a big thing out of this Ron..." He said pleadingly.

Ron sighed, leaning his head back against the rough bark of the tree trunk. He really shouldn't have expected more out of him... he'd been warned after all... but somewhere deep inside he'd hoped Blaise would just come out and say how he felt. He took a deep breath and let it out, then stood up. "Come on. Let's head back to where the others are." He said, trying to keep the ache out of his voice.

Blaise reached up in the direction of his voice, finding his sleeve and pulled him back down. Ron crouched down beside him, and much to his surprise, Blaise wrapped his arms around him, making him go down onto his knees. "Don't go..." Blaise said softly, an ache in his voice.

Ron settled down, wrapping his arms around him and holding him. He sighed, "Why can't you just tell me how you feel Blaise?"

"Because... you're going to leave me..." Blaise said in a soft, pained whisper.

It was so soft and muffled by Ron's cloak he was sure he misheard. "What? What makes you think that?"

"Because... that's just what happens with boys... we shag once or twice... but I'm just a novelty... an experiment... some stay longer, but in the end they always leave... I let you shag me because I wanted it to be you... so I knew it had to happen soon... because eventually you're going to get tired of me or find a girl, and then you're going to leave... it's just a matter of time..." Blaise held him tighter pressing his cheek against Ron's cloak, "But... I... I'm not sure I'm going to be able to handle it when you do..."

Ron held him tight, "I don't know how others have treated you in the past... but I have no intention of leaving you, Blaise. I've never been as happy with anyone in my entire life..." He said sincerely.

Blaise let out a pained whimper, then found his lips, giving him a breath stealing kiss. After a moment it eased some and deepened, but lost none of it's intensity. The passion in his kiss made Ron feel slightly dizzy, but after a few minutes the position he was in started making his legs go to sleep. Not wanting to relent, he shifted around, easing Blaise down onto his back as he settled against him.

They lay there for a long time, just reveling in the kiss. Finally Blaise broke it, nuzzling up against him and letting out a sigh. Ron just continued to hold him.

"Ron..." Blaise said after a moment.

Ron lifted his head, looking down at him, "Ya?"

"Um..." A little smirk slipped onto Blaise's mouth, "There's... rocks..."

Ron let out a laugh, getting up and helping Blaise off the ground, then brushing the leaves and pebbles off Blaise's back. When he was done, he slipped his arms back around Blaise. Blaise held him, resting his cheek against Ron's shoulder and letting out a contented sigh.

"What's this then?"

They both turned, dropping their hold on eachother as the rude voice called out to them. Ron groaned in irritation as he saw his old roommate, Dean Thomas, strolling over towards them, followed by Seamus and about eight other Gryffindor boys.

"What do you want, Dean?" Ron asked with an edge of exasperation.

"We want to know what you did to Harry." Dean said, coming to a stop a few feet before them and folding his arms over his chest irritably.

"I didn't do anything to Harry." Ron growled, angered by the open accusation in his voice.

"Bullshit!" Dean growled, "Nobody's seen him since you had your little supposed attack... load of rubbish if you ask me. You and your little Slytherin bum-chums probably made up the whole thing to cover whatever you did to Harry!"

"Oh ya..." Blaise said, taking off his glasses and glaring at him with his sightless eyes. "We're just pulling a fast one... and I just blinded myself for jollies."

The Gryffindors let out little gasps, several of them backing up a pace. Dean got over his surprise quickly, "I wouldn't even put _that_ past you bloody Slytherins." He sneered, then looked back over at Ron. "So this is what it's come to, is it? Stitching up your friends and your House to become a rent-boy for this blind nancy boy and the town bike?"

Blaise lashed out without warning and Dean went down with a cry of pain, blood gushing from his nose. Ron was surprised, but had enough presence of mind to grab Blaise, pulling him back and restraining him.

"I may be blind," Blaise growled furiously, "But I can still whip your pathetic arse! And with that constant stream of bullshit flowing out of your mouth I'll have no trouble finding you! You want a spanking you little pipsqueek? Come get it!" He said, straining against Ron's hold on him.

Ron was stunned, never having seen Blaise so angry. He was also getting increasingly worried. The other Gryffindors were looking very angry, and Dean was getting to his feet, snatching out his wand.

Before Ron could even reach for his own a brilliant flash whizzed past him, knocking Dean back into the other Gryffindors. More wands were drawn and there was a sudden barrage of spells. Ron dropped to the ground, pulling Blaise down with him.

It was over in seconds.

Ron raised his head cautiously, surveying the scene. Most of the Gryffindors were laying around, moaning and showing signs of being hit by multiple curses and hexes. Seamus was running away screaming, a flock of bat-bogeys attacking his face. Ron's face broke into a grin as he recognized the handiwork. He looked over. Sure enough, his sister was heading towards him along with a large number of Slytherins.

Draco came to a stop beside him, offering him a hand up with a smirk on his face. Ron took it and got up, helping Blaise up as well. Draco then watched Seamus running with a bemused look on his face. He glanced over at Ginny. "Those things really hurt you know..."

Ginny giggled and blushed bright red, suddenly remembering having cast that hex on him in Umbridge's office the year before. "Sorry about that..." She said contritely, slipping her arm in his. He just chuckled.

Blaise's temper seemed to have dissipated as quickly as it had risen. He smirked towards Draco, "Bat Bogeys?"

"Yep." Draco said with a chuckle. Blaise had teased him for the remainder of that year for having been bested by a girl and a bunch of little pests.

They looked over as they saw a number of teachers hurrying over, having noticed the convergence of the Slytherins and then the ensuing spellcasting, McGonagall in the lead. Of course she always seemed to be in the lead... she was awful spry for a woman of her years. She came to a halt, gasping for breath as she surveyed the sprawled out tangle of cursed and hexed Gryffindors.

"Merlin's beard!" She said, shocked. "What happened here?" She asked.

Dean, who had just started recovering enough to sit up, spoke up first. "We were just asking them where Harry is, and that great fairy hit me! Then when I tried to defend myself his little Slytherin posse came along and attacked us!" He grumbled, his voice sounding a bit odd from his obviously broken nose.

McGonagall looked shocked... but not at Blaise. "Mr. Thomas! I will not stand for such slanderous name calling from a member of my House!" She said primly, looking quite cross.

Dean struggled to his feet, looking angry. "I saw him snogging that House traitor! He's probably got that demon in him!" He said defensively.

McGonagall crossed her arms across her chest. "Has it somehow completely passed your notice that Mr. Zabini is currently blind, Mr. Thomas?" She asked scathingly.

"So?" Dean asked, a bit confused by her tone.

McGonagall actually rolled her eyes. "Demons choose hosts the will be of _benefit_ to them. What _possible_ use would a demon have for a _blind_ host? It would be blinding itself as well!" She quickly turned, looking a bit flustered, "No offense, dear." She said gently, realizing that might sound insulting to Blaise.

Blaise gave her a little smile. "That's... a kind of comforting thought actually..."

She smiled, relieved.

Dean looked back and forth between them. "They attacked us! Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

She looked back over at him, her sternness instantly returning. "You were warned, Mr. Thomas. There is nothing I can do. Mr. Zabini was obviously defending Mr. Weasley. It was perfectly within his rights."

Dean's jaw dropped. He looked around, surveying his friends laying around him. "You mean they did all of _this_, and you're not going to do _anything_ to them?" he asked, incredulous.

"That is precisely what I mean, Mr. Thomas. I had hoped my students would have been smart enough to take the warning seriously. They can use any means they wish in the defense of those under the protection of Sanctuary. You're lucky we aren't having to scrape you off the ground and cart you off to St. Mungo's!" She said grimly.

The Slytherins all smirked at him.

He looked at her, stunned. "But... but..." He thought quickly, grasping at straws, "What about Harry?"

"The Slytherins have nothing to do with Mr. Potter's absence, and you have been told repeatedly not to ask questions about the subject. We will tell you what we deem necessary for you to know when we see fit. End of discussion." She said firmly, her lips pressing into a thin line as she glared at him sternly.

------

After seeing the wounded Gryffindors hauled off and hearing what happened, the rest of the students had given the Slytherins, and especially Ron and Ginny, a very wide berth. Slytherins with a license to inflict damage without reprimand was a terrifying thought.

Ron and Blaise had moved out into the open, making their way slowly back towards the castle. The rest of the school might be upset at the turn in events, but the Slytherins were positively glowing with happiness.

Ron paused as he looked over towards the lake. Hermione was sitting alone under a tree. It was the tree that they and Harry had spent so many afternoons under... doing their homework... talking... laughing... just enjoying being together... She looked so very alone as she sat there without them, gazing out over the water.

He sighed and patted Blaise's hand, then slipped his arm out of his grasp. "I have to go take care of something..." He said sadly.

Blaise gave him a little smile, "Ok, but stay in sight." He said with a smirk.

Ron chuckled and made his way down the slope as Pansy led Blaise over to sit on a boulder nearby. When he made it over to the tree, he slowed down, feeling more hesitant now that he was near. She was huddled in her cloak, leaning against the trunk... she almost blended in. She didn't appear to have noticed him yet, so he moved closer, looking around at her face. He saw tears on her cheek and it made his chest ache.

He came up and knelt behind her, reaching out and resting his hand on her shoulder, "Hermione?" He asked softly.

Her head jerked around as she started. She quickly scrubbed the tears from her face with her sleeve, looking him over with wide, troubled eyes. "Ron..." She said uncertainly.

He sighed, "I'm sorry Hermione... I should have come checked on you sooner... I just... well... you know how it's been..." He said sadly, settling down beside her. "How are you holding up?"

She gave him a little forced smile, "I've been worried about you... they said you were attacked..." She said, her eyes watching his searchingly.

He dropped his eyes and nodded.

"Was it really him? Was it Harry?" She asked softly, her voice strained.

He sighed, glancing over at the nearest teacher. They had made it clear he wasn't to discuss this with anyone... but Hermione wasn't just anyone... He gave a little nod. "Ya... it was..."

She let out a little pained sound, leaning back against the trunk again. "You're ok now though, right?"

He nodded again. "But not everyone is..." he said, his eyes straying over to Blaise as he sat on the boulder, obviously joking with Crabbe and Goyle who were standing nearby.

"When are they going to let you come back where you belong, Ron?" She asked, gazing at the waiting Slytherins.

He looked over at her, surprised. "Hermione... I'm not coming back... not to Gryffindor."

She looked at him, shocked. "But... the _Slytherins_, Ron? We've spent every day since we got here fighting against them!"

He sighed, "I know... but... they really aren't as bad as we thought... I mean to outsiders, ya, they can be wretched... but once they've accepted you..." He looked up at her, staring her unhesitatingly in the eyes, "They're the only ones who have ever accepted me just the way I am... and they are the most loyal house I've ever seen... they risked their lives for me without question or hesitation. This may seem hard for you to understand, but I feel more at home in Slytherin than I ever did in Gryffindor." He said earnestly.

She was just staring at him with open disbelief. "What have they done to you, Ron?" She asked, horrified.

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "Nothing Hermione. All they've done is show me kindness, loyalty and...." He trailed off, his eyes drawn over to Blaise again. He had very nearly said 'love'. It had just kind of started coming out without thought. He wasn't absolutely sure if that was what it was between him and Blaise... he'd never really been in love before... his infatuation with Harry had been merely that. Infatuation. It wasn't even a ghost of what he felt for Blaise, but he wasn't sure he was ready to label his emotions love yet. There was still the chance that this was just a very overwhelming crush... or maybe just the terrifying recent events blowing his emotions all out of proportion... he hadn't even known Blaise in any real way for that long... He sat there, his mind boggling as he realized how very little time had passed since Blaise had pulled him aside in the corridor... it seemed like ages ago... so much had happened... and yet according to the calendar, precious little time had passed.

He looked up, seeing Hermione's eyes watching him intently. She seemed to have picked up his thoughts without him ever speaking them aloud. She looked up at the waiting Slytherins, obviously trying to figure out which one had stolen his heart.

"I should go..." He said hesitantly.

Her eyes darted back over to him, filling with sadness once more. She gave him a little nod, dropping her eyes. He sighed and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight for a moment, then drawing back, kissing her forehead tenderly.

"We're still friends Hermione... that hasn't changed... but... other things have..." He said sadly, then he afforded her a little smile, brushing his hand down her cheek. "I'll go now before too many people see you consorting with the evil snake lover." He said, flashing a little smirk, then getting up and heading back.

She just watched him go sadly.

-----------------------------

A/N - just to clarify: chills... demons aren't cold... or at least this variety aren't known for it. The only thing they'd give off might be a creepy feeling if they were staring at you or something. Any chill in the air would be the normally low temperature of the castle. I mean please! It's an ancient stone structure heated solely by fireplaces in the middle of December. J.K. often noted the draftiness. Even mentioned them having to wear heavy cloaks and gloves in the hallways when it got particularly cold in winter.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N - Reposting this to fix a bug that won't seem to go away. Tried once before, but it won't seem to fix right. If the problem persists, just go back to a previous chapter and select Chapter 30 from the drop down menu. 

Chapter 29

The next morning, Ron, Blaise and Pansy were extra chipper as they left their room. It had been a very... _eventful_ night. Blaise had made good on his muttered promise, grabbing up Pansy as soon as they had gotten back to their room after dinner and spanking her soundly as she giggled and shrieked, wriggling around wildly. When that was done, he and Ron set about the task of shagging her over and over again until she could barely move anymore as 'punishment'. Somehow, Ron doubted this would discourage her from breaking Blaise's confidence again in the future, but he kept his opinion to himself.

When they got out into the Common Room, Ron was shocked to find his father waiting for him. "Dad..." He glanced over at Blaise, who was on his arm again. He blushed but made no move to remove his arm from Blaise's grip.

His father got up and came over, giving him a hearty hug. When he released him, he looked over at his companions. "You must be Blaise and Pansy..." He said, smiling at them genially.

They both nodded, looking a bit sheepish. Arthur shook Pansy's hand, then she grabbed Blaise's arm and lifted it a bit. He got the hint and held it out to be shaken, blushing a bit darker.

Arthur shook his hand heartily. "I heard what you did for my boy... I can't thank you enough..." He said earnestly. Ron grinned. He had only ever seen Blaise quite that shade of red when his mum had been doting on him.

"I don't mean to make you uncomfortable... but... could I...?" Arthur asked hesitantly.

Blaise got his meaning, releasing Ron's arm and taking off his glasses, letting Arthur see his eyes. Arthur examined them with a grim look on his face. As Blaise slipped the glasses back on, he gave a little smirk. "Why does everyone insist on seeing my eyes? I mean from what people tell me, there's nothing really spectacular about them..."

Arthur looked suddenly decidedly uncomfortable.

"Dad!"

Arthur turned, seeing Ginny standing behind him, looking far more relieved than he should have as he greeted Ginny with a hug. The other Slytherins were already gathering to head out for breakfast.

"All right, gather up." Snape said briskly, "I won't be accompanying you today, but I'll be along shortly. Your escort is waiting outside."

They were all looking at Mr. Weasley. It wasn't often that people from outside their House entered the Dungeon. When Snape opened the door, they were all even more surprised. The one standing there was about the last one they would ever have expected to be accompanying them. Hagrid!

The Slytherins stood there for a moment, looking a bit stunned.

"A'right then!" Hagrid said in a booming voice, "Move along. Don' have all day to be about it!"

The Slytherins quickly filed out of the door, many of them giving Snape furtive glances as they passed. He just waved them on, then closed the door behind them, folding his arms across his chest and leaning against the wall, obviously waiting.

Ginny was still looking at the door, looking a bit confused. "Why would they pick Hagrid to take the Slytherins? I mean no offense, but he can't even do magic, can he? How could he protect them against a Demon?"

Ron shook his head. "Imagine _him_ possessed by that thing... it gives me shivers."

Draco let out a derisive snort of laughter. "Oh _please_... the Demon wouldn't _touch_ him. He's half giant!"

Arthur set his jaw, "Well not everyone is so picky about the purity of someone's blood." He said sternly.

Draco smirked. "Are you kidding? Giants absorb magic like a sponge. Not even Demon magic can effect a full blooded one all that much, and it probably wouldn't do too much damage to Hagrid either... And if that thing entered him it wouldn't stand a chance! Not to mention even in a good host they are susceptible to physical attacks... I mean please! If I had to pick someone to help me take down one of those things, I'd pick Hagrid over _Dumbledore!"_

"Ah... I see... not really my field to be honest... sorry..." Arthur said contritely.

Draco grinned.

"It's... nice to see you again Draco." He said, sounding as if he had to force the sentence out of his mouth. The only times he'd met Draco previously had been under somewhat less than pleasant circumstances, during one of which he'd gotten into a scuffle with Draco's father. It was obviously a bit of an effort to return the smile to his face.

Snape sighed and rolled his eyes, "Oh _do_ get on with it. I'd like to get them to the Great Hall before lunch time." He said in exasperation.

Arthur sighed and gave Snape a dark look then waved his hand towards the couch, "Let's have a seat then, shall we?"

They went over, Ron, Blaise and Pansy sitting on the longest couch next to Arthur. Draco sat in his usual seat and Ginny sat beside him, her legs draped across his lap as usual. She was so used to sitting like that by that point that she only belated realized there was anything awkward about doing so in her father's presence. Arthur looked at them for a moment, but then forced his eyes back over to Ron.

"What's this about then?" Ron asked curiously.

Arthur sighed. "It's about Harry actually." He said a bit grimly.

"I've been wondering about him... what did you find out?" Ron asked, getting more interested.

"Well... we did extensive tests of course... nothing comes up... but... we're pretty certain it was, in fact, him that attacked you.

Ron rolled his eyes, "We knew _that_." he said a bit impatiently.

"Well... as I said, the test didn't show anything, as is normal in these cases... we only know it was him because... well because of _him_... after a while he became convinced it was indeed him, though he still can't remember more than fleeting glimpses."

"So... you're holding him then?" Ron asked.

Arthur looked surprised at the suggestion. "Of course not. We offered to let him go a few hours after I got here. That's the problem. He refuses to leave his cell. Seems he feels guilty about it all. We thought he'd get over it if we left him alone, but he doesn't appear to be..."

"Well after what he did..." Ron said, sounding like he didn't disagree all that much.

Arthur looked very disappointed in his son's reaction. "He was _possessed_, Ron! I was hoping you would help convince him to come back out."

Ron looked at him, obviously shocked at the request. "But... I mean... after what happened... I mean possessed or not, I'm still not sure I can...." He trailed off, shaking his head. His father hadn't _seen_ Harry... not when that thing was in him. How could he look at him the same again?

"Now that's a pretty _shitty_ attitude!" Draco said scornfully, looking at Ron like he'd just insulted him. "Especially from someone who was supposed to be his best friend."

Ron's jaw dropped, then his cheeks colored, "What are _you_ going on about? You hate Harry! Why would you even think about defending him?" he retorted indignantly.

"Oh, I hate the bloody prat, don't get me wrong," Draco admitted openly, "but I've hated him for years. It has nothing to do with what he did while possessed. I forgave him for that the second I figured out what had control of him. He was _possessed_ Ron. You can't hold what someone does in that situation against them!" Draco said evenly.

Ron's tempter flared. How dare Draco lecture him? "Even if he was possessed, he still..." He trailed off as Draco cocked his head slightly to one side and glared at him venomously, as if daring him to finish that sentence. Ron's eyes darted over to Ginny, who was also glaring at him, her arms folded angrily across her chest. He swallowed a lump in his throat, the connection suddenly dawning on him. If Harry was responsible for what the Demon did while in him, Ginny was responsible for what she did in her first year when Voldemort possessed her...

He dropped his eyes, feeling properly ashamed. Harry had been his best friend since the first day of school... how could he hold something that was beyond his control against him? It really chaffed that it took _Draco_ to point that out. His throat felt dry. He took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Fine. I'll talk to him." he finally conceded.

-----

Draco approached Arthur as they waited for Ginny to finish chewing Ron out on the far side of the Common Room. Arthur was gazing up at the picture of Ginny above the mantle. He glanced over as Draco came to a stop beside him, then looked back up at the picture. "Should have known they'd have one of these here as well. Still can't believe that's my little Ginny..." He mused aloud, "See the way she's pinning his arms with her knees so he can't fight back? The twins taught her that after her first couple of tussles with Ron..." He said with a reminiscent smile.

He sighed, looking back over at Draco and noting the look in his eye that told him he had come over there for a reason. "If you're looking for my blessing..."

Draco gave him a little smirk. "A blessing would be nice, but I don't require one. Ginny and I..." He said, glancing over at her and smirking at the flush that rose to her cheeks when she was angry, "Well... I think that's a forgone conclusion now. The only way you're getting me away from her is by killing me. You're free to try, but I'd rather not upset her by fighting with you." He said guilelessly.

Arthur eyed him for a long moment, surprised by his candor... not to mention the almost thoughtless devotion towards Ginny. Having known Lucius for so long, he would have never thought his son capable of such attachments.

Draco looked back over him, his smirk slipping away. "I came over here because I overheard you talking earlier, before you noticed us... and I want to know why you all keep looking at Blaise's eyes. I could understand it right after it happened, even though you should have been able to take Snape's word for it... but there's no reason that _I_ know of to do it now, and you started looking awful dodgy when he asked you about it." He said, folding his arms over his chest and setting his jaw stubbornly.

"It's nothing." Arthur said a bit too quickly, "We should get going..." He said, glancing over towards Snape.

"Not until you tell me!" Draco replied evenly.

Arthur's cheeks colored. "This is neither the time nor place." He said in a low voice, glancing over to make sure no one was within earshot.

"This is exactly the time and place. Enough bureaucratic bullshit!" Draco said, his voice rising and drawing the attention of the others, "That's our best fucking friend and you're going to tell us what you're looking for in his bloody eyes!" he all but yelled, brown swirling through his pale eyes as Darien's anger joined his own.

"Good lord... there really is two of you in there, isn't there?" Arthur asked, surprised by his eyes. He glanced over, seeing the eyes of the others on him and snapped out of it, dropping his voice again. "Draco, please. Not now."

"I'd like to know the answer to that question as well." Snape said, having approached silently.

"Me too!" Ron said, coming over.

Arthur looked between the three men and sighed deeply. "I was checking to make sure the rims of his eyes were pink."

"Why?" Snape asked, his eyes narrowing.

Arthur let out a belabored sigh, "The potion you used to stop the curse... we've checked the records... it is very effective... except... there were a couple of cases in the records at St. Mungo's with that spell, cast by Shadow Demons in specific, in which it eventually... failed. The progress of the curse would first be noted by the color draining from around the eyes... and after that... slowly progressing as it would have without the potion..."

"Well then we need to break the bloody curse as soon as possible!" Draco said with obvious concern.

Arthur sighed. "Fudge is using this as another little power struggle to prove he has more power than Dumbledore. He simply won't condone it."

"Fudge can go shag himself!" Draco snarled.

Arthur sighed, "Listen, I _agree_ with you... I want to see him cured too... but the ingredients are hard to come by... Demon's don't cast easy to break curses! The twins have managed to locate four of the ingredients, and I don't want to know how... and officially, I have no idea of what they're up to... but there are still over half a dozen more ingredients that we need that are shady or outright illegal to obtain."

Draco sighed, looking around. He snatched up a spare bit of parchment somebody had left on one of the coffee tables and snatched up a loose quill. He quickly scrawled a note on it, then flipped it over and wrote a name and address on the back. He tossed aside the quill, folding the paper and returning to Arthur, holding it out. "Give this to the twins. Tell them to give it to this person." He said, pointing to the address as Arthur took the note.

Arthur flipped open the paper, then furrowed his brow. "What's this?" he asked, peering at the incomprehensible jumble of squiggles.

"That would be elvish. I don't think you want to know what it says. You work for Fudge after all. If those ingredients can be found, that... _man_... will find them. Try not to let the Ministry find out about him. If they go after him, he'll know how they found out and he _will_ kill me."

Arthur paled slightly. He had no doubt Draco wasn't joking. The address was a particularly bad part of Nocturne Alley. "And how much does this... _person_ usually charge?" he asked delicately. He certainly didn't want to send his sons down to meet this questionable person without enough money.

Draco shrugged. "Doesn't matter. He has my account number at Gringotts."

Arthur looked at the note one last time, then looked over at Blaise. He slipped the note in his pocket and nodded.

He patted Ron on the shoulder. "You go eat with your friends. I'll pick you up outside the Great Hall to go see Harry after. Then I guess I should pay the twins a little social visit." He said, forcing a grin. He nodded to the others and headed towards the door, pausing to give Ginny a little kiss on the forehead on the way out.

Ron looked over at Blaise. He was standing there, looking slightly stunned. Pansy was holding his arm, watching him with concern. Ron immediately went over to him. "You ok?" He asked worriedly.

"Draco actually called me his best friend!" Blaise said in wonder, a brilliant smile spreading across his face.

------------------

A/N - the scuffle between Arthur and Lucius only happened in the book when they met in the bookstore and Lucius slipped Ginny the diary and started degrading the Weasley family. Arthur's hot, red-headed Weasley temper that was passed down to his children was toned down in the movie (actually the term _castrated_ came to mind.... at least they didn't make Molly a doormat or I woulda been ticked!).


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Ron took a deep breath and stepped into the little cell. He spotted Harry curled up and apparently asleep on the floor in the far corner. He looked around, trying not to cringe as the door clanked shut loudly behind him. There was a sleeping pallet, but it didn't look like it had been touched... and somehow he doubted it was just because the house elves had been in to spruce up recently.

He eyed Harry's sleeping form. Though little time had passed, he already looked like he'd lost a bit of weight, and Ron couldn't help but notice how pale and drawn his face was, even in sleep. There were dark smudges under his eyes as well, indicating that this nap was probably a very rare occurrence.

He took a deep breath. Despite the reassurances that Harry was 'back to normal' and the knowledge that it hadn't really been him attacking him... he still couldn't stop seeing Harry on top of him, ripping at his clothing. He unconsciously rubbed at the light scars on his chest through his shirt. He took a couple more deep breaths, bracing himself, then cleared his throat loudly, not willing to go over and shake him awake.

Harry jerked at the sound, his head darting up. When he saw who it was, he scrambled to his feet. "Ron..." He said, his voice a bit hoarse with emotion.

"Hi Harry..." Ron said, shifting uneasily.

Harry crossed the room, wrapping his arms around Ron. It took all of Ron's will not to back away from him, but he couldn't keep his heart from pounding with apprehension as an involuntary shudder of fear went through him.

Harry felt the shudder and the tension in him and immediately backed off a pace, looking him over. When he saw the fear in Ron's eyes, a look of pain crossed his eyes that ran so deep it cut into Ron's heart. Harry immediately retreated back to his corner, huddling down in it with his knees clutched to his chest once again.

"They made you come." Harry said in a soft, aching voice, not meeting Ron's eyes. It wasn't a question.

Ron sighed, his chest aching. He took a step closer, trying hard not to look apprehensive. "I'm sorry Harry... I just... I mean I know it wasn't you... I just..."

"It's ok, Ron." Harry said, all the life and emotion having drained out of his voice. "I don't expect you to forgive me. From what they say happened... I don't deserve to be forgiven..."

"It was a demon." Ron said softly.

"I should have been able to fight it! How could I let it hurt the people I cared about most?" Harry said achingly.

Ron took a couple more steps forward, then crouched down a few feet from Harry. "You can't fight a demon, Harry. They're too strong. No one could have stopped it."

Harry just shook his head, glaring at the floor, obviously not believing a word of it.

Ron let his gaze drop sadly. He had no idea where to even begin trying to convince him. Something on Harry's arm caught his eye. "What's that?"

Harry followed his gaze, lifting his arm and pulling up the sleeve. There was a series of over a dozen angry red welts at evenly placed intervals on the underside of his forearm, each about three inches long and from a quarter of an inch wide to one that was almost half an inch. Harry just shrugged and let his arm drop. "Tests." He said in a dull voice.

Ron's eyes went wide. "My dad did that to you?"

Harry shook his head. "Dumbledore and your dad did tests that didn't even hurt or leave any marks... but when they didn't find anything, Fudge insisted they try... less conventional methods. He had his people look up every test I think they've ever used... You're dad refused after the first couple, so Fudge just brought in someone else."

"Are those... all of the marks?" Ron asked, spying something peeking out from the other sleeve as well.

Harry just shrugged. "There's a couple more..." He said evasively.

Ron got the definite feeling that there was more than just a couple... "Won't they let Pomfrey fix them up?"

Harry just gave a little impassive shrug. "She already took care of the ones she could. They said most of them should go away eventually."

"That's just bang out of order!" Ron said, shocked, "That Fudge thinks he can just do as he pleases... I'm surprised Dumbledore didn't..."

"What did I do to you, Ron?" Harry asked in a whisper, breaking into Ron's tirade.

Ron sighed. He really didn't want to go into it, but Harry's eyes silently begged not to be lied to. It was obvious they had been hedging with him and he knew it. He settled down tailor fashion on the floor, and reluctantly began, "I... was going to Slytherin Dungeon for protection... Snape actually _offered_ it, if you can believe that!" Ron said with a little smile, but it fell away as he saw Harry's intent expression. It was obvious he wouldn't be sidetracked from the subject. "You... got there before I could... we had a sort of wizards duel... after a fashion at least... and then... you got me with the Cruciatus curse. The Slytherins came out and held you off, took me back into the Dungeon and sealed it..."

"They told me that much." Harry said softly, "They wouldn't tell me why you were running from me in the first place... _what did I do to you Ron?_"

Ron swallowed hard. At Snape's urging, he had told the entire story... but it wasn't too surprising that they hadn't relayed the more disturbing bits to Harry. "I... got back to the Tower after everyone had gone to bed... I went to bed... and when I woke up... you were there..."

Harry blinked, "I attacked you in your bed?"

Ron shifted uneasily, "Um... ya... when I said no..."

"No to what?" Harry asked uncomprehendingly.

Ron shifted around again, by now completely disconcerted. "You wanted to..." He blushed bright red and dropped his eyes.

Harry connected the dots, his eyes widening, "But... but you're a _boy_..." he said, obviously shocked and confused.

Ron flashed him a little fleeting smirk, "Ya.... well _some_ boys... _like_ other boys..."

Harry's eyes went a little wider as he caught a bit of deeper significance to Ron's words. "Do... _you_ like boys?"

Ron's blushed deepened. "Some..." He grudgingly admitted. It wasn't as if Harry wouldn't find out when he got out of there and talked to Dean. "But girls too..." He added quickly.

Harry scrubbed his hands over his face roughly, then dropped them. "So I found out and tried to molest you, and when you wouldn't let me I tried to kill you... that sum it up?" Harry asked emotionlessly.

Ron dropped his eyes, giving a little reluctant nod.

"God! How many people did I rape?" Harry practically yelled, pounding his fist against the wall as tears of anger and self-loathing crept out of his eyes.

Ron looked up at him, shocked. "None... I got away..."

Harry took a breath and let it out with a shudder, his voice dropping to a barely audible whisper, "There was at least one..."

Ron's eyes went wide. "What are you talking about?"

Harry wouldn't look at him. "I... I think... I'm pretty sure I raped Hermione..." He said, sounding wretched.

"_What?_" Ron asked in shock.

Harry scrubbed his fingers through his hair. "I... I keep getting little flashes... we're in my bed... and... I'm..." He swallowed hard, looking away, "And... she's telling me I'm hurting her..." He let out a little sob of grief, seeming to curl in on himself a bit more, pressing his face to his knees. "How can I ever face her again? I wish the Slytherins had just finished me off..." He said in anguish.

Ron's heart felt ready to burst. He couldn't stand seeing Harry in such pain... he felt years of friendship fighting it's way to the surface. He crawled forward and settled beside him, pulling him over and holding him. Harry sagged against him, sobs wracking him.

Ron sighed, holding him and stroking his hair soothingly. At this point he was beginning to fear it was going to take a strong Obliviate spell to get Harry out of this room voluntarily. Why hadn't Hermione said anything to him? Or to anyone? He was sure he would have heard about it if she had. Maybe the demon was just messing about with Harry's head?

"Harry..." He said gently after a minute. He didn't reply, but his sobbing dropped off until it finally subsided, though his breath still shuddered in his chest. "Harry... you have to talk to her..."

Harry pulled away from him, pressing back against the wall and staring at him in horror at the suggestion.

Ron sighed. "You don't know for sure you really _did_ do that... she hasn't said you did... you have to talk to her... if nothing else, give her a chance to forgive you for whatever you might have done..."

Harry just shook his head vehemently, mute with shock at the suggestion.

Ron took Harry's head between his hands to stop him from shaking it, and looked him in the eyes. "Don't you think she has the right to hear you apologize if there is anything for you to apologize for? She's all alone now, Harry. I can't be there for her... and now you're _refusing_ to be there for her... I'm not sure she can handle this alone... especially if something _did_ happened. She needs at least one of her friends to be there to help her through this..." he said, releasing his hold on him.

Harry stared at his hands for a long moment, riddled with guilt. Slowly, he nodded. "Ok..." He said in a hoarse whisper.

Ron gave him a little smile. "Right then... I expect to see you in the Great Hall at lunch. But... um... first take a bath... you smell like a troll." Ron said with a little smirk.

Harry looked up at him, a little, reluctant smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

----------------

Harry didn't make it to lunch that day, but Snape pulled Ron aside and told him the Ministry had just held him up with some paperwork and that kind of bureaucratic rubbish, but he would be returning to Gryffindor Tower shortly after lunch. He was greatly relieved. Hermione had still had that haunted look in her eyes whenever he looked over at her. She was sitting alone again as well. With the fewer number of students and the other Gryffindors' apparent reluctance to be around her, she usually had a good meter or two open to either side of her and no one across from her. It looked as if she had some kind of invisible shield around her that kept everyone else at bay. He didn't see her at all the whole time they were outside, finally catching one last glimpse of her as she stood near the other Gryffindors as they waited for the rest of their Housemates to make it back. He gave her one last look as he started down the stairs to the dungeons, just hoping it would do more good than harm to have Harry back at her side.

"This curse is bollocks of course, but... I think I could get used to this whole blind thing..." Blaise said smirkingly as they made their way towards Slytherin Dungeon arm in arm. "Did you _see_ that? I bumped into Professor Oblique when I was getting up... I pretty much groped her... _accidentally_ of course... right there in front of everyone and she didn't even get mad... She actually _apologized_..." He said, chuckling. "Anything that makes touching everyone ok can't be all bad in my book..."

Pansy giggled and Ron couldn't stifle a chuckle.

"You're wretched, Blaise." Pansy said, swatting his arm playfully.

"How you so sure it was Professor Oblique? Might have been Madam Hooch for all you know..." Ron said mischievously.

Blaise let out a snort of laughter. "Oh please... I've been studying those bristols diligently for over three years now. You think I take her class just to _learn_ or something? Of course I _am_ getting pretty brilliant in that subject if I do say so myself... the better I do, the longer she leans over looking at my work! Now _that's_ what I call motivation!"

Ron just shook his head ruefully.

They slowed and stopped as they reached the long line waiting for entrance to Slytherin Dungeon. "I'm surprised more students haven't left already..." Ron said contemplatively. There had been a growing number of gaps along the four tables, even a few members of their own house having left, but it had been less than a quarter of the total number of students so far. "I would think more parents would be insisting their children return home until it was safe..."

Pansy snorted. "That'd be like taking your kids out of a school that had an undetectable plague ravaging it. They want their children safe, but most of them are more afraid of bringing them home and finding out they brought the problem home with them! If they are honest with themselves, few parents will risk their entire families just to safeguard one child."

Ron thought about it. It made sense, though he doubted his own parents would see it that way. They had already tried to talk him into leaving actually. He'd thought about him and Ginny leaving... that way at least it wouldn't focus it's attack on Slytherin house... but then again it had to be taken care of... who knows what it might do if left to roam at Hogwarts... and Ron seemed to be the most likely to draw it out and leave it vulnerable. He didn't like the risk... he just hoped it would be worth it in the end. Besides, Ginny would have none of it, and she wasn't one to push when she got set.

He looked over, noticing Blaise sniffing the air curiously. "What?"

Blaise leaned over towards Pansy, sniffing her, then did the same to Ron. Then he just lifted his head and looked puzzled. "Just caught a whiff of something metallic... I swear, I've never noticed just how many smells there are around here..." He said ruefully. "Probably just from the repair work..."

Draco overheard Blaise's comment from where he stood several feet up in the line. He made sure Ginny was good and distracted talking to one of the girls, then sighed and leaned up against a reasonably intact portion of the wall, folding his arms across his chest and looking utterly bored with the whole process. This position also happened to give him a better view of them. He combed the line around them, very glad now for the dark glasses that obscured his eyes. After a moment, he noticed that there was a third year boy who hung back when the line moved, putting a bit more distance between himself and Blaise.

Draco focused his attention on the boy, watching him intently as he drew slowly closer. As the line drew forward, the boy craned around, trying to see what was taking so long. He froze as he saw Snape casting at the front of the line. The line inched forward, but he stayed rooted to the spot. Then his gaze fell on Ron's back contemplatively.

Draco shifted slightly. The movement caught the boy's eye and he looked over. Draco reached up and pushed his glasses down the bridge of his nose a bit, staring openly at the boy over the rims as a little smirk slid across his lips.

The boy watched him curiously.

Draco let his eyes travel the length of the boy's body, his smirk widening, then let his eyes drift back up to his face. A little smirk worked across the boy's mouth as well and he let his own eyes travel over Draco.

Draco suddenly looked down the hall towards the Great Hall, straightening as the smirk fled his mouth. The boy spun around, looking to see what Draco had seen. Draco had his wand out and hurled a curse at the boy's back in the blink of an eye.

All of the gathered Slytherins jumped back as the boy crumpled, looking over at Draco as if he'd gone mad. Suddenly and inhuman shriek of rage filled the corridor as something moved over the boy. It looked like nothing more than a shadow pulling away and floating up... and then it solidified...

The jet black creature was gnarled and horrifying. It looked like a thin, elongated, slumped over and utterly perverse imitation of a person with blood red eyes and two twisted horns protruding from it's overly small skull. It shrieked again, displaying a great number of needle-like teeth that appeared to be stuck in in a completely random, haphazard fashion. It swung it's long, skeletal arm at Draco. The back of it's wickedly taloned 'hand' caught Draco upside the head, cracking him back against the wall with bone jarring force.

As soon as Draco was down, it swung around and lunged towards Ron. Ron shoved Blaise and Pansy away and drew his wand. He opened his mouth and a spell seemed to emerge from it unbidden. In a brilliant flash, sunlight burst forth from the tip of his wand.

The light seemed to hit the creature like a hammer, knocking it back a good ten feet and leaving it's flesh steaming. It let out a shriek of rage and pain. Ron, emboldened by the spell's success, advanced on it, wielding his still beaming wand before him.

It let out a cry of fear and flipped back over, tearing off down the corridor on all fours.

Ron ran after it, barely pausing to pull Draco to his feet as he passed. They both took off after it, but it was already disappearing up the stairs. As they emerged from the staircase they stared around in dismay. Both Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were still in the entrance hall, and from the lack of disturbance, it was obvious it had gone insubstantial and slipped into a new host. It could be in anyone, nearly any_where_ already.

One of the Ministry Aurors spotted them, noting the blood that was starting to matt the hair on the side of Draco's head, and hurried over. "Is there a problem?" He asked in a businesslike tone.

"It just came this way. It was trying to get into Slytherin." Draco said, scanning the crowd for any suspicious activity.

The Auror turned, quickly scanning the crowd as well, then looked back at them. "Return to your House. We'll search up here." He said briskly, motioning another Auror over.

Draco sighed and nodded, and he and Ron made their way back down the stairs. There was really nothing more they could do.

"Where did you learn that spell?" Draco asked curiously, looking over at Ron.

"Hermione used it to free me from some Devil's Snare first year... I'd all but forgotten about it... when it came at me, what you said about sunlight just clicked I guess... I had no idea I even remembered the words..." He said with a shrug.

"Well we definitely need to teach everyone that spell. I don't know if it'll work while it's in a body, but it's a good one to know apparently." Draco said, clapping him on the back.

Neither of them noticed the glare of pure loathing the Auror gave them as they left...

------------

A/N - Hermione used a spell that made her wand emit sunlight to break up the Devil's snare in the movie. "Devil's Snare, Devil's Snare, It's deadly fun, but will sulk in the sun." :) Nice how they get their students to remember stuff eh? Unfortunately, since it was only spoken I didn't have the spelling and I didn't want to look like an idiot trying my attempt at spelling latin based words. In the book she used fire I believe.

A/N 2 - about Blaise and Draco's friendship (in response to a question in reviews)... yes, the friendship between Draco and Blaise was previously established, but only by Blaise. Draco hasn't been all that open about how he feels... obviously... and half the time acted like he found Blaise annoying and was just putting up with Blaise's presence because he wouldn't go away even when point blank told to... _Darien_ said that Blaise was Draco's best friend, but that was while Draco was asleep and Blaise was not present. Draco himself had never even admitted that he saw him as a _friend_, let alone his _best_ friend. Blaise, of course, told Draco to his face in Chapter 6, "You may not care for me, Draco... but I count you as a friend... probably my ONLY real friend..." So basically it was just the first time Draco actually admitted it out loud.

Before you ask, the reason Blaise felt free to tell Ron how he felt about Draco, and later didn't want to admit he had feelings for Ron... well, saying someone is a close and cherished friend, and saying you're _in love_ with someone (especially someone of the same gender!) are two _very_ different things. Blaise was ok with having a one-sided friendship... He didn't see that as making himself vulnerable because he didn't _require_ Draco's affection in return to be content with the relationship (Though he was obviously thrilled to receive it)... but admitting to being _in love_ with someone and risking them rejecting you is a whole other ball game. Especially if you've been hurt before. (I'm not saying Blaise has been in love before, but rejection is painful in any kind of intimate relationship)


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"How is he?" Draco asked, sitting on the arm of the couch and looking at the boy pensively.

"He should survive. He's going to have one hell of a headache though..." Snape said, casting another healing spell over the boy. "I somehow doubt the spell you used was entirely legal..." Snape said, smirking up at Draco.

Draco crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you want legal or the boy alive? If I hadn't walloped it's arse hard we would have had a reenactment of Saturday night. I didn't think anyone wanted that."

There were a number of shudders from the surrounding students.

"Unfortunately, we appear to be dealing with a fully mature demon... probably at least several hundred years old... none younger than that would have been strong enough not to be taken down by my spell." Draco said grimly.

"How did you know it was in him?" Ron asked curiously.

"I wouldn't have if it weren't for your little lover boy over there. I heard him commenting about the metallic scent and I remembered my niece once saying she thought they smelled like her mother's silver. I could never smell it myself, but some people's noses are just more sensitive.

Snape arched an eyebrow, noting that Draco had referred to what was obviously Darien's niece (since Draco was an only child) as his own. He seemed to be making little slips like that more and more often. He chose not to comment on it.

Blaise gave a snort of laughter. "You mean I can smell demons? Bloody hell. What a talent." He said ruefully. "You aren't going to make me stand at the door and sniff everyone now are you?"

Snape smirked. "I don't think that will be necessary, but do feel free to tell us if you smell it again."

"I'll try to remember to do that." Blaise said with a little nod.

The boy stirred, then let out a groan. Snape peered down at him intently, "How are you feeling Nicolaus?"

Nicolaus rubbed the back of his head, letting out another groan. "Like I got run over by the Knight Bus. What happened?" Before Snape could even answer, his eyes went wide and he sat bolt upright, then clutched his head as the sudden movement sent pain flashing through it. "It had me didn't it? That bloody demon?"

Snape blinked in surprise. "Yes... you remember?"

"Ya..." He said, not wanting to nod his head while it was throbbing so bad. "But it was like I was just... watching..." He said, trying to figure out how to express the odd experience.

Snape looked contemplative. "It didn't get a chance to alter his memories... it left too suddenly..." He looked at Nicolaus again intently, "What exactly do you remember?"

Nicolaus thought about it for a minute, ordering his thoughts. "I was cutting through the Ravenclaws... and I swear I felt something odd... that has to be when it happened... I just brushed one of the first years in passing... but then nothing happened for a bit... when we started going down into the dungeon I was behind those three... but... I looked back and saw one of my mates and was going to go back and walk with him... and that's when everything went wonky. It was like I wasn't in control anymore... I just watched while I turned back around and followed them... I kept staring at Ron... and..." He looked over at Ron, "It REALLY hates you..." He said, shaking his head slightly. "There were some pretty... disturbing thoughts and little imaginings going on... it has a VERY vivid imagination..." He said, shuddering. "Especially when it saw Snape casting at the front of the line... It was trying to decide how it could best kill Ron and as many others as it could before escaping..." He rubbed his eyes hard, as if trying to scrub the images away.

"Do you remember it thinking anything about its master or its plans here?" Snape prompted.

Nicolaus dropped his hands, looking thoughtful. After a moment he shook his head. "No... this wasn't part of a plan... it was just about getting Ron... well... and causing chaos and pain... the more the better..." He looked up at Draco, "But then it saw Draco... and it found him... _very_ interesting... but... I can't say quite how or why... but it wanted to get into him like fuck!" He looked confused, "I thought you said it _couldn't_ get into you?"

Draco smiled, "Well, to my knowledge it hasn't tried yet, so maybe it doesn't know that."

"How did you know it was in me anyway?" Nicolaus asked curiously.

"Demons apparently give off a scent Blaise can smell." Draco said with a smirk.

"That's it? He just smelled something so you just took a pop at me?" Nicolaus asked, looking incredulous.

"Well... that and then you checked me out..." Draco said, amused.

Nicolaus smirked, "Hey, you checked me out first!"

"I was just double checking." Draco said with a shrug.

"Well, think of a better test. I happen to fancy blondes, and you're a bit of alright!" Nicolaus said with a smirk.

Draco's eyes went wide, then darted over to Blaise.

Blaise let out a loud laugh. "Bloody hell! I missed one! And in my very own House..." He said, shaking his head ruefully.

"There has to be a better way to detect this thing." Snape said, leaning back in his seat and looking frustrated. "Fudge is insisting on a meeting to discuss the problem this afternoon before curfew, and knowing that old windbag it will take right up until we have to seal up the Dungeon... starting tomorrow, Slytherin House will be dedicating all it's free time to research. I will retrieve books from the library... and I think I have a few books in my office that may have potential... of course let's not mention _those_... there are too many Ministry people around." He said with a smirk. "But for now, it appears there is a spell we need to make sure is taught to the other students..." He said, looking over at Ron, who blushed, looking sheepish.

Draco looked around curiously, "Where's Ginny?"

"She went right into your room when she got in here. She looked white as a sheet." Pansy said, looking at the door in question, which was as close to directly off the Common room as they got.

Draco nodded in thanks and hurried into his room. He glanced around when he got in the room, but didn't see her. He checked the bathroom, but that too was empty. He turned back, looking around in puzzlement. Surely they would have seen her leave the room...

He froze, listening intently... he thought he heard something... the sound came again and he followed it to the desk. He pulled out the chair and looked under it in shock. Ginny was there... hugging her knees tightly to her chest and rocking slightly.

He immediately knelt. "Ginny... are you ok?" He asked, shocked that she would have been so effected by the attack.

She looked up at him, her eyes haunted. It was quite obvious she had been crying. "Wake me up..." She said in an aching voice so soft he was barely sure he heard her.

"What?"

She let out a sob. "Wake me up! I want to wake up!" She said, her voice rising with an edge of hysteria.

"Ginny... you aren't dreaming... but it's ok... it's gone now. Nothing's going to hurt you." He said as soothingly as he could, reaching in and trying to get ahold of her to pull her out.

She pressed back further, shaking her head stubbornly. "No... no!" She said firmly. "This can't be real because that bloody THING can't be real! It CAN'T!" She said, her voice half screaming, half begging him to tell her it hadn't been real.

He stared at her. He had no idea how to react to this. He couldn't even figure out why she was so very upset... She'd faced fearsome creatures in the past... The demon was nothing compared to a basilisk. "Ginny..." He said, trying to figure out what best to say to her. "It's ok... It's real, but it's _gone_."

She was just shaking her head. "But you said! You SAID! It can't be real... You said it was just a dream! That means THIS has got to be a dream because _THAT'S WHAT KILLED ME!"_

He stared at her in shock. "The thing in your dream was a Shadow Demon?"

"Not _A_ Shadow Demon," She said, her voice just shy of a scream, **"_THAT_ FUCKING SHADOW DEMON!" **

---------------

"But you said your family got rid of all of their Shadow Demons..." Snape said, shocked.

Draco glared at the floor in shame. "Apparently Grandfather decided to keep one around for special occasions." He said ruefully.

"Is she sure it was the same one?"

Draco nodded. "Shadow Demons may all be hideous, but they are all hideous in their own unique way. If she says it's the one, it is. Once you've seen one of those once, it's pretty well imprinted in your mind. It also had scar tissue under it's eye where she said her spell hit it. It's not Voldemort's Demon. It's my father's." he said darkly. "The same one they used to kill the first Ginevra. What she felt in the dream... the demon wasn't ripping her flesh... it was tearing out her soul. Apparently it didn't get a good enough hold on it... but it still separated enough from the body to kill her. From what she told me, I'd say she fell into the pond and her body drown before the soul could recover enough to save it."

Snape looked at him contemplatively for a moment. "This might work to our advantage. You are a blood relation to it's master."

"That only helps if father told it not to kill me. There's no guarantee he bothered. I think he knows I don't want to join his Dark Lord. And if what Nicolaus said is accurate, it wants to possess me... hardly what it would want to do if I was under my father's protection. For all I know, taking me out is part of its mission here."

Snape looked thoughtful, but shook his head. "No... if you were part of it's mission you'd be dead by now...." Something suddenly clicked in his head. "Before... when you were first telling me about the Shadow demons and why your family gave them up... you said they only obey the oldest member of a bloodline..."

Draco nodded. "So we just have to kill my father... that plan has _definite_ potential." He said with a sarcastic smirk.

Snape had to smirk at that. "As tempting as that is at the moment... it may be unnecessary. How old are you?"

"I'll be seventeen in February. You know that." Draco said, furrowing his brow.

Snape smirked. "Not _you_, Draco. _Darien_..."

Draco's eyes went wide, but then brown flooded them. "Won't work." Darien said sadly.

"Why not?" Snape asked, "You're far older than Lucius."

Darien shook his head. "Oldest _living_ member of the bloodline."

"You're practically living."

Darien gave a snort of laughter. "Practically doesn't make me alive, and it's not going to mean anything to this demon. I have to be completely and permanently attached to a body... and that may take _years_, if I can even get to that point that is."

Snape eyed him for moment. "Perhaps..." He said contemplatively. He looked up again, "How's Ginny?"

Draco gave him a rueful smirk. "Hard to keep that girl out of sorts for long... as soon as she saw the blood on my head she started channeling her mum. After a good deal of scolding while she fixed me up, she was much calmer."

Snape's mouth couldn't help but slip into a mirthful smirk, "Good to know. If you should ever need to calm her again, I shall be more than happy to clock you upside the head."

-------------------

Fred and George looked at eachother in trepidation, then looked back at the building before them. The 'shop', if that was indeed what it was, was only about four meters wide, windowless and solid black to the last stone. The only attempt at ornamentation in the architecture was the addition of two particularly fearsome looking gargoyles perched on the roof, glaring down at them. The door looked very intimidating as well, having a number of what appeared to be dire warnings inscribed in blood red on it in half a dozen languages, none of which they could really read, though they were pretty sure the top one had the goblin words for 'death' and 'dismember' in it. Not comforting. One of the languages did appear to be the same as the scrawling message on the note though. This was a much worse area than even _they_ usually went. Admittedly, they had gotten desperate enough to visit a couple of the surrounding shops the day before, but only the clearly marked and less formidable ones.

Bracing themselves, they mounted the rough hewn stone steps leading up to the door. When they got there, they discovered that there was no kind of bell or knocker of any kind. There weren't any windows to look in of course, so George took the initiative and knocked. His knuckled made a loud, ominous booming sound on the ancient door.

They waited.

Nothing.

They looked at eachother, then Fred knocked.

Still nothing.

"Reckon we should try it?" George said uneasily.

"Doesn't look as if we have a choice..." Fred said with a shrug. He reached out and put his hand on the door handle....

... and disappeared.

George's eyes went wide and he immediately grabbed the handle, heedless of what it would do to him. He felt a sudden wrenching sensation behind his navel that was all too familiar, and the port key transported him away, turning the world into a swirl of blurred color...

... and then there was darkness all around him. He pulled out his wand and muttered 'Lumos' but to no avail. He stared at where the light should be, the darkness so complete he feared for a moment that he had been blinded.

And then light flared. It wasn't more than a candle, but in the complete blackness it was startlingly bright. He squinted against it for a moment, then fear clutched him. Fred was standing just a few feet from him, and there was a dark cloaked figure behind him, one hand clasped firmly over his mouth, the other holding a wickedly gleaming knife to his throat.

"I don't believe you gentlemen were invited..." A soft voice hissed from the shrouded figure, lilting with a strange, unplacable accent.

"We're just looking for some spell ingredients..." George said, making a show of putting his wand away. Not as if it appeared to be of any use at the moment anyway. "We were told to come here..."

"And who would tell you to come here?" the figure asked, knife still poised dangerously.

"Draco Malfoy."

The shrouded figure's stance shifted, and the knife eased back a bit. They heard a little snort of laughter. "Why would that little son of a Nundu send you to ME?"

George shifted uneasily. "I take it you don't like Draco..."

Another snort of laughter. "Never said I had a problem with the boy. I've just met his father." He said with obvious amusement.

"He gave us a letter..."

Fred slowly reached into his robe and pulled out the letter, holding it up so it was clearly visible.

They both relaxed a bit as the blade seemed to vanish into thin air. The long, thin fingers snatched the letter from Fred's hand, then his head tilted slightly, looking at his captive. The hand over Fred's mouth slipped down, grabbing his chin and turning his head towards the shadowed hood. The figure's head tilted slightly and Fred caught a glimpse of wide, almond shaped eyes with brilliant periwinkle colored irises and slitted pupils. The eyes slid from him to George, then he let out another laugh and Fred suddenly found himself spun around and shoved back into George, who caught him before he could fall.

They both flinched as light flared all around them as nearly a dozen torches burst to life simultaneously. The dark figure was strolling across the room towards the chair before the fireplace, which had also sprang to life. As he dropped down casually in the ancient looking chair, draping one leg over the arm, it looked as if he had disregarded their presence entirely.

They stood there uneasily, not sure what to do while he opened the letter and looked it over. "It's rude to linger on thresholds." He said offhandedly, not looking away from the note.

They took the hint and moved forward into the room.

"He said you might be able to help..." George began tentatively.

"We've been looking all over..." Fred continued, their usual synchronism kicking back in as the shock wore off.

"But these ingredients are really hard to come by..."

"And he said if anyone could find them..."

"You could."

The figure looked over at them. They could still see little of him. He was covered head to toe in black, even his face had black cloth over it starting just below the eyes. The only parts visible were his slender, nimble hands and attentive eyes. His form looked long and lanky under the layers of cloth, though he moved with almost unnatural fluidity and grace. His height was nearly level with the twins, which was something they didn't see often. With more light, the periwinkle of his irises almost seemed to glow, even from across the room. Those eyes were now filled with unmistakable amusement as he surveyed the two.

"You always take turns talking?" He asked in amusement.

"Not always." They said in perfect unison.

He laughed. "I see..." He said, looking back at the letter thoughtfully. "You got a list?"

They nodded and George took it out of his inner pocket. They moved closer and George handed it to him.

He opened it up, his eyes glancing down at the list. "Chimaera eggs are Class A non-tradable goods..." His voice was a bit mischievous, his eyes glinting.

They shifted uneasily. "If they were easy to find..."

"We wouldn't need help." Fred finished.

The brilliant eyes darted between them contemplatively. "Does your father know you're here? I doubt his boss would approve..."

They blinked, surprised.

The eyes rolled, "Oh please... not too hard to figure out who you are... twins with that flaming hair... might as well wear name tags!"

"We're not the only redheaded twins." George said defensively.

"We saw two other sets at the Quidditch World Cup couple years back."

"Perhaps... but I bet they weren't the spitting image of your grandfather at your age."

They looked at eachother. "You knew our grandfather?"

"At OUR age?" Fred finished incredulously. He certainly didn't look very old... the hands were thin and pale, but the skin was smooth and supple looking, and there was certainly nothing old about those vibrant eyes.

"Bit of a hot tempered git... but not bad company overall... He could certainly hold his fire whisky..." He said, his eyes dropping back to the list. "This here... this one's legal... Erumpent tail is only class B."

"Maybe..."

"But we still can't find any."

"What ever could you need that much Re'em blood for...?" He mused to himself, then his eyes fell on the last item on the list and narrowed, suddenly looking irritated. "Why that presumptuous little bastard..." He looked up at them, staring at them contemplatively for a long moment. "I usually don't ask... because quite frankly I don't _want_ to know... but if you want me to even _consider_ filling this order I want to know what it's for."

"Counter Curse."

"For the White Wraith."

"And it's rather urgent..."

"Because it was cast by a Shadow Demon..."

"And so the potion that was used to stop it..."

"Could fail at any time..."

His eyes narrowed as they heard a little hiss. "A Shadow Demon? I'd hoped I'd seen the last of those... what fool called one of _those_ out?"

"That would be the Nundu." Fred said with a rueful smirk.

"That idiotic ponce..." He growled, looking thoughtful. The eyes darted back to them, "Who was it cast on? Someone in the ministry?"

"No..." George said ruefully.

"He's just a boy..."

"A student..."

"Draco's best friend..."

He gave a little nod. "That would explain it. I thought he sounded a bit too generous in the letter..." The eyes suddenly danced with mirth, "Do you know what it says?"

They looked at eachother. "Um..."

"No."

He laughed, and it was a real laugh, sounding almost musical. "He really _is_ a bastard..."

---------------

A/N - sorry didn't post yesterday... continuity issues... had to move some stuff around... I actually had to make up a timeline! Do you know it's only been like a week? Yikes... Oh, and mandabella, patience :) it's not like he can slip out at night nowadays, and Thestrals prefer the dark.


	32. 32

A/N - just uploading again to try to keep this from disappearing as it wishes... hope it stays put this time!  
------------------

A/N - Warning: smut. (need I say more?)

Chapter 32

Harry sat in the Gryffindor Common Room, staring at the fire, curled up in his favorite chair. Everyone else had already gone up to bed, and he was relieved to finally be alone again. Everyone had been looking at him like some wild creature that might lash out at them at any moment. Some had been brave enough to ask him questions, but there were few of those that he was yet willing to answer. After he had refused to answer enough of the questions everyone had pretty much left him alone, but they still stared a lot and muttered in small groups while looking over at him frequently.

He had only seen Hermione briefly so far. That haunted look in her eyes had cut him to the core. It had been made even more awkward by the fact that there were a good two dozen people watching avidly, wondering what they would say to eachother. There was just no place private to go and talk in the tower, and of course they weren't allowed to leave it. She had later slipped him a little scrap of parchment, asking him to meet her in the Common room at midnight to talk.

So now here he was, waiting. His roommates hadn't said much about him not coming up to the room with them. He got the feeling they weren't exactly comfortable around him anymore, and probably would have no problem with him _never_ returning to the room. At least Neville had been giving him little encouraging smiles when he caught his eye that afternoon. It was nice to know at least one of them didn't think he was some kind of psychotic monster.

He looked over as he heard a door softly clicking shut. He waited a bit apprehensively as Hermione made her way down the staircase from the girl's side in her dressing gown. She looked like such a delicate angel as she approached tentatively, her white dressing gown seeming to glow softly in the firelight.

He got up to meet her, looking into her eyes to try to see what she was feeling. She was looking at him searchingly, confusion apparent in her soft brown eyes. She sat on the couch. Seeing that she expected him to follow suit, he reluctantly sat on the couch as well, but left some space between them so as not to make her more apprehensive.

For a long while they just sat there in silence, neither knowing quite where to start. Harry dropped his eyes, trying to decide how to ask her what he may have done to her.

"Harry..." She said softly.

He looked up, a bit relieved to have her go first.

"Did... did you ever really... care for me?" She asked tentatively, watching his eyes closely.

He sighed sadly. "I've always cared for you Hermione." How could she ever doubt that?

She bit her lip, then pressed on. "I don't mean just as a _friend_... I mean... as a _boyfriend_..."

He looked at her, surprised.

Her eyes widened. "We've been going out for weeks... don't... don't you remember that at all?"

His jaw dropped slightly, but he couldn't for the life of him think of a good answer for that. He had absolutely no recollection of going steady with Hermione. The demon couldn't possibly have twisted his memories _that_ much could it? Good lord! How long could it have been in him? What _else_ didn't he remember???

His silence was enough answer for her. Her face dropped, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Hermione..." He said, his heart tearing from the pain in her eyes. "I've had feelings for you for years... I just... never acted on them... I was too afraid it would mess up our friendship... I don't know what I'd do if we weren't friends anymore... but just because I can't _remember_ going out with you doesn't mean that I didn't _want_ to go out with you..."

"But it means it was that _thing_ all along... kissing me and touching me... and..." She trailed off and covered her face with her hands, letting out a sob.

Harry shifted closer. He didn't want to impose his obviously painful presence on her any more than he had to... but he couldn't stand seeing her so sad... He reached out and gently brushed her shoulder. "Just because I can't remember doesn't mean it wasn't _me_... It could have just made me forget... I know there are other things it made me forget... I'm not even sure what is real anymore... so much is blurry and... half the time it feels like I've gone round the twist..." He said despondently. He sighed. "I can't tell you how sorry I am... for anything and _everything_ I might have... done to you... I... I don't know if there is any way I can ever make up for it... but I'm going to try if you'll let me..." He said, putting his hand on hers gently.

She slipped her hand out from under his, biting her lip. She let out a sigh. "I don't think we can be together... I don't think I could stand the thought that you were with me out of guilt..."

He sighed, "Hermione... how could you think that? If you had any idea how much I've wanted you... it has nothing to do with... what happened..." She continued staring down intently at her hands, choosing not to comment. He could think of no way to express his feelings in words... he just felt all flustered... he expressed it the only way he could think to. He leaned forward slowly, pausing when he was mere inches away and studying her eyes intently for any sign she didn't want to... then he kissed her gently.

He suddenly felt like his head was floating away... to him, this was the first time he'd ever kissed her... his first _real_ kiss... and it was amazing...

The kiss lingered and deepened. Harry felt a rush as he felt her fingers slip through his hair, and gently took her into his arms.

As the kiss ended, she sighed, moving her head over to his shoulder and holding him to her. "You've never kissed me like that before..." She said softly.

"I've never kissed _anyone_ like that before..." He replied softly, pressing his cheek against her soft hair. His feelings for her were so overwhelming that they forced all other thought out of his mind. He had often thought before that he was in love with her... at the moment, he felt that more strongly than ever before. He kept his eyes closed, just holding her and never wanting to let go.

"It was the way I always thought it would be..." She said softly, nuzzling into his shoulder.

He smiled against her. "It was even _better_ than I imagined..." he whispered softly.

She let out a little whimpering sound and he suddenly found her lips on his again. This time it was deeper and more urgent. After several minutes of intense snogging, she finally pulled back some, looking at him longingly. "Harry..." She said in a soft, timid voice, "Could... could you make love to me?"

He blinked in surprise. He definitely hadn't been expecting that... of course he hadn't imagined she'd ever want him anywhere near her again...

"Are... you sure?" He asked, reluctant despite his undeniable desire.

She blushed and nodded. "I... I want to know what it _should_ feel like... what _you_ feel like..."

He was feeling light headed at the prospect, but had the presence of mind to nod in response. "Ok..." He said, his voice strained as his throat tightened in anticipation.

She bit her lip, shifting up timidly and slipping her hands under her gown. He felt dizzy as he watched her pull off her knickers and drop them on the floor. Then she laid back against the arm of the couch, biting her lip and watching him in anticipation. He shifted forward, slowly running his hand up her leg. He wished she would have taken off the gown... he so wanted to see her laying before him in her full glory... but he didn't ask... he didn't want to take the little bit of security the garment seemed to give her... and he certainly didn't want to completely disrobe himself!

She shivered and let out a soft moan as he slipped his hand between her legs, gently rubbing her.

"Please Harry..." She whispered.

He took a deep breath, then shifted up, freeing himself from the confines of his by now overly tight pants. He paused then, still a bit reluctant. Then he looked into her eyes and saw the longing... and he knew he couldn't deny her. He brushed her gown up out of the way as she shifted her legs up invitingly.

He shifted down on top of her, feeling a bit awkward as he tried to get positioned. As soon as he slipped into place, he let out a deep groan, pressing himself in to the hilt. He couldn't remember ever experiencing anything so completely amazing as being engulfed by her incredible heat. He shifted down more, kissing her passionately as he started thrusting into her. She wrapped herself around him, kissing him back with equal ardor.

He held back, not wanting to hurt her, but soon she was thrusting up against him and urging him on. He did as she bid him without question. After just a few minutes, he knew he couldn't hold off too much longer... it just felt too incredible... Her movements slowed and stilled as he sped up, feeling himself get close.

"Harry... Harry stop!"

Even as she said it, he tensed, his peak raging through him as he spent himself inside her. He shifted back a bit so he could look at her, surprised by her sudden change of mood, his head still spinning wildly.

She slapped him hard, right across the face. He looked at her, stunned, a brilliant red handprint across his cheek. "I told you to stop!" She said, looking angry, tears starting to streak down her cheeks.

"But... but..." Harry stammered, too shocked to even think.

"Get off me!" She said, hitting her fists against his shoulders.

He immediately scrambled off her, falling back on the couch. He just stared in confusion and pain as she ran up to her room. Dazedly, he covered himself back up, his heart aching far worse than his cheek. He got up and made his way over to the corner of the room. He slipped past one of the overstuffed chairs, curling up in the little dark corner behind it.

--------------

A/N - Sorry it was a really short chapter, but I'm tired... it'll be 2am before I can get to bed as it is, and my alarm goes off at 5:30am. And this has been average for me of late. So... it's either take this much or wait another day for more.

Here's some notes... hope they don't go longer than the chapter did.... ;P

For all of you Harry haters: Sorry about the HP/HG smut. At least he got smacked. For all you Harry _lovers_, sorry about the smack, but at least he got laid first ;P

**Soul/ginny thing:** Ok, Ginny is the reincarnation of the first Ginevra... being told about who she was before and being back with Darien/Draco eventually caused the memory to resurface... in her dream she was remembering her first death... that Shadow Demon killed her... slashed her soul half out of her body and the body fell in the pond and drown before her soul could return to it... the family found the dead body the next morning with no apparent cause of death other than drowning because Shadow Demons don't leave evidence (as they proved with Harry).

**Draco/bastard thing** - you'll just have to wait and find out. :)

And about the Nundu and such... sorry... I keep forgetting not everybody has the standard texts... here are some excerpts from _Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander. Printed By Arthur A. Levine Books and Obscurus Books, 18a Diagon Alley, London. (Copyright 2001 by J.K. Rowling) (It's a bit short and doesn't have a _whole_ lot of creatures, but it only costs 14 sickles and 3 knuts ($3.99 US) (originally, may be out of print now), so it's pretty good for the price, and you can usually find it on muggle Ebay. Quidditch Through The Ages can also be had cheap there!) I will try to remember to put such important footnotes on any future chapters that contain references to beasts often unknown to muggles :)

**Nundu** - M.O.M. Classification: XXXXX (known wizard killer, impossible to domesticate) This East African beast is arguably the most dangerous in the world. A gigantic leopard that moves silently despite its size and whose breath causes disease virulent enough to eliminate entire villages, it has never yet been subdued by fewer than a hundred skilled wizards working together.

**Re'em blood** gives the drinker immense strength, though the difficulty in procuring it means that supplies are negligible and rarely for sale on the open market.

**Chimaera** - (para.) Rare greek monster with a lion's head, goat's body & dragon's tail. Vicious & bloodthirsty. Near impossible to kill. Their eggs (as I said) are Class A non-tradable goods.

**Erumpent** - (para.) Large gray African beast often mistaken for a rhinoceros. Has a thick hide that repels most charms and curses & a large horn that can pierce about anything and injects an exploding fluid into whatever it pierces. Erumpent horns, tails & exploding fluid are all used in potions, though they are Class B Tradable Materials (Dangerous and subject to strict control).


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

The next day Ron, Pansy and Blaise returned to their secluded spot by the Forbidden Forest as soon as they got outside. There was a light dusting of glimmering snow over the ground, and the only places to sit were under trees unless you wanted to sit on snow. People were staring more than ever, but had learned to be wary, so it felt like a safe enough place now, and many of the other Slytherins were hanging around nearby anyway.

Ron grinned as they sat there, Blaise slouched against his one side, Pansy on the other. It was so liberating not having to worry about being seen. They'd decided there was no point hiding their relationship anymore. It wasn't as if there was anyone at Hogwarts who hadn't heard about it by now, so what was the point?

It was nice to just sit there and relax... they had spent pretty much their entire morning digging through dusty old tomes that Snape had been logging back by the armload. Blaise had been able to get one of the seventh years to change the voice on his reader charm... made it sound like a sultry little sex goddess... but eventually he had to regretfully have them change it back... he found it disturbing to get aroused hearing a book talk about ancient wizards and their accomplishments.

"Think we'll ever find anything in those musty old books?" Pansy asked, letting her head laze back against Ron, peering up at him playfully.

"Never know... I mean we have to have at least half of the restricted section laying about the Dungeon by now... there's bound to be _something_..." Ron said, though not overly confidently.

"Ya... well I'd almost rather be doing homework!" Blaise said ruefully, "At least that's usually things that might actually prove useful in life... I doubt I will _ever_ find good cause to know Mort Spinebrickle's fifty seven uses for flobberworms! And I swear, if I ever catch one of the house elves reading _that,_ I'll never eat in the Great Hall again!"

They both laughed, then they lapsed back into companionable silence. After a minute, Blaise raised his head off of Ron's shoulder, looking puzzled. Ron looked over at him, "What?"

Blaise shrugged, "Dunno... just thought I heard..." He trailed off, shifting his head around. Suddenly he jerked upright. "What the bloody hell is _that_!?!"

Ron looked around, but didn't see anything. "What is what?"

"I... I _see_ something..." He said, looking shocked. He pulled off his glasses and did indeed appear to be staring at something, though his eyes were as blank as ever.

Ron tried to follow his gaze, but to no avail. "What does it look like?"

"Just... a ghostly little wispy thing... I..." He tensed, then scrambled backwards over the protruding tree roots.

Ron and Pansy watched in alarm as something knocked him flat, knocking the breath out of him. They could see his robe shifting, but not what might be there. Ron jumped to his feet, but then stopped, hearing Blaise start to chuckle.

"Ruddy-Nora!... you scared me shitless!" He chuckled. He shifted his head over towards them as they heard a little snuffling sound, "Go get Draco!" He said, chuckling as his hair appeared to be brushed aside by something.

Pansy shot a worried glance at Ron, then darted off in search of Draco. Ron just stood there, looking down at Blaise, unsure what he should do. "What is that thing?"

Blaise chuckled again as he closed his eyes, looking like he was avoiding something. "Thestral... little one... and an overly affectionate one it seems..." He said, laughing ruefully.

Ron's tension eased. Thestrals he could deal with. He moved closer and smirked. Dampness was appearing on his cheek, and from his reaction it looked to be licking his face.

"Hey now..." Blaise chuckled as Ron saw his eyelashes being brushed and more dampness appeared as it licked his eyelid. By the time it moved over to the other eye, Blaise was getting the giggles. "Stop it... that tickles..."

Ron chuckled.

"Tiger!" Draco said happily as he strolled over, Ginny and Pansy trailing after him. "What are you doing to Blaise? Come on... you know Thestrals make him nervous..."

Blaise blinked his eyes open as Tiger stopped licking him. He let out an involuntary gasp as he looked up at the colt, his blank white eyes going wide. Before, Tiger hadn't been more than a vague, formless wispy light... but now he could see it very well. Well, it was more as if he could see the wisps of whiteness clinging and flowing over it, setting off the surface of it's features like some kind of smokey aura. He followed it with his eyes as it sprang off him and scampered away. Then he gasped again.

It was Draco...

He just stared, unable to believe it... Draco was almost as bright as the Thestral. He watched in shocked amazement as Draco knelt and began playing with the rambunctious colt.

He scrambled to his feet, then moved carefully forward. He was still blind to everything else... it looked strangely like Draco and Tiger were just hanging there... two ghostly figures floating in the impenetrable blackness. He got over to them without incident, then knelt beside them.

Draco looked up curiously as Blaise reached out, touching his cheek unerringly and looking at him in wonder. "I can see you..." He said incredulously.

"You can see?"

Blaise started as Snape's voice came from near him. "No... just the Thestral... and Draco..."

"When did this happen?" Snape asked attentively.

"I... saw it vaguely when it came out of the Forest... then it started licking me on the face... and on my eyes... and when I opened them again..." He trailed off, running his hand down Draco's arm and watching the smoke-like aura flow around his hand.

"I see..." Snape said, nodding. "Thestral saliva has long been thought to have restorative properties... though they rarely choose to lick humans." Snape said with a rueful smirk. "And the White Wraith curse is closely enough linked with death that it is not completely unexpected that you would still be able to perceive Thestrals in some fashion... in fact, the Thestral probably sensed the curse in you and was attracted by it. Unfortunately, with such a strong curse, any benefit you get from this will be temporary."

"Well, that explains the Thestrals... but what about Draco?" Blaise said, still fascinated by the way the aura flowed around him.

"You're probably seeing Darien actually." Snape said thoughtfully. "He is still a spirit after all..."

"I think he's just making up excuses to touch me." Draco said mischievously.

Blaise smirked, his cheeks actually flushing ever so slightly as he pulled his hand away.

"Tell me... can you see anything else?" Snape asked curiously.

Blaise stood up, scanning around. As he turned back towards the forest, he stiffened. "Feck! How many of those bloody things _are_ there?"

They looked over, Snape, Ginny and Draco catching glimpses of Thestrals flitting between the trees.

They watched as one slipped out of the deeper shadows, venturing to the edge of the shade of the trees. It was a very large one... one Draco had only seen a couple of times. He was pretty sure it was the lead male of the group.

Draco walked over closer, bowing his head respectfully. The stallion bowed his head in return. Draco moved closer, stroking his hand down its graceful neck. Its ribs showed just as much as the others' did, but it somehow gave the impression of great strength.

"Friend of yours?" Snape asked warily as he eyed the imposing beast.

Draco looked over at him and grinned. "You could say that..." The stallion lightly butting it's head up against him affectionately.

"I see..." Snape said slowly.

Draco eyed Blaise. "Why don't you see if you can spot that bloody demon?"

Snape looked back over at Blaise considerately. "I doubt it, since the Demon is not, unfortunately, dead... but I suppose it is worth a try. Why don't you look over here before the sight fades..." Snape said, taking Blaise's arm and leading him forward a little ways until he had a view of most of the students.

Draco looked over as the stallion shifted around, bumping its flank against him. A wicked smirk slipped over his lips. He looked over at Ginny and pressed his finger to his lips, then took her by the waist and lifted her, setting her on the Stallion's back as it shifted it's wings out of the way. She smirked, but remained studiously silent.

Snape looked around as Draco settled on the stallion's back behind her. "And just what do you think you are doing?"

"Um... " Draco said, smirking ruefully at being caught, "I just thought we'd..."

"...Get back down, that's what you'll do. Daylight or not, I can't have my students wandering off into the Forbidden Forest!" Snape said firmly, folding his arms across his chest.

Draco sighed, "Oh come on..." he said petulantly, "We'll be back by the time we have to go in..."

"Absolutely not." Snape replied evenly.

The stallion folded his wings over their legs, then gave an unmistakably irritated snort, reeling around and darting off into the forest. It was all Draco and Ginny could do to hold on for dear life.

Draco let out a whoop of laughter as they darted through the dark forest at breakneck speed. The trees were blurring past at a dizzying rate, but he had no fear that the stallion couldn't handle it. He looked down and let out another laugh. Tiger was racing alongside, bounding along and reminding him of a rabbit.

"Look!" Ginny called over the wind as it whistled past.

He looked over and saw other Thestrals flitting through the woods. He watched with great amusement as they fell back into flanking positions, slipping into a rough, earthbound semblance of their usual flight formation.

It might not be flying, but tanking through the dense woods with such speed, and yet such agile grace, was amazing. After a few minutes, Draco chanced a glance back again and blinked in shock. The woods behind them was all but filled with Thestrals... far more than he'd ever seen before. He grinned and turned back forward, holding Ginny tighter as the stallion hurtled a downed tree without so much as jarring them.

Time seemed to stand still as they tore through the forest. Before he knew it, he was shocked to see a thinning in the trees and recognized the other edge of the Forest. The Stallion curved wide, turning back but leaving the others enough room to turn without trouble. Creatures in that number needed room to maneouver!

The trip back across the forest seemed to go by even faster, and depressingly soon they could see the trees thinning again, the forest looking a bit more familiar. The stallion slowed some, then cantered lazily out to the very edge, the rest hanging back a bit.

Draco ignored the angry glare Snape gave him as he dismounted, then helped Ginny off. When they were both back on the ground he couldn't help but wrap his arms around the stallion's neck. "Thank you so much... that was amazing... I was starting to get the rattle being stuck inside every night without you all..."

As he let go, the stallion shifted his head around, lightly butting it into him again before turning and trotting back off towards the deeper shadows. Draco laughed as he saw Tiger. Tiger had kept up with them the whole way, and was now springing around excitedly, obviously wound up from the run even though he was panting hard.

Draco knelt down and Tiger immediately raced over, butting his head into him so hard he almost knocked him over. Draco laughed and got ahold of him, ruffling his mane as Tiger licked his cheek enthusiastically.

The stallion looked back, then let out a cry. Tiger looked over, then gave Draco one more lick before bounding off after him. Draco just grinned as he watched him go.

"Brought along the whole bloody herd, didn't you?" Snape said sarcastically as he watched the Thestrals disappearing back into the gloom of the forest.

Draco smirked at him, "What can I say? I'm popular."

Snape gave him a derisive snort. "How am I supposed to guard your safety if you're dashing off into the woods every time I turn my back?"

Draco sighed, rolling his eyes. "On come on Snape..."

"That's _Professor_ Snape." Snape said briskly.

Draco's eyes darted up, noting the two Aurors standing nearby for the first time. "I'm sorry Professor Snape. It won't happen again." Draco said, properly repentant.

"See that it doesn't. All of the other houses have already made their way in." Snape said, looking at the other gathered Slytherin's. "Come along now. I'm sure you're all eager to get back to your studies." He said with a smirk.

They let out a collective groan, but made their way back towards the castle dutifully.

-----------------

Snape scanned the spines of the books before him, pulling out book after book and stacking them on his desk. He had taken about every book from the Restricted section of the library that looked like it had any potential whatsoever already. He pulled out one of the thicker books, leafing through it, trying to remember if it was the one he'd thought about earlier. The name of that book kept escaping him irritatingly.

He started as he heard a light knock on his door. He turned and saw Hermione peeking into his office hesitantly. He sighed and turned back to his book. "What do you need Miss Granger? You should be at dinner. You know students aren't allowed to roam the corridors alone right now." He said distractedly.

She came in, closing the door behind her. "Do you have to call me that?" She said sadly.

"It is the customary fashion in which I address my students." He said in an emotionless voice.

She sighed, coming up to his desk. "Snape..."

"It is also customary for students to refer to me as _Professor_ Snape." he said, not looking up.

She let out a little pained sound. "Please..." She said, her voice aching.

He sighed and closed the book, placing it on the stack and sitting in his chair. "What do you want _Hermione_?" he asked tiredly.

She bit her lip, dropping her eyes. She made her way around his desk, standing before him, clasping her hand pensively. "I'm scared..." She said in a small voice.

He took a deep breath and let it out. "We all are. We'll get through this... just give it some time."

"I can't believe it was... I mean..." She shuddered, hugging herself. She didn't meet his eyes. "I just can't... look at him the same now... I just..." She let out a deep, shuddering sigh. "He... hurt me... that last night... I just couldn't... admit it with everyone staring at me like that... and... I just can't get the look he had in his eyes out of my head..." She said achingly.

Snape closed his eyes, his chest aching. He had suspected, but hadn't pressed her on the subject. He knew it was selfish, but he simply hadn't wanted to know. He knew it would hurt too much if it was confirmed... and he was right.

"He... he says he cared for me... but I mean how could I ever be sure? I mean it was probably all just part of that thing's plan... I just can't believe I fell for it... Why didn't I see anything strange in that? I mean all those years he barely even acknowledged that I was _female_, and I actually believed him when..." Her voice trailed off. She stared at the floor before her, looking anguished, "I just _wanted_ to believe him so much... I mean... he's who I was _supposed_ to be with, wasn't he? I mean he's attractive... my best friend... my own age..." She said, finishing in a near whisper. She took a deep breath, "I think... maybe... I made a bad decision... can... can I change it?" She asked, looking up at him with a pleading look in her eyes.

He looked at those big brown eyes and let out a groan. He wished she wouldn't look at him like that. It made everything so much more difficult... He braced himself, trying not to imagine what Harry might have done to her. "You were very clear in that decision... you had very valid arguments... and in the end I think it was the correct one. I've gone on with my life Hermione. Go on with yours."

She dropped her eyes as they got watery. She hugged herself tighter. "You... you don't know what it's like... I mean I'm so alone... I've never felt this alone... I don't have Ron... I... can't handle being around Harry..." The name caught in her throat and she swallowed hard. "I don't even have Ginny... and everyone just _stares_ at me... and I know what they're thinking... no one wants to be near me because that thing had it's way with me... it tainted me..." She said, big tears splashing down her cheeks.

He sighed. "You're not tainted, Hermione." He said gently.

She sniffled, "_You_ don't even want anything to do with me..."

He sighed again. "It has nothing to do with that, Hermione. Like I said before, I've gone on with my life... What we had was wonderful... and... I can't bring myself to regret it, even now... but it was also _wrong_. I can't be in a relationship with a student, no matter how much I care for her. We've already discussed this..." He said sadly, reaching up and brushing a tear from her cheek.

She moved forward, putting her knees to either side of him in the big chair and wrapping herself around him, sobbing onto his shoulder. He sighed and held her, stroking his hand down her hair soothingly. After a few minutes her sobs finally started to ease. He held her, waiting for her to gather herself. Suddenly he felt her starting to kiss his neck. "Hermione..." He said sadly.

She held him a bit tighter. "I can't go back there tonight... take me back to your room... like you used to... please... just one night..."

"You know I can't do that Hermione."

"Please... I want you to make love to me... I want to feel like I used to..." She said pleadingly, nuzzling up to him as her body pressed against his.

Snape suddenly realized just what a vulnerable position she had him in... and that she was being a bit more forward than he'd expect her to be, even in such an emotional time. He silently cursed his own arrogance for going off alone. "Maybe... maybe we can meet somewhere later..." he said, trying to make it sound as if he might be giving in.

She stiffened, letting out a huff of irritation and he suddenly felt her forearm pressed against his neck. She pulled back some, glaring at him. "Too smart for your own bloody good, now aren't you?" She said with malice, her normally soft eyes hard and narrowed.

He tried to get to his wand, but he found it's usual pocket empty.

She smirked at him, holding his wand up where he could see it, then flipping it over her shoulder. He watched fearfully as it clattered onto the desk, then rolled off the far side. "I'm not stupid either... especially when I'm in _her_..." she said with glee dancing in her eyes. Her face sobered. "It's too bad master would prefer you to live..." She said, running one fingernail down his cheek, leaving a red mark, but not pressing quite hard enough to break the skin. "She really wants you, you know... I've never felt desire so strong... I think she's in love with you..." She said, watching his eyes gleefully, Her voice became derisive, "Isn't that _sweet_?" She chuckled unpleasantly. "It would have been very pleasurable... are you sure you don't want to give her a good shag? She could definitely use it. When I was Potter I didn't really bother with more than my own pleasure... she never said anything, but I knew she was very dissatisfied with what I did to her... of course that made it even more enjoyable for me..." She said with malicious glee.

He stared studiously over her shoulder, refusing to acknowledge her.

"I shagged her a lot when I was Potter... once I had shagged her the first time, and discovered she wasn't pure... well... guilty is the best way to get into someone's pants... any time she didn't want to let me shag her I played the hurt boyfriend... it's so easy to manipulate these children... and Potter..." She gave a shiver of pleasure, letting out a little moan. "I've never felt such a tortured soul... it was bloody brilliant! He's like candy... just can't get enough of him... and he was tortured to begin with... it didn't even take any effort! I can't wait to taste him now... from what I've seen, he's just this side of mental! It certainly didn't take much encouragement to get Fudge to give him an extra measure of torture... Now _that_ was fun to watch! Too bad they started doing their hourly checks and cut my entertainment short..."

"So you're why he was so blatantly sadistic with Potter." Snape said accusingly, letting his eyes drift over curiously before darting them back away, not able to stand seeing that evil look on Hermione's sweet face.

She let out an ugly laugh. "Please! I just made a suggestion or two and he dove in head first. Off the deep end as well if you ask me... That man is such a chuffing goit he does all the atrocities on his own! He got a bit carried away after I left though... actually stuck Unicorn blood in Potter! Otherwise I'd be safely nestled in Potters tortured little loaf. Oh don't worry... it will wear off soon. His body is already starting to purge it from his system... Caused a bit of a problem for me last night actually... got the ninny to shag me... never even occurred to me that some of that naffing Unicorn blood essence would get in her! It was all I could do to get upstairs and knock her out before it chased me out of her! Couldn't get back in her until morning... luckily there were all of her little roommates to play with. And I think leaving him like that really fucked with his head too..." She said with sadistic glee.

She glanced down at him. "You can use that information if you'd like. Go slaughter a couple dozen unicorns and stick their blood in all the little children... Fudge was just a few drops shy of invoking the curse of the Unicorn's blood on Potter as it was... if you think it's really worth it to curse all of the students just for a short reprieve from me, go to it! I can be very patient when I need to be." A wicked grin spread over her lips. "I'm also very good at shagging... I could do things to you this silly child could never imagine..." She said, grinding her hips against his lap seductively.

He tightened his jaw. "I'm not going to play your sadistic little games, beast. Either kill me or get out." He said coldly.

She chuckled. "So quick... you're no fun at all..." She said, leaning forward and licking her tongue over his lips. She smirked, looking amused as he tried to pull away. "You used to like it when she did that..." She shrugged. "Oh well... down to business then. I'm here to offer you a very generous deal... Give me the Weasleys and I'll leave your precious Slytherin House unscathed..."

"I'm afraid I can't do that." He said crisply.

Her expression darkened, her eyes beginning to glow as anger filled them. "You don't want to be on my bad side Snape!" She hissed threateningly.

"I have no doubt that is true, but I still can't simply hand over two of my students." He said firmly.

"Master would prefer you live... but it was not a requirement!" She said menacingly. "Stand in my way, and I'll just have to _apologize_ to Master."

"The Weasleys aren't part of your little mission, now are they? That's personal. I doubt your _Master_ would approve of you killing me for personal reasons, now would he? Keep placing my students lives in danger for your own petty little grudges and I'll have to have a talk with Lucius about his errant _minion_." Snape said shrewdly.

She narrowed her eyes further, making them slits of pure red in her anger. "You're going to regret this Snape." She growled, then an ominous grin spread across her mouth. "I don't have to kill you to show you the true meaning of pain. I can hurt you more than you could ever imagine..." She said with vindictive promise.

She waited for his reaction, but he didn't dignify that with a response. She let out an inhuman growl of anger. "Very well. Just remember this was your choice, Snape!" she hissed. She slipped off him and grabbed him up, tossing him effortlessly against the wall behind him, smashing the bookshelves where he hit, then sprang over the desk and sprinted out the door as he tried to pick himself up off the floor. He managed to stagger to his feet and make his way around his desk, snatching up his wand and hurrying out the door after it. He clutched his side, which felt like it was on fire with pain, looking up and down the corridor. Much to his dismay, there were several groups of students in the hall, crossing paths and heading in opposite directions. He searched their faces as one group headed in his direction. McGonagall, who was accompanying the group, spotted him.

"Severus, whatever is the matter? Are you injured?" She said, noting his pained expression and the way he was clutching his side.

"It's in the area... get your students back to their house and check them all thoroughly." He said briskly, starting after the other group. He'd have to depend on her to do that part.

She made as if to call after him, but then sighed and hurried her students off towards their House as requested.

Before he could catch up with the other group, they crossed paths with what appeared to be the whole of Hufflepuff House. He growled in frustration. There was no way he'd find it if it'd been in that group. He turned, looking back after the other group.

His heart froze in his chest.

He slowly walked forward, a sense of unreality filling him. From this angle he was able to see her. Hermione was in a small alcove... just standing there stock still. He unwillingly approached her, suddenly fervently hoping she would spring out and try to kill him...

He felt as if he'd been stabbed through the heart as he saw her dull eyes staring back at him sightlessly. "Hermione?" He asked in a pained voice, unable to accept what he was seeing. Her eyes remained empty and lifeless.

He let out a pained cry, wrapping his arms around her. Her knees buckled and she sagged against him, her head lulling limply against his shoulder. He fell back against the wall of the alcove and slid to the floor, clutching her to him. He buried his face in her hair as sobs wracked his body.

----------------------

A/N - joaniem - I never did say whom Draco was teasing Snape about... :)

A/N 2 - I don't know what happened with the last chapter. It must have been something with fanfiction, because I certainly didn't do anything with it. I checked, and it comes up just fine for _me_, though it is now named "32" instead of "Chapter 32" as I named it when I posted it... Perhaps something changed it... and if so, it might have made the emailed links invalid, but you should be able to get to it the regular way... If you are still having trouble with it just tell me and I will upload it again. Oh, and I may have to repost Chapter 29, there seems to be a bug with it that won't let people go past it. If it doesn't clear up by tomorrow I'm gonna try reposting, just so you're not confused as to why you may receive a message saying new chapter for it. I know you like posts every day, but with the problems I'm starting to have with the chapters, I think I'm going to start cutting back on the number by making them longer (like this one or more) so there might be what would normally be two chapters or so in each... but this means it might be two days or more between, because I'm writing these as I go... I already had the scene with Hermione written for the most part or I wouldn't have gotten this one out so quickly. I can only write so much in a day with my schedule.

As for the Thestrals, yes, I did already have this planned when seeing more of the Thestrals was requested. You people are getting too bloody psychic! **Cut out the Ligilimency!** I mean it! What's the point of writing stuff if you've already talked about it? I have no problem with questions and comments and all that kinda stuff in the reviews, but if you want to check out your theories or make special requests, email me with "Thestrals" or something like that in the subject line.

And to "PLEASE", in response to the cutting out Draco/Darien... **TALK TO THE HAND!** You don't like the story, STOP READING. I can be a very stubborn person, so all being told what to do does is make me **_really arsey!_**


	34. Chapter 34

A/N - smut (near the middle. Snape doesn't get any. Sorry... or... you're welcome... whichever applies ;P ) Oh, and the twins alternate. We all know this. I give up saying who's talking each time ;)

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Chapter 34

The Slytherins all looked up as Snape entered. He just stood there while Draco came over and cast the detecting spell on him as they had agreed. When Draco was done, Snape sealed the House. When he was done, he lowered his wand and put it away, but didn't turn back towards them. Almost everyone was looking at him at this point, noticing the unusually somber air around the normally smirking and sarcastic man.

"What's happened?" Draco asked softly.

Snape took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then turned to face his students. "There has been another... incident..." He said, his voice flat and emotionless.

"What incident?" Draco asked, his concern growing. He'd never seen Snape so devoid of emotion... Draco and Snape had come to know eachother rather well over the years... and he knew for a fact that such an emotionless exterior meant that he was quite the contrary on the inside.

Snape took another breath. "It... took Hermione Granger."

Ron felt like he'd been hit in the stomach. He looked over at Ginny, who was looking back in horrified shock. "What do you mean it 'took' her?" Ron asked, his voice tight with emotion.

"Her soul." Snape said softly.

There was a horrified intake of breath.

"She's _dead_?" Ron squeaked in anguish.

"No." Snape said, his voice growing stronger and gaining a spiteful edge. "I mean she is without a soul. Her body is laying in the hospital wing, but it is merely an empty husk now... nothing of Hermione Granger remains in it."

Ron's legs buckled and he sat abruptly on the floor. He couldn't speak for several minutes. The rest of the students remained quiet, watching him pensively, knowing how close he had been to her. Pansy helped Blaise over to him and he sat behind Ron, wrapping his arms around the distraught boy and holding him to him.

Ron's head was spinning. All he could think was how little he'd seen of her since coming to Slytherin... and he had _known_ how sad and distressed she'd been... He hadn't spoken to her for more than a few minutes that entire week! He'd been a wretched excuse for a friend, and she'd never even done anything to him to justify it!

At length Ron looked up, tears streaking down his cheeks. "Is... is there anything that can be done?"

Snape's jaw tightened. "We have to either force it to release her soul, which is _very_ unlikely, or kill it." He said grimly. "When it's destroyed the souls it holds will be released... and if their bodies remain alive, there is a chance they may return to them. It's a slim chance, but her only hope."

A look of angry determination set on Ron's face. "Then we kill it. Use me as bait. Stake me to a bloody tree at midnight, I don't care, but _kill that bloody thing_!"

--------------------

Ginny hugged Ron, tears streaking down her face. She couldn't help but feel guilty as well. She had seen Hermione, seen the anguish she'd been in, and done nothing. She sighed and hugged herself as Ron went off, letting Pansy and Blaise comfort him.

She looked around, surprised Draco hadn't so much as come over... She caught a flash of unmistakable white-blond hair rounding a corner down one of the corridors. Puzzled as to where he could be going, she followed. She paused as she came to the corner, hearing voices.

"I'm fine Draco. Go away." Snape said crisply, followed by the sound of a door opening.

She peeked around the corner and saw Snape disappearing into the room he'd been using while the dungeon was sealed, since his own quarters were outside the Dungeon. Snape made to close the door, but Draco stopped it with his hand, forcing his way in.

She saw a glimpse of Snape looking irritated, then they disappeared behind the door. She moved closer...

-------------

"Don't give me that 'I'm fine' shite Snape. We both know you aren't." Draco said, folding his arms across his chest, making it clear this subject would not be dropped.

Snape glared at him.

"I know we joke about it, but we both know how much she means to you." Draco said seriously.

"That was a past mistake. Why can't you leave it in the _past_?" Snape said irritably.

"I will as soon as you do." Draco countered just as irritably. His eyes dropped, spotting something. He went over, pulling aside Snape's robes, noting a slight glistening to the dark material. He touched it and his fingers came away red. "Bloody Hell, Snape." He said, stripping off the robes without asking.

Snape looked at his side, mildly surprised. He'd been so numb emotionally that his physical pain had been all but forgotten as well. He didn't bother objecting as Draco stripped off his vest and outer shirt, knowing it would be of no use. When he was down to his white cotton undershirt, Draco grimaced at the amount of blood staining the cloth. He pulled the bottom of the shirt loose and lifted it. "Bloody hell..." He muttered again, pulling out his wand.

Without another word, Draco cleared off the small desk and made Snape sit on it, then set to work casting healing spells.

"You aren't exactly a medi-witch... where'd you learn so many healing spells?" Snape asked.

Draco paused, looking up at him. "You know my father. You figure it out." Draco said with a bitter edge to his sarcastic tone.

Snape chose to remain silent after that. When Draco was done, he cast cleansing spells, but the pristine white material still retained a slight discoloration.

Draco shrugged. "We had house elves for the laundry." He said with a smirk.

Snape rolled his eyes and sighed. "Thank you very much for your assistance, Draco. You can go now."

Draco tucked away his wand. "Like hell I will." He said, shifting over and taking a seat on the desk next to him. "What happened?" He asked, his voice becoming gentle, but retaining an insistent edge.

Snape sighed, staring at his hands, "It cornered me in my office..." He said softly. "By the time I realized it was in her, it had already disarmed me without my even noticing..."

Draco looked at him, surprised. "And it didn't do more damage than that?"

Snape was silent for a minute. Draco waited patiently, not wanting to push him. Finally he answered, still staring studiously at his hands. "It's not supposed to kill me. Apparently your father hasn't divined my true alliances as of yet... It made me an offer... hand over the Weasleys and it would leave the Slytherins alone. Of course I refused..." He closed his eyes, unmistakable pain etched on his face, "It's my fault... it only took her to get back at me..." He said in a hoarse whisper.

Draco put his hand on Snape's shoulder, then sighed and wrapped his arms around him.

Snape tensed, "I'm not a child, Mr. Malfoy." he said shortly.

"I know..." Draco said, not releasing him, "But we all need comfort sometimes... it might not be much... but it's all I have to offer..." He sighed, closing his eyes. "I know what it feels like to lose a love..." He said gently, his voice unmistakable Darien's, "I got mine back... and so will you."

Snape's stiff posture eased some. Ginny watched incredulously through the little gap in the door... there was a tear slipping down Snape's cheek. She bit her lip and backed away from the door. After a moment of indecision, she turned and left.

---------------

Ginny pretended to be asleep when Draco returned. She just lay there with her back to him and her eyes closed as he got ready for bed. She tried to make her breathing slow and even as he slipped into the bed beside her.

He cuddled up to her and slipped his arm around her waist, gently kissing the back of her neck. "I'm not buying it." He murmured, smirking against her.

She sighed.

He shifted up on one elbow and turned her to lay on her back. "You ok? I'm sorry I ran off..."

She gave him a little weak smile, "That's ok..."

He eyed her silently for a moment. "You followed me." It wasn't a question.

She bit her lip.

He sighed, closing his eyes tiredly.

"Did he... really... I mean _Hermione_?" She asked incredulously.

Draco gave a little shrug. "I admit, the first time I... um... found out... it was a bit shocking for me... but mostly because she was a Gryffindor... and a mud... um... muggleborn..." He said, quickly catching himself.

Ginny glared at him, crossing her arms over her chest angrily. "Don't tell me you're still hung up on that whole 'pure blood' thing? I mean would you have even looked at me twice if I was a muggleborn?"

Draco sighed. "To be honest, I might not have..."

Her jaw dropped in shock.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Ginny..." He sighed, "You have to understand what it's like for us... all our lives it's been drummed into us... and occasionally beaten into us..." He said darkly. "It's not the easiest thing to overcome... I have nothing against them personally... and I'm trying... because I know how much you hate that... but..." He shrugged, "It's just difficult..."

She sighed, the anger easing from her face. It was just so hard to stay mad at him when he looked so sincere... she decided drop that for now. "But still... she's his _student_! How _could_ he?"

He smirked, "She started it actually... He and I had a long talk after I found out... guess a detention went a bit awry... they got into a bit of a row and then suddenly..." He shrugged, "Well... anyway... I learned a lot about Snape from that talk that I never even suspected... they may have a lot of differences... but once you come down to it... they are a lot more alike than I think even _they_ want to admit. When he went to school here, he was the one who was a bit of an outcast because he knew so much... his teachers called him a know-it-all..." Draco said with a smirk, "Of course he wasn't fortunate enough to have friends like she does..."

"But... she always hated him!" Ginny said, confused.

Draco smirked. "Like they say... there's a fine line between love and hate. It's not _that_ uncommon for two people who appear to hate eachother with a passion to end up falling in love..." He looked down at her with a significant smirk.

She blushed and grinned. She had to admit, she had really hated him... She could still remember how absolutely brilliant it felt to curse him less than a year ago... "Still..."

He chuckled, "Give him a break... he's taught here for fifteen years now and he's never laid a finger on a student before... and I'm sure more than one has tried... the other Houses might not care for him, but there is always at least a couple of Slytherins that are completely in love with him." He said with a rueful smirk.

Oddly enough... having spent some time in Slytherin and seeing how he acted when there were only Slytherins around... she found that surprisingly easy to believe. "Ok, so maybe he's not a complete nonce, but as you just pointed out, he's been teaching here nearly as long as she's been _alive_!"

"So? Witches and wizards can live to be as much as two hundred years old... what difference does a couple little decades make?"

She lay there silently for a minute, then looked over at him. "Does he really... _love_ her?"

Draco dropped his eyes and reluctantly nodded. "He's not the most open person emotionally... but I can relate to that." He said with a rueful smirk, "I can tell he's still in love with her... I doubt she has any idea how hard he took it when she chucked him the minute Potter showed an interest... He hasn't been quite the same since..."

Ginny looked over at him. "If you knew it was hurting him... I mean isn't it a bit cruel to be teasing him like you do?"

Draco gave her a little smirk and shook his head. "He doesn't mind that. I've never told another soul about him and Hermione... after she broke it off, I told him I'd stop... he told me I didn't have to... he said when I tease him... it... well... it reminds him of a promise kept... a trust unbroken... Helps him remember that there's someone he can trust... no matter what."

She blinked up at him. "That's... almost... kind of sweet..." She said, surprised.

He grinned. "Don't tell _him_ that."

She smirked, then it slipped away. "I guess it doesn't matter anymore... I mean... she's...."

He put his finger over her lips, silencing her. "I have no intention of letting that bloody demon keep her soul. Granger may get up my nose to no end, but I'm going to do anything I can to get her back... even if she doesn't deserve it. For Snape. He's done far more for me than anyone else has ever bothered to."

She sighed, slipping her arms around him and cuddling up to him.

He held her tightly for a few minutes before breaking the silence. "It scares me..." He reluctantly admitted.

She looked up at him. "What does?"

"How easily she was taken... it terrifies me to image that happening to you..." he said softly.

The open fear and worry in his expression was heart rending. She shifted up, capturing his lips and kissing him deeply.

When they broke, he smirked at her, his sense of humor obviously recovering from the seriousness. "I can cast that little invisibility spell if you'd like..." He said, wriggling his eyebrows wickedly.

She giggled. "That was fun, but I think I prefer you hot and visible..." She said with a smirk.

He smirked. "As the lady wishes..." He said, then glanced at her mischievously. "It occurs to me... there's something I've never done to you while I was all 'hot'..."

She was about to ask him what when he disappeared under the covers. She felt a trill of excitement as he pulled off her knickers with practiced ease, then spread her legs. She gasped as he settled down between her legs. His hot tongue felt even more incredible than it had their first time together.

He grabbed ahold of her hips and held them down. It felt amazing, but she quickly started feeling frustrated... he wouldn't let her press up against him and her body was quickly aching for penetration... which he was stubbornly denying her.

She reached down and pulled the covers off, then looked down. His eyes were closed, and he looked blissfully intent on his task. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying it almost as much as she was... Her head started to swim as she watched him, and a sudden, unexpected peak rushed through her, making her cry out.

Even before that one had passed, she felt another rising as he kept up his onslaught without pause. His ministrations were quickly becoming nearly excruciating in their intensity. "Draco..." she said between gasps, her voice pleading.

He immediately released her hips, sliding up and plunging himself into her in one fluid movement. She cried out and came as he started thrusting into her hard. He groaned as she clamped down and writhed under him, pushing harder.

As much as she was moving around and crying out, it wasn't long before he was close as well. He sped up even more, then rammed himself into her and tensed as he spent himself with a deep groan.

As the tension drained out of him, he slumped down on top of her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly. "No one is ever taking you from us again..." He said softly, gently kissing her.

----------------

The twins looked at the door before them, then looked at eachother. They had been waiting for word from their mysterious contact with both impatience and apprehension. Fred had sent off an owl to Draco the day before telling him they had made contact... and asking why the bloody hell he was so amused that they didn't know what the letter said... his response had read simply "I'm trusting you with Blaise's life. Don't let him down." They found that somewhat less than reassuring... They braced themselves, then reached out, taking the doorknob at the same time.

And then they were back in the ancient looking livingroom. Their host was sitting at the large desk against the opposite wall this time, facing away from them. He was sipping tea as he looked over some parchment. He was wearing robes today, but was still decked out completely in black. "Cuppa?" He asked offhandedly without looking.

"No thanks." They said in unison.

He set down his cup, then slipped the cloth back up over his face before turning and glancing over, looking amused.

"We got your owl..." Fred began.

"Do you have the ingredients?"

"Most of them." He said offhandedly, tapping a slender finger against one of the boxes on the desk before grabbing up a quill and scribbling something on the parchment.

The twins hurried over, looking in the box.

"This is only three of them..."

"There were six on the list..."

"That's hardly _most_..."

He looked over at them, his eyes narrowing in an irritated glare. "I have one other as well, but I'm hardly just going to toss it in some box. I have to be sure payment will be received before I part with _that_ item."

The twins looked at eachother, then back over at him.

"He said you had access to his vault..."

"Can't you just get the payment yourself?"

He looked amused again. "Not everything is for _sale_... some things must be _bartered_ for... money is grand, but only has so many uses. Draco's letter assured me that you would perform any services necessary to procure the items requested."

They shared a nervous glance. "Um..."

"What do you mean by _services_?"

"Usually I need test subjects for potions I'm working on... things of that nature... the rarer the item you are bartering for, the longer I get you and the more dangerous the tests... and this is an _exceptionally_ rare item..." From the look in his eyes, they had no doubt the cloth over his face was covering a particularly mischievous smirk. "But you will be an exception... I've had a theory about twins I've been wanting to test for years... as close as you two are, you will be simply prefect."

"Now hold on a bloody minute!"

"We're not merchandise!

He chuckled. "Very well. Let the boy die. Makes no difference to me." He shrugged, settling back casually in his chair. "I've received payment for those items. Take them and go." He said, his voice rife with amusement, "But I can guarantee you won't find the last item on your list anywhere else in the whole of Europe. Draco undoubtedly knew that when he sent you. He also knew I wouldn't part with it without _very_ good reason. This is a limited time offer, gentlemen. You accept it and fulfill the agreement today or the item will be off the table. Permanently."

They looked at eachother contemplatively. Draco apparently knew this person well... and he wouldn't put their lives in danger, would he? They were practically family now after all... and Ginny wouldn't take kindly to him sending them to their deaths... Besides, they'd read the descriptions of what the White Wraith curse did to its victims... horrific didn't even begin to to describe it... how could they let that happen to Blaise if they could prevent it? He had been very special to them, and they couldn't stand the thought of the vibrant, loving boy being ravaged by that curse. It wasn't as if they had much choice... These thoughts flowed through both of their minds without any need to put them to voice.

They turned back to him as one. "What does this service involve?" Fred asked cautiously.

He looked pleased. "Just an hour of your lives. After that you are free to take your precious ingredient and leave. Cooperate and do as you're told and I promise you that you will both come out of this without any permanent damage." He said mirthfully.

That wasn't exactly as informative as they would have liked, but they both sighed and nodded.

"Brilliant. Just sign here and we'll get you ready." He said, pushing the parchment he'd been working on where they could see it and holding out a quill.

"You didn't say we had to sign a contract..."

"What's this about then?"

He grinned. "Everyone I gain services from must sign first. It just states the conditions of our agreement that I have already informed you of, and gives me exclusive rights to any results of your services. Pretty standard. You have test subjects for your little gags and such don't you? Surely you make them sign something..." He looked between the two, noting their blank expressions and laughed. "My... trusting lot, aren't you? Well your Ministry can be a right pain in the arse if you don't have your bases covered, so I must insist. You're free to read it of course."

Fred picked it up and they read it in silence. It did indeed appear to say exactly what he said it did. Well, at least they would have the 'no permanent damage' in writing... His signature was already on the bottom, though it was in that strange language. The reference to '_your_ Ministry' hadn't passed their notice. The ministry _was_ a bit... _uncharitable_ with outsiders...

They sighed and took turns signing it, then handed it back. He glanced over the signatures, then rolled it up and stuck it in a little cubby that had been sitting open. They heard a definite click as he closed it.

"Alright then!" He said, flowing to his feet, "Let's get you through decontamination." He said, strolling off.

They followed, looking confused. "Decontamination?"

"What do you mean by that?"

He led them out a door and down a dim corridor, "You reek of errant magic. Probably use yourselves as test subjects..." He said mirthfully, "I need to remove all residual effects and charms." He opened another door and led them into what appeared to be a regular bathroom. "All clothes and such are to be left on the shelf over there, and definitely leave your wands and any charms there. If you haven't noticed, I have a dampening field, so they are useless here anyway, and if you take them into the shower with you I can't guarantee they will work again even after you leave. The water is spelled to remove all charms, hexes and minor curses and their effects... It's abilities are limited, but I've already checked you and you appear to be free of anything major. So hop in, get cleaned up and go through that door over there." He said, pointing to another door. "Take as long as you like, but your hour doesn't start until you enter the other room."

With that, he left through the indicated door, though they couldn't see through it at this angle. They looked at eachother, then sighed and stripped down. When they had everything on the shelf, they went over to examine the 'shower'. It looked like a regular shower stall... though a very large one. The sliding doors were made of a kind of smoked glass, the interior tiled with subdued golden tiles inscribed with thin white scrollwork. There was a drain, but no apparent shower head. They got in hesitantly and then started slightly as the door slid shut behind them. As soon as it sealed, water began falling from the ceiling of the stall. It had no particular source... more like a drenching rainfall.

They both let out little groans as it washed over them. It was the perfect temperature... and it seemed to instantly begin washing away every ache and pain in their entire bodies.

"Blimey... we _have_ to see what it'd cost to get one of these..." Fred murmured appreciatively.

"Too right..." George sighed. "That catch in my shoulder's already gone... had that for weeks..."

They fell silent for several long minutes, just enjoying the soothing comfort of the water. It was even healing aches and pains they never even realized they _had_...

"What ya think he's going to do to us?" Fred finally asked, breaking the silence.

"Dunno. But then again... if he lets us back in here after, it might be worth it." George said with a smirk.

Fred chuckled, then sobered. "We should probably get this over with..."

George sighed and nodded, regretfully sliding the door open. The water stopped immediately.

There were two large white towels that they didn't remember being there before hanging from a bar outside the stall. They each took one and toweled off. Fred glanced up and sighed. Their clothes were gone of course. George followed his gaze and sighed as well. They secured the towels around their waists and made their way to the other door.

When they went through the door, they looked at eachother uneasily. The room was decorated entirely in shades of gray, the walls a dark slate color... and there was a very large bed covered in black silk against the opposite wall. They spotted their host easily enough. He was sitting on a stool with his back to them, finishing up writing something on a scroll. He had removed his hood and startlingly white hair flowed down his back and several inches past the stool. Half of it was worked into intricate braids, the rest hanging loose.

"I think we've been tommed out mate." George whispered ruefully.

Fred had to smirk. "Could be worse then..." They we're really _that_ into males, but they could put up with an hour of shagging with just about anyone.

"You won't need those..." He said, snapping his fingers. Their towels dissipated like smoke.

They looked over as he set aside the quill and rose. Their eyes went wide as he turned...

He had to be the most beautiful creature they'd seen this side of a Veela. The skin matched the hair, being a ghostly white... but somehow it didn't look unhealthy. The periwinkle eyes glowed vibrantly against the pale complexion, a little smirk flitting over pale lips. And the ears... gracefully arched works of art curving up to a delicate point. They just stared in shock.

"I trust you boys are smart enough to figure out what I want from you..." They just watched mutely as the black robe came loose, slipping down to pool on the floor.

Their eyes went even wider. They just stared in an entirely impolite manner. "But..." Fred stammered in amazement.

"You're..."

"A... _GIRL_!" They just stared. Her body was slender and willowy, but unmistakably female.

Musical laughter emerged from her throat. "How very astute... actually I haven't been a _girl_ in nearly three centuries, but I _am_ a woman... so nice of you to notice... you may call me Kulia." She said, her tongue rolling slightly as she pronounced it, "It's probably as close as you're going to get to my name in your tongue..."

"What _are_ you?" George asked, awed.

More laughter. "My, _tactful_ as well." Kulia said sarcastically, then smirked at them, "I'm a Snow Elf of course..."

"But those are..."

"Extinct!"

She smirked again, "Not quite, obviously." She said, turning and gliding over to the bed. They just watched as she draped herself across it, propping her head up with one hand and looking over at them, her pristine white flesh set off vibrantly by the jet black sheets. "So... am I going to get some service out of you two, or are you just going to stand there catching flies all day?"

They looked at eachother, big grins plastering themselves across their faces.

-------------

A/N - I don't usually do this, but here's a couple replies to reviews...

**dementorchic** - I don't like to torture my characters, I just... I mean it just kind of _happens_... and... hmm.... (thinks about it) Dang! I guess I _do_... (sadistic grin)

**ladyjinx** - just thought I'd comment... I think Blaise is so great because he is a J.K. character, but at the same time a blank slate that we can play with and form however we want! It's much more fun than having set rules as far as how they act, personality, etc.... oh, and as I read your review and your comment about the lobotomy, I couldn't help remember one of my favorite 'songs' growing up that was played by "Dr. Demento" on a local radio station very late at night... _Existential Blues_ by T-bone Stankus (sp?) "'I would rather have this bottle in front of me... than a frontal lobotomy!' 'How profound wizard...'" (giggles) and they wonder why I'm so odd...

And can I just say... the bugs appear to be ironed out of chapter 29 (knock on wood) YAY!!! I had to reupload that bloody thing _twice_ to get it to take!!!


	35. Chapter 35

A/N - smut. Sorry, couldn't resist at least SOME action with the twins... they're just too damn shaggable! And as for Kulia, as with many descriptions I've seen for elves in the past (the taller, more human looking and rarer varieties that is) she has a gender neutral voice and facial features (both male and female elves are said to be extremely beautiful, but often not immediately discernible as male or female without obvious biological clues usually hidden by their clothes (smirk)). (As for the ingredients, we'll get to 'em!)

Chapter 35

Fred stirred, feeling blissfully contented. Kulia was half draped across him, her head resting on George's chest where he lay to one side. He smiled, feeling himself still nestled deep inside her. He stroked his hand down her pale, pristine skin. They'd never had a woman so energetic and enthusiastic... not to mention tight... no matter how many times they shagged her, she was still the tightest woman they'd ever had. Maybe it was simply a physical difference because she was an elf... if that was it, they would definitely have to search out more Snow Elves...

He ran his hand over the swell of her nice, firm rump. He was surprised to find himself getting aroused again. He wouldn't have thought it possible... he'd long since lost count of the number of times they'd shagged her...

She let out a little moan, feeling him firm up inside her. She shifted up tiredly, grinning down at him. "My my..." She murmured mischievously, "You just don't stop, do you?"

He grinned at her, taking ahold of her hips and pressing up into her in answer.

She shivered, her eyes fluttering shut as she groaned. "It wasn't a complaint..." She said with a grin, grinding her slender hips against his and starting to stroke him.

George woke at the movement and grinned as he saw what they were up to. He shifted up, his hands immediately finding her small but pert breasts and massaging them as he started nibbling on her neck. She shuddered and groaned as Fred started thrust up into her so she wouldn't have to move as much.

George kissed his way down and took one of her nipples into his mouth, toying with it playfully with his tongue. She shivered, twining her fingers in his hair and pressing him closer. Fred grinned, moving one of his hands over a bit, gently rubbing her with his thumb as he thrust up into her faster.

She cried out, wrapping her arms around George's head as her hips jerked against Fred. He grinned wickedly, not letting up. After less than a minute of that, she called out loudly as her body clamped down on him.

Fred closed his eyes, unable to handle the constriction, his choicer bits already overly sensitive from being _very_ overused... he took a firm grip on her hips, stabbing himself up into her as he went over the edge.

As they started to come down, she released George's head and he shifted out of the way. She shivered as she let Fred slip out of her, then slumped down on top of him. After a minute or two of recovery, she glanced over at George with a little smile on her face, then started kissing Fred.

George grinned, shifting around behind her and taking ahold of her hips. He lifted them and she settled onto her knees, her top half still laying on top of Fred as she kissed him deeply. Fred wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight as George pressed into her with a groan.

She broke off the kiss, shifting her head over to the side with a groan as George started shagging her hard. Fred smirked, watching his brother's expression as he took her. He knew it wouldn't last long... they were all too tired to draw it out at this point. Even watching and feeling her getting shagged right on top of him couldn't get another rise out of him. He just kissed the pale flesh of her neck and ran his hands over her, waiting for George to finish.

And finish he did, just a few moments later. He held her hips flush against him for a long moment, excruciating pleasure on his face, then very gingerly withdrew, slumping down onto the bed beside them.

"Bloody hell..." He panted, rolling onto his back, "I don't think I'm gonna be able to shag again for a month..."

Kulia giggled tiredly, turning her head and resting it against Fred as she watched him lay there panting.

"We paid up then?" Fred asked with a smirk.

She laughed. "You were paid up about seven hours ago..."

They both chuckled tiredly.

The smile slipped away from her face and she sighed. She sat up, peering down at the two completely exhausted boys. "Well... a deal is a deal... guess it's time for the painful part..." She reached over and pulled open the drawer on the bedside table as they looked at eachother in confusion.

They both tensed as she pulled out a dagger, but before they could even get properly concerned, she grabbed up one of her snow white braids and lopped it off with a little snick from the razor sharp blade. She tossed the dagger back in the drawer and handed the severed braid to Fred. He and George looked at eachother. "What's this for?"

She smiled. "The last item on your list is a distilled essence that can only be derived from five ancient and mostly forgotten species of the 'fair folk'... two are extinct, one only found in the darkest parts of Africa, one only found deep in the outbacks of Australia, and one... well, one you just shagged." She said with a smirk. "My hair should be more than sufficient. Your Professor Snape should have no problem distilling it from what Draco has told me."

"Oh..." They said in soft unison.

"Actually he will probably only need six or seven strands considering the length... but I think you earned a little overtime... the rest is for you."

They looked at the braid. There had to be well over a hundred strands of hair there.

"Well... we should probably get cleaned up... anyone for a shower?" She asked with a smirk.

They both grinned.

--------------

It was nearly another hour before they had finally gotten out of the shower. The water appeared to be a little bit _too_ invigorating...

She had slipped on a robe once they had gotten out and left while they dressed. George carefully coiled up the long brain and tucked it away safely in his robes, then they made their way out in search of her. She was back at the desk in the livingroom.

She smiled over at them as they crossed to her. "It has been a _true pleasure_ doing business with you gentlemen..." She said mischievously, rising to her feet. She took the box that had their other ingredients in it and placed it in George's hands, then leaned over it and kissed him, then took a second box, handing that one to Fred, and kissing him as well.

They looked down at the many bottles, vials and odd containers in the second box. There had to be at least twenty containers. "What's this?" Fred asked.

"We only asked for the six things..."

She grinned. "That is for Draco. Tell him that I am truly sorry... I had no idea the vault had been reverted to his name. Lucius ordered these items on what appears to now be Draco's account. I've already taken payment, so they are his now. I will do my best to retrieve the book that Lucius already took delivery of, and no further orders will be filled for him unless he comes up with his own money."

They blinked up at her. "Lucius Malfoy ordered this stuff?"

"When?"

"And what is it for?"

She grinned. "He placed the order about a week ago, and I have no clue what it's for. As I said, I usually don't ask... I only asked _you_ because I'll not have my essence used in dark spells. I'm trusting you will make sure none of the remaining hair will be used to those ends."

"Of course..."

"We'd never use it for that..."

"We don't even make dark potions..."

"Perhaps some are a bit... _mischievous_..."

"But never _really_ harmful." George finished with a smirk.

She beamed at them. "You two are just too adorable!" She said, shaking her head. She set about carefully closing up and securing the boxes. "Well, as I said, I'll get the book back if I can... but that Erumpent tail that you couldn't find... there _is_ a reason. It appears your Minister of Magic recalled every last one last Sunday. They are only sold under strict Ministry control, so the supply is completely gone. I suppose I can try breaking into the Ministry vaults... but that would be pretty risky. They've made a lot of upgrades in their security of late... and I'm pretty sure I only know about perhaps two thirds of them despite the number of Ministry workers who owe me... apparently people didn't take kindly to finding out that a handful of school children and a bunch of Death Eaters could just waltz into the Ministry itself and get into the highest security area with such ease... and undetected at that!" She said with a smirk.

They chuckled. "That _had_ to be embarrassing..."

"Too right..."

"Um..."

"Let's hold off on nicking it for now..."

"Wouldn't want you hauled off to Azkaban..."

"We'll talk to Dumbledore..."

"And see if we can get around Fudge..."

"But we may be back..." They grinned at her.

"I wouldn't mind that at all..." She said with a mischievous smirk.

--------------------

Fred and George walked so close together their shoulders barely broke contact. It was a bit nerve wracking walking through Nocturne Alley when it was nearly dusk. They longed to just apparate back to their shop, but after Voldemort's return became known and he started raids, the Ministry had put apparation blocking spells around every prominent area in the wizarding world to prevent sudden, massive invasions. They may be safe from swarms of Death Eaters, but those weren't the only threats around...

As they approached the end, Diagon Alley just coming into sight, they both started as they heard a little hiss from one of the dank doorways. They relaxed as they saw Oliver Wood peeking out and looking around warily, waving them over.

"Ollie..."

"Ya scared the life outta us mate."

"Who's watching the shop?"

Oliver rolled his eyes, "The shop closed nearly an hour ago... where _have_ you two been?"

"Shopping." They said in unison, identical smirks on their faces.

"Ya ya... ok, don't tell me... look... I was trying to find you before you got back to the shop... you haven't got anything in there you shouldn't, do you?" He said, looking significantly at the boxes.

They looked at eachother, then back at him. "Why do you ask?" Fred asked evasively.

"Because we've had a couple of Aurors watching the shop since about half hour after you left..."

"Bloody hell..." George muttered.

"Listen, scive off the next few days..."

"We'll owl you when it's ok to come back..."

"We can get someone else to watch the shop."

"I'm not trying to get out of..." Oliver started.

They smiled, "Never said you were mate." George said, cutting him off.

"But you've got a career to think about..."

"We really appreciate your help..."

"But it's not worth you getting kicked off the team."

Oliver gave them a little grin, then nodded. "Alright then. Owl me." He said, grinning, then pulling up his hood and walking back out into Diagon Alley.

Fred and George looked at eachother. "Fudge."

"Wanker."

"Well?"

"Maybe..."

"Naw. Too risky."

Fred brightened, "We could..."

"Definitely." George said and they nodded in agreement, turning as one and making their way back into the dreaded Nocturne Alley in the gathering darkness.

-----------------

"Harry dear..." McGonagall said gently, "You have to go now... we have to get you back to the tower.

Harry lifted his head from where it had rested on Hermione's hand, which he held clasped between his own. He had long since run out of tears, and his weary eyes looked deadened as he looked up into her face. "I'm staying." He said, his voice dull.

"You can't stay here, Harry. It simply isn't safe. Madam Pomfrey will be moving Hermione into her quarters so she can watch over her, but we simply cannot allow another student's life to be in jeopardy... Her quarters aren't as well equipped with the proper warding spells. She is only risking staying there in case she needs her supplies."

"I don't care." He said, staring fixedly at Hermione.

McGonagall knelt beside his chair, looking up at him, her eyes as sad as he'd ever seen them. "Harry, please... we will get her back... but you staying here will do nothing for her. Her soul is not simply lost... it will not find it's way back on it's own... it has been stolen... and until we get it back, she will remain just as you see her whether you are here or not. I don't think she would want you risking your life needlessly."

Harry shifted his gaze, staring at her imploring eyes for a long moment. If only she knew. Hermione probably _would_ want him risking his life after what he'd done to her. And now there was no way he would ever be able to make amends for what he'd done... and it was he who had carried that demon... probably even brought it to Hogwarts... it was all his fault... he should be the one laying there lifeless... not her. Why hadn't it taken _him_? It had plenty of time... he was sure now that it was planning on returning to him... it would take him over again and there would be nothing he could do. You can't fight demons. They're too strong. That's what Ron had said.

"Harry dear..." McGonagall implored softly.

He looked over at Hermione. She was right. There was nothing he could do for her. And even if by some miracle she managed to get back, he was probably the last person she'd want to see. He sighed, letting go of her hand. His hands felt stiff from holding hers for so long. He'd been there since they opened Gryffindor Tower that morning. He would have been there the night before, but they hadn't told them until the Tower was sealed for the night, and refused to open it again.

He got up and followed her as she led him out. His stiff muscles were protesting, but he ignored them.

When they got back to the Tower, he went right to his room before she could call everyone into the common room, getting into his bed and pulling the hangings and laying on his back, staring up sightlessly. It was time for the nightly roll call to make sure everyone was present, but he couldn't face being around all the others... and besides, she knew he was there.

About ten minutes later he heard the door opening and shutting as his roommates came in. They must be done with the sixth years. They started at seventh year and worked their way down for roll.

"Didn't see Potter..." Dean's voice said. They obviously hadn't seen him slip past, and didn't realize he was in the room already.

"Ya... wonder who's soul he's off stealing now?" Seamus said darkly. Harry tensed.

"Oh come on... it was that demon!" Neville said defensively.

Seamus snorted. "Ya, well Harry's that demon's little puppet, now isn't he? You saw how he's been looking lately. Looks like he's been on the rattle ever since that thing left him. Probably can't wait to get it back. Always been a power hungry little prat... probably loves what it does when it's in him! Bet it lets him watch..."

"He just looks upset... I mean wouldn't you?" Neville said stubbornly, "It stole Hermione's soul... you know how he feels about her..."

Dean snorted. "I know that demon sure liked to shag her... I came in the room one time when it had her up here... sounded like he was fucking her arse off... but she sure didn't sound like she was enjoying it much..."

"That's nothing..." Seamus said mischievously, "I heard her roommates saying she was crying when they woke up the other day... and they found her knickers on the floor in the common room! Sounds like Harry was keeping her warm for it... He's probably down in the Hospital Wing shagging her body as we speak! Might as well... even if they get her soul back, it's not like anyone's gonna want her after a demon's been having its way with her!"

"Hermione's a nice girl..." Neville said, taken aback.

Seamus snorted. "You mean she _was_ a nice girl. Wonder who Harry's gonna start molesting next time it gets in him?"

Harry's chest was aching so bad he could barely breath. Tears he didn't even know he had left were streaming from the corners of his eyes. He took a deep breath and let it out as silently as possible, trying to studiously tune out their voices. He didn't think he could handle this much longer. He heard them start back on the subject of Hermione and could stand no more. He carefully reached under his mattress, pulling out the old pillowcase he kept the things he wanted kept hidden in. He pulled out the invisibility cloak and secured the pillowcase to his belt, then covered himself with the cloak.

He slipped out the side of his bed that faced the wall, then padded silently towards the door. The other boys were all sitting on their own beds as they talked. Harry silently turned the doorknob, then gave the door a little nudge, letting it look like it was drifting open on it's own. The other boys' heads snapped around as he slipped out, then Seamus snorted. "Can't you even shut a door properly Neville?" He said ruefully, getting up to close it as Harry hurried down the stairs.

Harry had to pause on one of the landings as the second year boys went past towards their room. He hurried down the remaining stairs, then looked around. McGonagall was on the first years and would be finishing in a moment... but it appeared quite a number of students were lingering in the common room.... and it was pretty obvious many of the little gossip groups were talking about him. He even heard his name mentioned several times.

Harry let out a silent sigh. There would be no escape for him in the Tower, invisible or not.

"Well, they're all present and accounted for." McGonagall said, rolling up her list and turning to the two waiting Aurors who oversaw the testing and roll call each night.

They nodded and left through the portrait hole.

Seamus watched through the cracked open door with a wicked smirk as the Aurors were unwittingly followed out.

---------------

Harry stared down at the Marauder's Map by the light of his wand. The halls were empty, as expected. The Aurors had all withdrawn to the rooms they had set aside for them during their stay and all the other students were in their respective dorms. There were teachers holed up in their rooms in various places, and even Filch had locked himself in his office with Mrs. Norris. He sighed as his eyes combed the map. How many times had he scoured it since being returned to the Tower? He had been so sure it would show the demon... it showed _everything_, didn't it? And yet he had never once caught so much as a glimpse of it on the map. He sighed and folded it up.

He shuddered as he thought about the demon lurking in the darkness somewhere. He let the cloak slip down around his shoulders. No point hiding anymore. He just walked the empty corridors for a time, his soft footfalls echoing eerily off the cold stone walls.

He didn't really know what to do now. He was sure Madam Pomfrey would have sealed off her quarters by now... and besides... he wasn't sure he could handle seeing Hermione's lifeless body again.

He sighed, feeling the reassuring shape of his photo album in the pillowcase at his waist. He needed a place to hole up for the night. He looked up, recognizing the hallway. He made his way down to the statue of Boris the Bewildered. "Pine fresh." He said softly.

Much to his amazement, the door opened. Didn't they _ever_ change the password? He slipped through into the Prefect's bathroom, bolting the door behind him. He looked around the grand white marble room. It was just as magnificent as he remembered it. He looked over at the portrait of the mermaid. She was fast asleep, but he felt a bit uncomfortable knowing she could wake and watch him without his even knowing. He slipped off his shoes so his feet wouldn't make noise on the floor. He recalled all too well how these walls reverberated any sound. When he reached the portrait, he took ahold of it, gently lifting it. He looked around, spotting a small door. He carried her over and opened it. It was a linen closet stocked with fresh towels. He carefully fit the portrait in, draping a towel over it and closing the door.

He looked around, feeling more at ease. The hundreds of candles around the room had come to life as soon as he entered, and now filled the room with a warm glow. There was nary a shadow to be found in the entire room. That was reassuring.

He let out a deep sigh as the conversation his roommates had been having bubbled back up to the surface of his mind. It wasn't as if they had said anything that far from reality... he'd done terrible things... and if that thing had it's way, he had no doubt he would be doing more... and soon.

He settled down cross-legged on the smooth marble, leaning up against the wall and pulling the pillowcase free from his belt, pulling out the photo album and opening it. He stared down longingly at the photo of his mother and father holding him as a baby and waving happily. He flipped more pages. Another photo of his parents together and happy... they always looked so happy... would they be as happy if they were alive today? If they saw what their son had come to? He closed his eyes and flipped the page, unable to look at his mother's face. She had died to save him... and for what? He was beginning to think she should have just stepped aside... she would have been alive and well still if she had...

He opened his eyes and felt an icy dagger plunged into his heart. It was the picture of him with Hermione on one side, Ron on the other. They looked so happy... smiling, beaming faces... not a care in the world... He turned the page and found tears streaming down his face. It was a picture of him and Sirius the Christmas before... Sirius had his arm around him, looking as happy as he ever remembered seeing him.

He let the book slip out of his fingers, falling back onto the pillowcase before him. He hugged himself, but couldn't stop the shaking. All he needed was a picture of Cedric Diggory and his photo album would be complete...

He sat there for a long time, staring sightlessly at one of the candles as the cold marble leached the heat from his body. He finally came around as a great shudder went through him. He got up and wandered over to the huge pool-like tub. He might as well use it to get warmed up. He found the only spigot that was not marked with a colorful gemstone and turned it on. Fresh, clean water poured out. He wasn't in the mood for any of those fancy scented and foamy spigots. He adjusted the water, nudging the hot water on more until it was just this side of scalding, then let it run. He stripped off his clothes as the tub filled unnaturally fast. He looked over at the photo album, then went over and picked it up. His fingers caught on the pillow case, lifting that as well, and he felt something slip out of it, clattering as it hit the floor. He looked down at spotted the source of the sound. His breath caught in his throat. He leaned down and picked up the hilt of the ruined knife Sirius had given him.

He returned to the tub, setting his things out on the pillowcase, then slipped into the water. He let out a little hiss as the steaming water enveloped him. The chill in his bones eased away, replaced by a pleasant growing numbness. He shifted around, propping his head up with one arm resting on the edge while he pulled the album over and started leafing through it again with the other hand.

He paused, page half lifted. "Go away Myrtle." He said tiredly, flipping the page the rest of the way over.

He heard a ghostly, petulant sound of disappointment behind him as Myrtle slipped out of the spigot she'd been peeking from. "You aren't supposed to be here Harry."

"If you don't like the company, leave. Everyone else does." He said tonelessly, not bothering to look at her.

She huffed, crossing her arms across her chest. "You know very well that it's dangerous to be out right now. Dumbledore would be very cross at you if he knew!" She said with an authoritative whine.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm probably safer _here_. Being in the dorms didn't help me last time." He sighed as he came across another picture of him with Ron and Hermione. It was winter, and Ron had on that silly hat he used to tease him about...

"You'll be in real trouble when they find out!" She warned.

He snorted a laugh. "They don't care. Please, most of them would rather they kick me out. Everyone thinks I'm that demon's little plaything. They're more afraid of being around me than they are of being out alone in the dark!"

She pouted. "Harry..." She whined sadly.

"Just get out!" He growled.

She huffed. "You shouldn't be here all alone!"

He let out another snort of laughter. "What are _you_ going to do if that thing comes here and takes me? Hmm? You're dead!" he said gruffly, trying to offend her so she'd take off like she usually did when upset. No matter how rude it was, he couldn't handle humoring her right now.

"I could tell someone!" She said, raising her chin importantly.

He looked over at her incredulously. "Tell someone. _Tell someone?_ You _must_ be joking. What good will that do while I'm slaughtering the whole lot of them???" he growled.

Her eyes widened behind her thick spectacles, taken aback by his anger.

"Just _GET OUT_!" He yelled striking his hand against the water and sending a splash of water at her.

It passed right through her of course, but she looked offended. She huffed angrily and stuck her tongue out at him, diving down and disappearing into one of the spigots.

He sighed, turning back to the book and wiping his wet hand on the pillowcase. When it was dry, he picked up the knife handle, examining it. Sirius' knife. The blade was all but gone now... not even half an inch of it remained attached to the handle... the rest melted away... lost to his arrogance and stupidity... just like the man who had given it to him... the closest thing to a father he'd ever had...

He opened the album to the picture of Sirius and propped it up. He folded his arms on the side of the tub and rested his chin on them, staring longingly at the photo as he rubbed the handle of the knife with his thumb.

-----------


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Draco jerked awake as a loud pounding came at the door. He sat up, grabbing his wand and rubbing his eyes as the door opened. Snape stuck his head in, "Come on. Someone's trying the wards." He said briskly before disappearing again.

Draco jumped up, grabbing some pants and pulling them on quickly, hurrying after him before Ginny could even ask what was going on.

As he entered the Common room he saw that Snape had woken quite a number of others on the way from his room for backup. They took up positions, facing the door tensely. There was nothing apparent... no sounds or anything of the sort, but if Snape said someone was there, they were. They had been setting up layer upon layer of warning alarms and additional wards ever since that first dreadful night. Still... nothing could get through that door... could it?

There was nervous shifting and the anxiety in the air suddenly got thick as part of the door started shimmering. When the shimmering faded, they stared in shock at the hole in the door that was nearly a meter in diameter.

Then two coppery heads looked in at them.

"Oh bloody hell..." Snape muttered as his posture eased.

The twins spotted him and waved with big grins on their faces.

Snape moved closer to the door. "How on Earth did you do that?" He asked, eyeing the hole.

They cupped their hands to their ears as if unable to hear him, then reached out and rapped silently against what appeared to be thin air.

Snape eased a bit closer, reaching out and giving a sigh of relief as his hand came into contact with cold steel where the hole appeared to be. He turned back to the others. "It's just invisible. The ward is still intact." He looked back, eyeing the two impatiently waiting boys. "I suppose I _should_ let them in..." He sighed. "Wands at the ready until I've checked them over." He said briskly as the 'hole' began fading away.

They held their ground as he dispelled the final ward and opened the door.

"About bloody time..." Fred said as they walked in.

"You know how long it took us to get through those poxy wards?"

"Ever thought of a doorbell?"

"A call box?"

"_Something?!?_"

"Honestly..."

They fell silent, watching Snape with amusement as he cast the detecting spells on them. When he was done, he closed the door and locked it. Only then did the others put away their wands and relax.

"That's a fine how do ya do!"

"And after we brought you presents and everything..." George said, taking his box and setting it on a nearby coffee table.

Snape opened it up and looked through it with interest. "Well, that puts us a couple more ingredients towards a cure... but couldn't this have waited until morning? You could have been killed trying to get in here!"

"No choice mate."

"We were nearly done up like a kipper."

"If Ollie hadn't of warned us..."

"We'd have been busted for sure."

"Fudge has his men on our shop..."

Snape growled angrily. "Is he _trying_ to..." He trailed off, seeing Ron enter with Blaise on his arm. He cleared his throat, "Well you got away. You should probably stay the night at least, but we'll probably have to try to slip you out tomorrow without the Ministry people seeing..."

"Did you get the stuff?" Ron asked eagerly, coming over.

Fred and George dropped their eyes. "Most of it..." George said reluctantly.

Fred looked over at Snape suddenly, "Speaking of that chinless wonder..."

"He's the reason we can't find that Erumpent tail."

"He recalled it."

"Every last one."

"You mean Kulia couldn't even find any?" Draco asked, shocked.

They shook their heads, "She offered to try to nick some for us..."

Snape immediately shook his head. "No. Fudge would use it to his advantage... say we were trying to undermine the Ministry or some such rubbish. We'll have to discuss it with Dumbledore in the morning."

"Oh... and..." George carefully extracted the neatly coiled braid.

"She said you could do something with this."

"Distill the essence or some such..."

"Actually she said you wouldn't need all of it..."

"And said we could keep the rest..."

"So we'd like our change when you're done." They both smirked.

Snape stared at the pristine braid, then reached out, taking it almost reverently. "How did you get _this_? I've only ever seen ancient bottles of the essence itself... to my knowledge, no one has distilled it in many decades at the very least..."

"But you can...?"

Snape looked up and smirked. "I'll give it a try." He said sarcastically. "But... how ever did you get _so much_ of it?"

"Talent."

"And hard work..."

"Hours..."

"And _hours_..."

"Of hard work..."

Snape looked up, noting their wide, mischievous grins. "Forget I asked." He said dryly.

They looked over at Draco, who was trying to banish a wicked smirk. They straightened and went over to him.

"By the way mate..." Fred said sternly.

The smirk fled as Draco watched the two come up to stand very close, getting a bit nervous.

"What you did..."

"Selling us off like a couple of rent-boys..."

George suddenly seized him and they leaned in, planting a firm kiss on both of his cheeks simultaneously before releasing him and leaning back, brilliant smiles on their faces as he turned pink, the rest of the Slytherins chortling merrily at his discomfort.

"Any time that little pointy eared crumpet is on the pull..."

"Feel free to owl us!"

Draco chuckled ruefully. "I'll be sure to tell her..."

They just smirked, then Fred shifted the second box from where it had been resting against his side and shoved it into Draco's arms. "Delivery complete."

"Time for rest..." George said with a smirk as they both went over and flopped down wearily on the largest couch.

"What's this?" Draco asked curiously, feeling the heft of it and noting the sound of many shifting containers.

"Your dad's gubbins."

"Seems he's been ordering on your galleon mate."

"She said she's officially cut him off now though..."

"Since she found out..."

"That's not going to go over well..." Draco said, looking a bit worried. He looked down at the box thoughtfully. He glanced back at the twins, then smirked. They were already nodding off, slumped against eachother and looking completely wiped out. It appeared that Kulia definitely had fun with them... He went over, setting the box next to the first and opening it up. Snape peered in it avidly as Draco started picking up the containers, trying to discern what was in them.

Snape carefully stashed the braid with the other ingredients, then took the vial Draco was holding, looking at it in awe. "I've only ever read about these..." He said in a hushed tone, looking extremely impressed. "The things Lucius could have done with these ingredients..." He shook his head, then glanced over at Draco, "I'll have to let you do my shopping from now on." He said with a smirk.

Draco smirked back, digging around in the box more.

"Cor! Who invited _her_ in?" Crabbe said irritably.

Draco looked over, spotting Moaning Myrtle floating there pensively. She spotted Ron and flitted over to him.

"Ron! You _have_ to come..." She said in her pinched, whinny voice.

Ron just looked at her, surprised. "Where?"

"It doesn't matter. Mr. Weasley isn't leaving the Dungeon in the middle of the night." Snape said, setting the vial down gingerly and turning to face her.

She wrung her hands, looking near tears, "But it's Harry... he snuck out of the Tower..."

"Then kindly leave so we can get the wards back up. If that demon's taken him again this is most likely his destination." Snape said briskly.

"No... that demon isn't in him... he just ran off... he's in the prefect's bathroom... He seems so sad... I think... I think he's going to do something daft." She said in an anguished whine.

Ron's eyes went wide and he started for the door, but Blaise immediately wrapped his arms around him, holding him back. "You can't go out there!" He said, his voice rife with concern.

"I can't just stand here! If Harry does something..." His throat constricting at the thought. "I have to try to stop him!" He said, his voice tight with emotion.

Blaise held onto him stubbornly. "That thing is after you! This could be a trap!"

"He's right." Snape said, nodding, "It would be just the kind of ploy it would use. It enjoys using human emotions to get its way." He looked over at Myrtle. "Why don't you go inform Mr. Potter's House. They would be closer anyway."

"I can't!" She wailed petulantly, "The other houses are all sealed! You think I would come _HERE_ if I had a choice?" She said, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at him insolently.

Snape gave a snort of irritation.

"Let go Blaise!" Ron said, trying to pry his arms off to no avail. After a moment he stopped struggling, "Please Blaise..." He said in a soft, aching voice, "If he... I... I don't think I could forgive myself if I didn't at least _try_..."

Blaise looked torn. He pulled Ron closer, hugging him. "Draco..." Blaise said imploringly.

"Oh no... you are _not_ asking me to do _that!_" Draco said immediately.

"Draco, please..." Blaise said persistently.

Draco glared at him silently.

Blaise growled, shoving Ron into Pansy's arms and making his way towards the door. "Fine. Fuck it. I'll go myself. It's not like that bloody thing would want _me!_" He said, feeling his way along the wall towards the door, looking determined.

Brown swirled through Draco's eyes. He let out a growl, smacking himself in the forehead, "Not you too! Shut the bloody hell up!" He let out an inarticulate roar of anger. He strode over to Blaise, grabbing the front of his shirt and shoving him against the wall. "If that things kills me, I'm going to bloody well haunt you and make your life miserable to the end of your days!"

Blaise grinned at him.

"Oh, they don't let you do that any more... trust me..." Myrtle said morosely.

"And you! Sod off or I'll leave his miserable arse!" Draco said, glaring at Myrtle. Her eyes went wide and she immediately flitted away. Draco gave Blaise another shove of irritation, then grabbed up Ginny, giving her a brief, fierce kiss, then stormed out of the Dungeon before Snape could even stop him.

Ginny just watched him go, knowing there was no point trying to discuss it now. Besides, she knew Draco was the best one for the task, being the only one who wouldn't come back possessed. As much as she hated him risking his life, she also knew Ron was being completely honest... he'd never forgive himself if _some_ effort weren't made.

Snape growled, storming after him. He paused at the threshold. "Lock the door after me. If anything tries to get in, seal it." He glared at the open door. "I had best catch up with Draco before he does something foolish."

Blaise gave an amused snort. "Good luck catching up with _him!_"

Snape went out into the corridor, shutting the door behind him. He looked both ways down the long corridor, but Draco was already out of sight. He didn't even hear any fading footfalls. It was as if he'd stepped out the door and simply vanished. Snape hurried off.

---------------

Draco looked around warily as he entered the prefect's bathroom. The candles were already lit, the air warm and humid. Harry wasn't immediately apparent. He went in further. He got an odd sensation in his stomach as he spotted what looked like a ruined knife on the edge of the bathtub... the pristine white marble around it spattered with drops of bright red. He hurried over, peering down into the tub.

"Fuck!" He growled. He could see a body in the water, mostly hidden by a slowly spreading cloud of red. He jumped in, cringing in disgust as the tainted water splashed up around him. He grabbed ahold of his hair and dragged him back to the surface, unwilling to dive under the water.

As Harry's head broke the surface, he made no attempt to breath, looking pale and limp in Draco's grasp. He felt his neck but could feel no pulse.

"Ruddy hell..." Draco muttered, grabbing Harry roughly by the upper arm and pulling him to the side, then climbing up the little ladder that was built into the corner and dragging him out after him. He pulled his wand out of his waistband and flicked it at Harry, casting a purging spell on him. A surprising amount of water gushed out of his mouth.

"Ennervate!" He said with another flick of his wand. Nothing. He growled and cast it again. Nothing. "Potter you had better bloody well wake up. I'm not about to put my _mouth_ on you like some bloody muggle!" He cast again.

After the forth time, he finally saw a weak rise of his chest. He cast it again and Harry shuddered, starting to draw breath. Draco felt his neck. There was a weak but somewhat steady heartbeat.

That done, he grabbed up one of Harry's arms and examined it. He had managed to cut all the way from the wrist up the inner forearm to the elbow. Draco quickly began casting healing spells on the first wrist as a slugging trickle of blood tried to make it's way out. He moved on to the matching cut on the other arm as soon as the first was sealed up well enough. Time for cosmetics later. He couldn't help but notice the marks on Harry's arms. He glanced down as he worked. Harry's body was covered with dozens of such marks.

Harry stirred, opening his eyes dazedly and trying to focus them. He let out an anguished sound as he realized he was still alive. He managed to shift his head over. His eyes widened as he saw Draco kneeling beside him, holding his arm and casting on it intently.

Harry jerked weakly on his arm, trying to free it from Draco's grasp.

Draco didn't even look up from his work, "Sack it, Potter. Unless you want another lovely scar to add to your collection that is!" He said dryly.

"Get out!" Harry said weakly, trying to muster his voice, "Leave me alone..."

Draco gave a snort, "Would if I could. Believe me! Just bottle it and let me finish up."

"Why didn't you just leave me?" He said achingly.

Draco's cheeks colored angrily and he lashed out, slapping Harry soundly across the face, leaving him stunned. "You stupid, selfish prat! Don't you _ever_ think of anyone but yourself???"

"Wha... what?" Harry asked, his head swimming.

Draco glared down at him. "Didn't it ever occur to you what this would do to your best friend? When that bloody banshee came in wailing about you trying to snuff it, he nearly lost his marbles. I had to come save your miserable arse just to keep him from running out of the Dungeon and getting himself slaughtered by that bloody demon, all because you were feeling sorry for yourself!" he said with a bitter edge.

Harry, blinked, trying to gather his scattered wits. "Ron?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "Brilliant deduction, Saint Potter." He said with biting sarcasm, "Now would _Your Grace_ care to keep his miserable arse in his own House at night? I'll not be romping about patching you up again!"

Harry was having a hard time wrapping his mind around this, "But... why do _you_ care about Ron?"

Draco tucked away his wand, glaring down at him, "Other than the fact that he's practically my brother-in-law? Well, he's not such a weasel when he doesn't have _you_ there constantly... not to mention he's dating _my_ best friend, who would otherwise have come after you himself to keep Ron safe..."

Harry glowered at him, starting to shiver from the cool air and massive blood loss. "Maybe you should have let him. Then I wouldn't have had to deal with _you_."

Draco growled, drawing his arm back for another, harder blow. He held it back with an obviously _massive_ amount of willpower and got up, storming towards the door. When he was nearly to the door, he stopped, standing there for a moment, then went over to the stack of towels and grabbed a few. He came back over, opening one up and draped it over Harry's waist, then knelt beside him and used the other to start drying him off a bit more.

"You shouldn't taunt him." He said softly, "It took a lot for him to save you. It went against every instinct he had, and yet he did it. Blaise is very important to him... not to mention currently _blind_, and the curse that caused it is still life threatening... so he's obviously a bit touchy on the subject..."

Harry stared over at him, confused, "Taunt who?"

"Draco."

Harry's eyes widened as dark brown eyes glanced up at him. He tried to pull away, but was still far too weak, "Who... _what_...?" he stammered, frightened.

"That would be Darien." Snape said, leaning against the doorframe, obviously out of breath. "How the bloody hell can you move that fast?" Snape asked, looking Draco over with open amazement. It was obvious Draco had been there for a bit, and he wasn't even breathing hard!

The brown flowed away from Draco's eyes and a wicked smirk slipped onto his lips. "Maybe you're just getting old, Snape!"

Snape glared at him. "Switch back. I think I prefer the ghost. He, at least, has some manners."

Draco just smirked wider, then looked down. His smirk flowed away. He dropped the towel in disgust and got back up. "He's all yours."

---------------

A/N - Sorry this wasn't longer, it will obviously continue in the next chapter, but I wanted to get at least this much up so you didn't all go mental wondering what I was gonna happen. I'm afraid it might take me a bit to update again from the looks of it. This is gonna be a _very_ busy weekend for me, and I've already been skiving off stuff I really shouldn't have to write this... just wanted to resolve the 'cliffy' so I wouldn't be leavin you in the lurch for the weekend. I _may_ get around to another update, but it looks unlikely... well, I need sleep, so here's a few last notes:

About Harry - oh like I'd really just kill him!!! ;P And the knife may have been mostly gone, but you don't need much on the wrists. Heck, go look at surgical knives! Some of those are positively tiny, but they get the job done! Besides, the book clearly said the blade was gone, so it wasn't like I could say half of it was left, cause then J.K. would have said _half_ gone... but just that much left I think could still be termed as the blade being gone.

About the conversation between the twins... you just have to hang around very close twins :) I've known a couple of sets, and conversations between them are often exactly like that. Their minds are on such a close wavelength that it seems to border on psychic abilities. Most often when they are in deep discussion, you just get single words, or sentence fragments at most. It's usually nearly impossible for outsiders to follow. Not all twins are like that obviously, but I think Fred & George would be. When I was young, I had a best friend, and on occasion we would have conversations like that. It's just a matter of knowing completely how the other one's mind works. I miss that... (pouts)

Seamus - yes, he was possessed. That's why he was being particularly cruel (not to mention the only way he could have _seen_ Harry leaving since Harry was invisible). As for Dean... well he's always struck me as a bit of a prick. I don't think he actually _needs_ help being cruel. :)

Oh! And if you are having troubles with the chapters, just keep trying. For some reason it likes to say they don't exist one minute, then they show up fine the next. If you absolutely can't get it to work, email me and I'll email you a copy, or just reupload it if there are a lot of you asking for the same chapter.

(sorry if you got two notices for this chapter, had to correct some stuff. Sleep deprivation isn't good for proofreading...)


	37. Chapter 37

A/N - adult stuff. Slash. Drop down past the first divider if you don't want to read it.

---------------

Chapter 37

"Ron please..." Blaise said tiredly, "You're making me dizzy, and I can't even see you!"

Ron stopped his pacing, letting out a deep sigh. "What could be keeping them?"

"If there was something wrong they would have told us. Maybe they're just trying to get him back into Gryffindor Tower." Blaise said reasonably.

None of the Slytherins had returned to their rooms, still waiting for the return of Snape and Draco. Some more had even filtered it, having been woken by the commotion. They were all now watching Ron with open concern. The twins were still sprawled out on the couch asleep, both blissfully unaware.

Ron contemplated that for a moment, then distractedly began pacing again.

Blaise got up, following the sound of his movements and managed to catch ahold of him. "Ron, let's go back to the room."

"I can't go back to the room! What if they come back?" Ron said, surprised that Blaise would even suggest such a thing.

"All you're doing in here is wearing through the rugs. They will tell us immediately when they return." Blaise replied reasonably.

Ron glanced around, noting all of the people staring at him. He sighed, realizing that he was increasing their anxiety. "Fine..." He conceded morosely.

Blaise slid his arm around Ron's waist comfortingly as they headed towards the room. Pansy hurried over and took Ron's other arm, leaning her head against his shoulder as they walked. When they got back to the room, Blaise led him over to the bed (the one thing he never seemed to have any problem finding...).

Ron stopped beside the bed, sighing as Blaise started taking off his shirt. "Blaise..." He said wearily. "Shagging isn't the solution for everything."

Blaise smirked, "I have my doubts about the validity of that statement, but I wasn't planning on shagging you... well, unless you want me to of course."

Ron blushed. He _had_ been presuming about Blaise's intentions... but then that presumption was usually accurate with _him_. "Oh... um... not right now... I just..."

Blaise grinned, "I know. I didn't figure you'd be in the mood. Now strip and get on the bed."

Ron just stared at him mutely for a moment. Talk about conflicting signals! He started as he felt Pansy unfasten his pants, slipping them down. He hadn't had time to put on anything else. None of them had... their awakening had been so abrupt that they had barely had time to pull on the bare minimum for decency, though Blaise had been able to grab up yesterday's shirt off the back of the desk chair as he passed it as well. He sighed and gave up, stepping out of the pants.  
He let Pansy lead him onto the bed. She sat tailor fashion on one of the center pillows, indicating that he should lay down on his stomach with his head towards her. She took a thin pillow and placed it in her lap, then got him to put his head on it. He was really beginning to wonder what they were up to when he felt her fingers begin to gently massage the back of his neck. Some of the tension drained out of him. He sighed contentedly as she diligently worked her way up the back of his neck and up onto his scalp.

He didn't even turn to look as he felt the bed shift under the addition of Blaise's weight. He was a bit puzzled when he felt Blaise's fingers as they found him and got oriented, then his legs straddled Ron's waist, still wearing the cotton night pants he had been wearing before. After a brief pause, Ron felt warm, oiled hands settle on the back of his neck, quickly removing all remaining tension from it. As they worked their way down across his shoulders, Ron couldn't help but let out a little groan of pleasure. It felt absolutely heavenly!

Blaise worked him over slowly and methodically, Massaging not only his shoulders, but also each arm right down to the finger tips, then on down his back, even his bum, then on down, turning around and studiously massaging each leg and foot. The scalp massage felt wonderful as well, but to be honest, he never even noticed when she stopped, switching to simply stroking his hair. When Blaise was done, he shifted over beside Ron, then placed his hands on his shoulders and slowly stroked them down the whole length of his body. Ron shuddered with pleasure. He stroked down him one more time, eliciting yet another shiver and a deep moan, then he shifted down, laying beside Ron.

"Feeling any better?" Blaise asked softly.

Ron let out a deep sigh, nodding slightly against the pillow.

"Good..." Blaise said happily, kissing his shoulder.

"Blaise..." Ron said after a moment.

"Yes?"

"I... I think I've changed my mind... could... could you...?"

Blaise smiled brilliantly. "Your wish is my command." He said, slipping off his by now overly tight pants and shifting back over on top of him.

The massage had left Ron so relaxed that Blaise had little trouble entering him. They both let out groans at Blaise pressed deep and started moving. He tried to keep it slow, but it was pretty obvious he'd been achingly hard ever since he started the massage.

Ron shifted his head to the side so he could breath easier, then slipped his hands up under Pansy's little emerald green nighty. He ran his hands up over her thighs and on up, letting them settle on her bare rump. He let out another little moan. With his head that close to her, he could smell the slight scent that told him she was very aroused.

On an impulse, Ron grabbed the pillow from under his head and pulled it away, then pushed her knees apart. She was surprised, but obligingly uncrossed her ankles. He grabbed her hips and pulled her closer, making her nighty ride up.

She gave a trill, falling back against the pillows and spreading her legs wider as he started in on her. It may have been his first try at it, but he apparently paid attention when he'd seen Blaise do it.

Blaise grinned, not having a difficult time figuring out what Ron was doing from the sounds Pansy was making. He started moving faster, making both Ron and Pansy moan. Pansy could feel every jolt of their bodies clashing. She lifted her head, watching Blaise intently as she bucked up against Ron.

In very little time, the room rang with her cries as she peaked. Blaise let out a groan and soon followed her lead. After a moment, Blaise shifted off to the side, panting happily as Pansy finally released her hold on Ron's hair.

Ron shifted up some. Pansy let out a little squeak of surprise as he grabbed her hips and pulled her down further. Without so much as a word, he plunged himself into her. She cried out and wrapped herself around him as he started thrusting into her hard. She could tell he was nearly there already by how abrupt his movement were, the little sound of strain already creeping into his breath.

As aroused as she'd been already, she quickly went over the edge again, clutching him to her as she bucked up against him, crying out his name so loudly it echoed off the stone walls. This made him speed up even more, rutting her hard for another minute before stabbing himself into her and letting out a deep growling grunt as he filled her.

He held that position for a long moment before slowly sagging down on top of her. She pulled him close and held him as he let out a aching sigh. Blaise stroked his hand down Ron's back soothingly. "I'm sure they're all fine, Ron..."

Ron just gave a little nod, but snuggled his face down into Pansy's shoulder, slipping his arms around her and holding onto her as Blaise cuddled up beside him.

------------------------

Harry cracked his eyes open, peering over at Snape, who was sitting in a chair near the foot of the bed he was laying in. He just couldn't figure out why the two people he hated most (this side of Voldemort of course) had saved him. He couldn't imagine either of them caring for _anyone_, let alone looking out for _Ron's_ feelings... Perhaps they were just merely trying to prolong his misery? Seemed more likely...

Draco had gone off to get cleaned up while Snape kept an eye on Harry. Harry had been dozing as the blood replenishing potion did it's job. It made him feel odd... like the blood flowing through his veins wasn't natural somehow... of course it wasn't. It was magically produced. Snape had assured him his body just had to adapt to it and accept it until he was able to replace it naturally. Soon he shouldn't be able to tell any difference at all. Harry certainly hoped so. There was nothing wrong with it, but it just felt a bit... off. Snape had told him that was why the potion must be taken in stages, so it didn't send Harry's already weakened system into shock.

He studied Snape, who was gazing off across the room, oblivious to the fact that Harry had awoken. Snape's face looked odd. There almost seemed to be hints of sadness and worry on his usually harsh features. Certainly the look wasn't for him... Harry followed his gaze and found his eyes resting on one of the empty beds. Slowly, Harry's mind scraped through the fuzziness that clouded it, and he realized that he was looking at the bed Hermione had lain in no more than a couple of hours ago... the one he had spent all day next to.

He blinked, his mind clicking into gear. He vaguely remembered something being said about the fact that Snape had discovered her and brought her in. Surely Snape wasn't now concerned over Hermione as well? What was the wizarding world coming to???

Snape noticed Harry and his posture stiffened, the cold, blank expression quickly slipping back into place. "About time for another dose, Potter." He said, gesturing vaguely towards the bedside table.

Harry looked over, noting the little measuring cup on it that already contained just the right amount. Harry reached over, trying not to let his arm shake while Snape was watching. He choked down the wretched stuff in one swig, knowing that he probably wouldn't be able to force himself to take a second drink so soon after otherwise. He tried to keep a straight face, but it was disgusting! It actually tasted a bit like blood. Not unexpected he supposed, but it made him feel like a vampire. He vaguely wondered how they could handle such a diet.

"Is His Highness ready to go yet?" Draco asked, strolling in from the small bathroom at the end of the room near Pomfrey's office, toweling his hair dry as he walked.

"He's just had a dose, but I'd like to get one more down him before we leave." Snape said, eyeing Draco, who was now wearing a muggle outfit consisting of an old t-shirt and a pair of jogging pants that were nearly worn through at the knees. "The spare clothes are generally for students who have been afflicted with something that has rendered their clothes useless and unmendable. You could have merely cleaned and dried your pants." He said with a sarcastic smirk.

Draco laughed. "Oh please! I incinerated those. Think I want a pair of pants all stained up with Potter blood?"

Harry rolled his eyes, but held his tongue.

Snape just shook his head ruefully.

Draco sighed, tossing the towel carelessly across the post of the nearest bed. "We've got to get back! It's been over an hour! They're going to do something stupid if we don't get back soon. I just hope they haven't already..."

Snape sighed. "True. I suppose we can try moving him." He looked over at Harry. "Can you walk?"

Harry contemplated it, then gave a nod, reasonably sure he could walk. He just hoped he could make it all the way back to the Tower. That was an awful lot of stairs...

"Good. I have no intention of levitating you all over the place like a piece of furniture. Besides, the more you get that blood moving around, the sooner you'll get used to it. Let's head for the Dungeon then."

Harry blinked, "The Dungeon?" He asked in shock.

Snape sneered at him. "Do you suppose we can just go up and tap on the Gryffindor door and they'll just open up and let you back in? Sealed is just that; Sealed. You're extremely fortunate that we had our wards down for a moment when that whinny spirit came searching for someone to go rescue you. Even with the other houses, not even spirits can get through... and our defenses are quite a bit stronger than the others. If you don't care to hang around out and about in the castle where you are fair game for that bloody demon, I suggest you come with us. We'll have to put up with you for the night. Mind your manners." He added darkly.

Harry was very uneasy with going into a house that he'd been told he had attacked and caused a great deal of damage to not all that long ago, but he couldn't see as he had much choice. As Snape said, the other option was to hang around and wait to be possessed. He'd rather let a whole House of angry Slytherins have a go at him than that.

Harry pulled off the blanket and shifted himself up, levering himself out of the bed and trying not to look like he was about to crumple to the ground... even though that's pretty much how he felt.

Snape gathered up the remaining potion and then went over to a small pad of parchment mounted to the wall beside Pomfrey's office, jotting a note on it with the quill from the little shelf beside it. It was for after hours visits such as this so she would know to replenish any used supplies. He wouldn't want her to throw a fit when she noticed someone had been there.

"All right then, we all ready to go?" Snape asked as he set the quill back on it's shelf and turned.

Harry nodded glumly.

Draco grabbed up the invisibility cloak and slipped it around his shoulders wrong side out so it remained visible. "I'll be borrowing this... Pomfrey apparently doesn't think anyone will need shoes or warm clothing..." He said, fastening the cloak securely.

Harry glowered at him, but didn't say anything. He technically wasn't supposed to have one, so pushing the subject would probably just get Snape to confiscate it. Besides, he had worn his own cloak under it, and the invisibility cloak didn't afford much warmth anyway.

Draco turned, picking up something else. "Tell me... what's this?" He asked.

Harry looked at the Marauder's map in Draco's hands. He hadn't thought to wipe it! Harry reached for it, but Snape snatched it before he had a chance at it. Snape smirked down at it. "Looks like a spare bit of parchment... eh Potter?"

Harry glowered at the floor in silence.

Snape examined it, watching several of the little dots moving around in rooms. The three sealed Houses had a light blue line tracing around them. "Should have known... I figured it was something of this nature the first time I saw it... good old' Prongs wouldn't have had a hand in something if it didn't have a mischievous purpose..." He smirked up at Harry's surprised look. Then he glanced back down at the folded parchment, folding it out.

He let out an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. "Come along. They appear to have launched a search party. Will they ever listen?" He said, making his way out into the corridor swiftly. Before they could even catch up, he stopped dead, staring down at the parchment. He turned back to face Harry so fast it gave Harry a start. "Why is there a glamour on this?"

Harry blinked in surprise. "A what? Um... perhaps it's how it works?" He offered.

Snape rolled his eyes, "This does NOT work by means of a simple glamour. You should know how very complicated a spell is required for this." He turned back, starting on his way again and pulling out his wand.

Harry watched him worriedly as he began casting spells on the parchment. He had grown very attached to the map, but he knew well it was illegal, and he had no right to object. He followed along morosely.

"By the way... How's it feel, Potter?" Snape asked with a little smirk.

"How does _what_ feel?" Harry asked carefully.

"Owing a wizard's debt to someone you consider your enemy." Snape asked with a wicked smirk.

Harry stopped dead in his tracks, feeling slightly dizzy. Draco stopped as well, looking over at him in surprise. It was obvious he hadn't thought about that either.

Slowly, a brilliant smile spread over Draco's lips. "Don't worry Potter..." He drawled lazily, "I'll think of a way for you to work it off..."

Harry suddenly began wishing fervently that he was back at the bottom of the bathtub.

"Aha!" Snape said as a small popping sound came from the parchment in his hand. He studied the map again, then slowed. Draco hurried up to look over his shoulder.

"What's that?" He asked curiously.

"I believe... that may be our uninvited guest..." Snape said speculatively.

"The map doesn't show the demon... I've been searching it for days..." Harry said, trying to hurry up enough to see as well. When he caught up, he spotted what they were looking at, but it looked like nothing more than a small smudge on the map. He was about to say as much when he noticed the smudge start to move slowly across the little corridor it was on.

"The glamour was hiding it... it obviously cast the glamour on it while occupying you... it certainly wouldn't want something laying around that could tell us where it was..." Snape said contemplatively.

"But that's more than four times as big as a person... it isn't that big is it?" Harry said, confused.

"No... the map can only pick up its aura unless it's corporal. But why is it running about without a host? That's most unusual... Oh bloody Hell!" He said, suddenly picking up his pace, "It's heading right for the search party!"

Draco snatched the map from his hands. "I'll head it off!" He said, sprinting off without pause.

"Draco!" Snape growled, but Draco was already rounding a bend. He cursed under his breath. "Come on Potter!"

Harry felt a bit of strength returning as adrenaline rushed through his veins. He quickly forced his weary body into a run.

------------------

Draco ran as fast as he could, feeling a bit panicked as it drew closer and closer to his Housemates. He put on an extra surge of speed, careening through the corridors recklessly fast until he finally reached the placed he had picked to make his stand. If it wasn't in a body, he had a chance. Bodies are what they used to guard themselves from the majority of magical attacks.

He came to a halt, panting slightly as he scoured the map in the dim torchlight of the corridor. It was approaching slowly but surely. He clutched his wand pensively as he waited. It drew closer and closer. He began to wonder if he was even going to be able to see it. The invisibility cloak would do him no good; demons could see through them.

He took up a defensive stance as it started around the corridor that led directly to him. He squinted through the gloom and suddenly spotted movement. His jaw dropped slightly at what he saw.

There was a fluffy orange cat striding purposely towards him. He glanced at the map. That was definitely the source of the smudge... could the smudge simply be how it displayed lower creatures? Then he spotted it's eyes. Instead of the usual glint in it's eyes from the low torchlight, it had glowing red orbs.

"Oh bloody Hell that's creepy..." He muttered, feeling oddly disconcerted.

The cat paused, spotting him. It eyed him for a moment, then strolled closer with a slight swagger. It settled down on it's haunches a couple of meters before him, contemplating him. Suddenly a shadow flowed out of the diminutive creature. The cat slumped to the floor, panting and looking exhausted.

"Well well..." A voice he could only describe as filthy said, "Little Malfoy came out to play..."

"Back off demon." Draco said, pointing his wand at the creature menacingly as it took form.

It let out an ugly laugh. "Don't push it little one. Your father wasn't as concerned with your safety as you might think..."

"Be gone from this place and never return." Draco growled, hoping he sounded confident. It was hard for even _him_ to muster much confidence when faced by this foul creature.

It let out another ugly laugh. "You are no master, child. And I have permission to take care of you if you should get in my way... and you are currently _in my way_..." It said significantly.

"I'm not going to let you get my friends." Draco said firmly. He whipped his wand, casting the sunlight spell.

The demon anticipated it, striking at him as fast as a snake, sending his wand scattering away and grabbing him by the throat. "Guess you don't listen too well... oh well... you'll do just as well then I suppose..." It said, holding him firmly with its right hand as it's left half dissolved, flowing towards Draco.

As the rest of the demon dissolved and flowed over him, Draco dropped to the ground, letting out a scream of pain as it suddenly felt like something was trying to burrow into him as the dark shadow of the demon enveloped him. The pressure increased, cutting off his cries as it seemed to crush all of the air out of his lungs. The pressure continued to build as the second drew out like hours.

Finally, the pressure withdrew and the demon reformed, looking murderous. "What is wrong with you, wretched creature?" It hissed furiously.

Between gasps Draco managed a smirk, relieved the theory had proven correct. Brown flooded into his eyes as he chuckled. "This one's mine."

"You..." It hissed wrathfully.

Darien nodded agreeably. "Me."

"Well, I can take care of that..." It growled with poisonous promise, drawing back it's lethally taloned hand.

Suddenly the hallway filled with brilliant light as seven wands burst forth with sunlight simultaneously. The Demon let out a tortured shriek, diving back into the cat and making it struggle to its feet. It turned to run back the way it had come, but Snape and Harry were coming from that direction, both wielding brightly blazing wands. It glanced around frantically, then leapt up on the windowsill, smashing headlong through the glass.

The others converged on Draco. Draco grabbed up the map, then let Goyle help him to his feet as Snape and Harry hurried over. Draco quickly surveyed the map. The smudge was flitting away across the grounds. He glanced out the broken window, spotting the cat laying on the ground several meters from the window. He looked over as one of the others handed him his wand.

"How did it escape?" Snape growled irritably as he came to a stop, having been temporarily blinded by the amount of light coming from the other direction.

"The cat." Draco said, peering at the limp form laying on the snow outside.

Snape looked out, spotting it. He glanced at the map to make sure the demon was gone, then flicked his wand. "Accio cat." The limp body flew towards him through the broken window and he caught it as gently as he could. He examined it. "Still alive. Wouldn't have thought..." He trailed off, looking at it a bit closer. He sighed. "Half Kneazle... I should have known. I had no idea we had such creatures wandering unsupervised around Hogwarts or I would have thought to check them as well..."

Harry pushed forward. "Crookshanks!" He said, shocked.

"Hermione's cat? Ah yes... should have known with what I've heard of it." Snape said with a thoughtful nod. He cradled the limp cat gingerly in his arms, "Well, let's get into the Dungeon already. No sense giving it a chance to regroup."

--------------------

A/N - Didn't mean to leave you all jonesing, but the weekend was absolutely exhausting and I'm still trying to recover... which isn't each to do when you work ten hour days at work... Now I think I'll go take a nice 3 hour nap before getting up for work! ;) So sorry if this has errors and stuff... thought you guys would start going into withdrawal if I put it off any longer... Anyway, about searching for me... I checked. Apparently it doesn't like dashes when searching. Search for just "GD7" and it will find me. As for McGonagall and the others checking students upon entering... well I hope this cleared that up.

According to Mugglenet dot com, J.K. _has_ said that Crookshanks is, in fact, half kneazle. That explains his unusual intelligence, etc.

Paraphrased from _Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander, p24:

Kneazle - small cat-like creature with flecked, speckled or spotted fur, outsized ears, and a tail like a lion's. Intelligent, independent, and occasionally aggressive, though if it takes a liking to a witch or wizard it makes an excellent pet. Has the ability to detect suspicious or unsavory characters, can be relied upon to lead its owner safely home if lost. They have up to 8 kittens in litter, and can interbreed with cats. Licenses are required because can attract muggle attention.


	38. Chapter 38

A/N - Smut. Slash. I know, I know... there was slash in the last chapter too, but it's necessary for the storyline... (or that's my excuse at least, and I'm sticking to it! (smirks)) I'm sure you'll be able to figure out when it's about to happen, and you can then skip down to the A/N if you want. There should be some 'straight' smut soon. Be patient (I'm not sure how long as I'm writing this as I go).

Chapter 38

Blaise leaned against Ron with a contented sigh, letting Ron dry his back. He really didn't need help with this, but he was playing up the blind thing again. Of course Ron didn't mind... He knew they were both just trying to keep him distracted. Still... the bath had been nice, even though they'd let it remain somewhat chaste... well, they hadn't shagged at least... soaping eachother up and snogging... warm water and slippery skin... He would definitely have to try that again when he wasn't so distracted and worried.

Blaise slipped his arms around his waist as he finished, shifting his head up and finding Ron's lips. They shared a long, lingering kiss as they pressed together for warmth in the rapidly cooling room.

They broke apart as they heard a throat being cleared loudly. Ron looked over. Pansy was smirking at them from the doorway, having returned from checking for news. She looked adorable in the short green silk robe with fluffy feathery trim, but it made Ron wonder once again if she owned clothing of any other color.

"If you boys are done snogging..." She said with a wicked smirk.

"Any news?" Ron asked eagerly.

"They're being checked over now. The search party just came back with all three of them and they look just fine... and they brought a half dead cat for some reason..." She shrugged at the puzzle.

"They're back?!?" Ron asked, quickly grabbing up a discarded pair of jogging pants and pulling them on. He paused as he started for the door, looking back at Blaise.

"Go on. I'll make sure this one's decent before he wanders out of the room." Pansy said with a smirk.

Ron grinned at her thankfully and nodded, dashing out.

The rest of the trip out to the Common room was just a blur that didn't even register. The next thing he knew, he was standing before them, nearly drowning in relief upon seeing Harry alive and well. Snape was already sealing the ward, the checks now completed.

Harry looked over and their eyes met. Ron strode forward, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him. "Merlin... I was so worried..." He sighed in relief. He couldn't help but notice that Harry was trembling slightly.

Ron shifted away, looking Harry over at arm's length. "What's the mat..." he trailed off, spotting something just below Harry's sleeve. He seized his wrist and lifted it, pulling up the sleeve. He stared in shock at the long thin pink line that ran up it. He reached over and took the other hand and pulled up his other sleeve. He let the other hand drop, looking up at Harry, stunned.

Harry stared at the floor, unable to meet Ron's eyes. The light scars running down Ron's chest hadn't passed his notice.

"Why?" Ron asked, his voice little more than a confused whisper, "I mean... when Myrtle... I... I couldn't believe you would really... how could you even _think_ of... oh Harry..." He trailed of achingly, tears tracing down his cheeks.

"I didn't want to hurt anyone else..." Harry said softly.

"What?" Ron asked, his voice rising incredulously.

Harry looked up, meeting his eyes for the first time. "I nearly _killed you_, Ron! I nearly killed everyone here!" He said, indicating the gathered Slytherins.

"That was a _demon_, Harry! Not you!"

"Who cares? Sooner or later that bloody thing is going to get back in me, and then..."

Ron just shook his head, his voice rising with an edge of anger, "So you were going to top yourself just because there is a _chance_ this thing might use you again? Harry... it doesn't need _you_... it could take _any_ of us and do the exact same thing! You don't see us going out and snuffing ourselves!" Ron stepped up to him and wrapped his arms around him once again, holding him tight. "You silly, silly prat..." He murmured, his voice softening, "Promise me you'll never do anything that daft again... Please promise me... I don't think I could take it..."

Harry broke down, sobbing weakly against Ron's shoulder.

Snape cleared his throat uneasily, "Yes... well it appears the excitement is over for the night. Everyone back to bed." He said loudly. The other Slytherins grumbled, not wanting to miss a chance to watch the Great Harry Potter having a breakdown, but complied grudgingly, slowly filtering back into their rooms.

When most of the others had left, Ron looked over, spotting Draco for the first time. He had flopped down in his favorite chair, looking exhausted, Ginny curled up at his side and looking concerned. "You ok?" Ron asked worriedly.

Draco just grinned and waved it off. "No problem... just proving a theory... took a bit more out of me than I thought it would..."

"Theory?" Ron asked.

"The demon tried to take him." Snape said off-handedly, gingerly examining Crookshanks, who Goyle was now holding.

Ron's eyes widened, "I'm sorry... I should have gone myself..."

Draco snorted. "That would have been great... then we'd be fighting you off about now... assuming it bothered to use you as a host before ripping your soul out and escaping again that is..."

Ron winced, holding Harry tighter. "Sorry... I..." He sighed, "Thank you. I owe you."

Draco smirked, "Na... I'm sure Harry will cover it..."

Harry lifted his head, his sobs having died off, his body unable to sustain them any longer. He surveyed Draco with resignation. "What is it you want?" He asked dejectedly.

"I don't know yet. I'll let you know as soon as I think of something though, don't you worry." Draco said with a purely Malfoy smirk.

"Great... something _else_ to look forward to..." Harry muttered darkly.

"Indeed. Now have a seat before you fall down, Potter. You're shaking like a leaf." Snape said authoritatively.

Harry sighed and let Ron lead him over to one of the smaller couches. He sighed again as Snape handed him another cup of the vile potion. He knocked it back with a grimace, then handed the small cup back to Snape without a word.

Ron waited for him to settle back in his seat before pressing on, "Why didn't you come to me Harry? If you were planning on..."

"I didn't plan it." Harry said, cutting him off, "It just kind of... happened..."

"So you just left the safety of the Tower for a little stroll?" Snape asked disbelievingly.

Harry glanced over at him, then dropped his eyes. "I... couldn't handle being there anymore... the way everyone was talking about me and staring... and what they were saying when they didn't know I was there..." He fell silent, hugging himself.

"When they didn't know you were there?" Snape asked, settling down into a nearby chair and watching him intently.

Harry sighed deeply, then related what had happened after he had returned to the Tower, giving a vague description of what was said. "And I can't say as I disagree with any of it... I mean what I did..." He finished achingly.

"This is really about the other night... about what happened between you and Hermione, isn't it?" Snape asked softly.

Harry looked up at him sharply. He'd left that part out. "What do you know about that?"

Snape sighed, closing his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose. "She was _possessed_."

Harry's eyes went wide, "How... how could you know that?"

Snape dropped his hand, looking over at Harry tiredly. "Because it told me about it. We had a right nice little chat before it tossed me about like a rag doll and ran off."

Harry's jaw hung slightly.

"It was possessing her when you two were together... it couldn't possess _you_ because that old fool Fudge put Unicorn blood in you... though that protection was wearing off... and now that you obligingly emptied your veins it is most likely entirely gone. Unicorn blood in your system can be secreted through bodily fluids... by the time it realized you could pass it on to it's current host it was too late. That's why she ran away... it was removing its host from your presence before it lost control of her. If I had any idea you were going to pull a birdbrained stunt like this over it, I would have spoken to you earlier."

Harry sat there, stunned. He replayed the scene in his head... if that was true... it made sense... why she'd suddenly lost the desire to be with him and tried to get him to stop... but it had been too late... and that would have been why she... _it_ was so angry! Could it be true? If it wasn't, how could Snape possibly know what happened between him and Hermione? "What else did it tell you?" He asked guardedly.

"Well, as you suspected, it's well fond of you... demons thrive on human emotions... obviously they enjoy pleasures of the flesh, which they can only experience through their hosts since they are asexual themselves... but more than anything, they revel in human misery. It referred to you as 'candy'. I suggest you excise some of your _own_ demons before going up against that one again."

Harry dropped his eyes again. He wasn't sure that was _possible_...

"Well, we can discuss this more in the morning. You should really get some sleep. I trust you have gotten over the urge to harm yourself?" Snape asked, narrowing his eyes shrewdly.

Harry sighed and nodded, still staring at the floor.

"And what then?" Ron asked quickly, "We can't make him go back to Gryffindor!"

Snape rolled his eyes. "Well, we can't exactly send him away... he only has two places away from Hogwarts that he could go... Grimmauld Place or back with the _Muggles_. Either place I wager he'd be offing himself inside a week. We don't have anyone to baby-sit him. And we're not about to take him into Slytherin, if that's what you're thinking Mr. Weasley. Getting a unanimous vote for _him_ out of _this_ group... well if you're wishing for miracles, I suggest you find something more worthy to waste them on."

"So stick him in the Siege tunnel. There's plenty of room in there." Blaise said, having slipped into the room on Pansy's arm unnoticed.

"How the devil do you know..." Snape trailed off, his eyes darting to Draco and narrowing. "Scratch that. I have a fairly good idea how you found out about that..." He crossed his arms over his chest. "It took nearly thirty years of aversion charms to get the students to stay out of, and forget about, that tunnel... only the staff are supposed to know of its existence. I wondered why the house elves had suddenly taken to cleaning it... I thought perhaps they were just trying to find something to do with their time since they weren't allowed into the Houses very often anymore..."

Draco grinned sheepishly. "Wasn't _me_..."

Snape rolled his eyes. "Perhaps not, but it was undoubtedly your mouth that uttered it... and to _him_ of all people! Honestly... Another week and he'll probably have a right fine rave going down there!"

"Well what have you been doing down there then?" Draco countered.

"For your information, it contains a fully functioning Potions laboratory. I've been using it to prepare what ingredients I have for Mr. Zabini. I can't exactly do that with the Ministry officials watching, now can I?" Snape asked testily.

"Oh..." Draco grinned, "I guess that _would_ raise a few questions..."

"So?" Blaise prompted.

Snape looked thoughtful for a long moment. "The charms are still relatively good, and I've already started refreshening them to keep that blithering idiot Fudge from finding it... and I suppose I _could_ extend the ward to cover it without too much trouble since it's attached really..."

"And maybe you could even reopen the tunnel into Slytherin. Would certainly make it less likely that we would be caught." Draco added.

Snape snorted. "How do you think I've _been_ getting in there? I'm certainly not going to traipse through the corridors with illegal ingredients... It's blocked by no more than an interlaced grouping of glamors I put on it to keep nosey students from getting curious." He sighed and rose to his feet, "Well, I suppose that's another project to keep us occupied at any rate... Should be interesting talking McGonagall into it..." He mused. He glanced over at the twins, "Well, it looks as if the best couch is otherwise occupied... Stick him in the spare room down the hall from you on the way back to your room, won't you?." He said, looking over at Pansy. She nodded.

Ginny nudged Draco, who had started nodding off, and they got up, making their way back towards their room. Blaise reached out and stopped Draco as he started to pass him. "Draco... can... I talk to you?" He asked in a hesitant voice.

Draco looked over at him, surprised. "Sure... but can it wait until later? I'm pretty done in."

Blaise nodded, "Ok... later then."

They went on their way as Ron led Harry over. Ron suddenly became a bit uncomfortable as they came to a stop. "Um... you probably already know Blaise and Pansy..." He said, his cheeks coloring slightly.

Harry nodded. He couldn't help but notice they all had damp hair. It was still a bit hard for him to get used to the idea that Ron liked boys... but from what Draco had said, Ron and Blaise were seeing eachother... He eyed the dark glasses. "You're the one I blinded, aren't you?" He asked softly.

Blaise let out a laugh. "Listen to this cheeky monkey! As if _you_ could have _possibly_ have cast this curse! Please! If you want to take credit for something, make it something within the realm of possibilities... honestly." He chuckled, finding Ron and slipping his arm around his waist, "Let's drop him off... he's obviously still a bit delirious..."

"Obviously..." Ron said with a smirk, draping his arm across his shoulder and pulling him in for a little kiss before leading him off after Pansy.

---------------------------

Ron woke as he felt the bed shift. He cracked his eyes open. Blaise had shifted over to Pansy and was cuddling up to her affectionately. Ron had to smirk. Apparently one good shag a night wasn't enough...

Pansy stirred and giggled as Blaise kissed her throat.

"A big garden in the back yard..." Blaise whispered.

"Blaise... please don't tease..." Pansy whispered back.

"And a big back porch so we can watch the sunset every evening..." He murmured, nibbling his way up the side of her neck.

"Blaise..."

"Maybe a crup or two chasing away the garden gnomes..." He continued.

Ron just listened, puzzled. He could see a smile slip onto her lips in the near darkness.

"You _know_ I'd rather have Kneazles..."

"Ok... a couple Kneazles then... they should keep away the in-laws as well..." He said smirkingly.

She giggled and smacked his shoulder. Ron had to smile. It sounded like a game they played often...

"We'd have to have a greenhouse for winter..." She interjected smirkingly.

He nodded, "Either that or just go where there is no winter... overlooking a lake so we can go skinny dipping year round..."

She giggled, "And then we would need a boat house to sneak off into..."

"And the house... painted brilliant grass green!" He said, nipping at her earlobe.

She giggled again. "I'd better be the one choosing the interior colors then..."

"As you wish..." He said amenably. "But there'll have to be natural wood cabinets in the huge kitchen..."

She thought about it, then nodded, "Ok... but I get to choose the wood."

"Deal..." He said, shifting a bit and kissing his way to her lips. After a lingering kiss, he pulled away only slightly. "And woods out back... a nice big forest... and I can swipe some of Draco's strawberry plants and we can plant them in the forest..."

"You have a thing for strawberries now?" She giggled.

"I just like the idea of wandering through the woods and gathering up wild strawberries..." He said with a shrug, "Just struck my fancy... In fact we could have forest all the way around... no roads or anything... have the place all to ourselves... the rest of the world oblivious to our presence..."

She smirked, "Like your mother would let you hide away..."

He went on as if he hadn't heard her, "And the house will have lots and lots of rooms..."

She furrowed her brow. "Why lots of rooms? I thought you wanted a small house..."

He tilted his head thoughtfully. "That was before. Now we need room for the kids..."

Her eyes went wide, "Kids???" She said breathlessly, "But... you said you didn't want kids!"

"Well that was before Ron joined the family... I know how much you want kids... and I just don't want kids from _my_ bloodline... I think it'd be great having a dozen or so adorable little redheads running about..."

Ron tensed, shocked. A smile crept over his lips. He knew they were just playing, but it was touching being included in their little game.

Pansy had wrapped her arms around Blaise, pulling him close and sighing contentedly. "That sounds so wonderful.... but... um... I'm not a baby factory... we aren't going to hit double digits!"

"Nine it is." He said agreeably.

She chuckled. "We'll see..." She let out a sigh. "But I want at least one with black hair... _please_?"

Blaise sighed, dropping his head down to rest on her shoulder. "Pansy..." He said sadly.

"Being in your bloodline doesn't mean the baby would turn out bad... you turned out just fine..." She said, her voice losing its playfulness.

"Why would you want a baby with _me_?" He asked sadly.

She chuckled. "Because I love you, you great lummox!"

That brought a grin to his face. "Ya... well you're hopelessly smitten with Ron too."

Even in the very dim light cast by the low burning candles Ron could see her cheeks darken. He waited for her denial... but it never came.

"You remember what you told me once?" Blaise said softly, "You said you knew you loved me because I'm the only boy who's name you'd ever called out while shagging..."

"Ya..." She said faintly.

"Well, tonight Ron became the second..."

"I... I...?" She stammered, stunned. It was quite obvious she hadn't even realized it at the time.

He chuckled. "Unless you've been keeping up the silencing charms, they probably heard it all the way in the Common room..."

After a minute she sighed. "Well... according to your little plan, that still leaves eight for him, so that's no excuse."

He was silent for a long moment, then sighed deeply. "Ok... one..."

She was barely able to stifle a little squeal of excited pleasure. Then she paused. "Promise?"

There was another long pause, then he said softly, "I promise..."

She sighed happily. "You would do that for me?"

He grinned, shifting over and kissing her tenderly. When he eased back, he smiled. "You're the only girl I want to have and raise my child..." He said softly.

She giggled, "Because I'd be such a great role model? I certainly hope it's not a girl then..."

He gave her another little smile, letting his nose brush hers. "Because... I love you..." He said tenderly. Her eyes went wide and she let out a little involuntary gasp of surprise. "I've loved you for quite a while now... I'm sorry I've never told you that... you really deserve to hear it... you deserve to hear it every day..." He said, kissing the tip of her nose.

She was just blinking up at him, stunned. "But... but... I thought you were in love with Ron..." She said, baffled.

He grinned and chuckled. "I _am_... who said I couldn't be in love with two people at once? Where is it written that I have to _choose_? Hmm?" He said, finding her lips again, slipping his hand under her neck and lifting it slightly to deepen the kiss, trailing the fingers of the other hand down her throat affectionately.

Ron just lay there, frozen with shock. He never thought he'd ever hear those words... Blaise had always been so close-lipped about his feelings... and yet he was saying it so openly now... he just couldn't understand it.

When Blaise broke the kiss, he shifted his head over towards Ron. "You deserve to hear it as well..." He said softly.

Pansy looked over, noticing Ron was awake for the first time. Her hand darted up, covering her mouth in embarrassment as she realized he'd heard everything.

Blaise released Pansy and reached over, finding Ron and coaxing him closer. When he was close enough, Blaise found his lips, kissing him passionately. When he finally relented, he rested his forehead against Ron's. "I love you Ron. I'm sorry I've had such a hard time admitting it. I was just scared..." he said sincerely.

Ron felt like his heart was going to burst. "I love you too..." Ron said hoarsely. His emotions were surging so strongly they had washed away any doubt he'd ever had about his feelings for Blaise.

Blaise let out a happy, shuddering sigh, then kissed him again, longer and deeper than before. When he finally broke the kiss, he smirked. He reached across him, getting into the beside table drawer. "Well... I'm planning on shagging this lovely little crumpet now..." He said, sliding the drawer shut and dropping a little bottle of oil on Ron's chest. "Care to join us? I think I'd like to try being shared..."

A brilliant smile flowed over Ron's face. He didn't have to be asked twice!

Blaise shifted back over to Pansy. "Pans... I know you like watching... but... you think you could keep the lights down this time?"

She grinned. It wasn't often she heard Blaise sounding so bashful. It was just too adorable. "Ok..." She said, leaning up and kissing him. She sat up then, pulling off the little nighty she'd put on and grabbed a pillow, shifting it under her.

She was practically trembling with anticipation as he started touching her. He shifted over and settled between her legs. "Pans..." He said softly, "I'm not sure how much I'm going to be able to... um..."

She chuckled. "Don't worry about it. Having you inside while he shags you will be more than enough... I'm well aware of how hard it is to concentrate while he's doing the shagging..."

He grinned, shifting around and pressing into her, groaning as their hips met. He pumped into her a couple times before he settled down on top of her, buried to the hilt in her amazing warmth. He slipped his arms under her, holding her to him, then said in little more than a whisper, "I'm ready..."

Pansy held him while Ron carefully pressed in. Blaise let out a deep groan almost immediately. Ron was a bit surprised, but had to grin. Blaise wasn't stifling his reactions like he had before. It made it all the more amazing hearing soft moans and sounds of pleasure with almost every thrust. Ron shifted down more, his arms on either side of them propping him up but leaving him close enough to feel Blaise's warm skin brush him as he moved. He kissed the nape of Blaise's neck and felt a great shudder go through him as he let out a strangled groan.

"Don't stop Ron..." He pleaded in a hoarse whisper.

Ron grinned. He had no intention of stopping. He looked down at Pansy. Even in the near darkness he could see that her eyes were shut, a rapturous look on her face. Then her eyes opened, watching his dark form avidly as he moved over Blaise. She started kissing Blaise's neck, watching Ron intently.

Ron grinned and leaned his head closer. She lifted her head, her lips meeting his. He groaned as her tongue played over his. It was an amazing kiss, despite the slightly awkward angle required. Blaise shuddered again, starting to kiss and lick Pansy's throat lovingly.

As their kiss ended, Ron shifted back up, putting his weight back on his legs and grabbing ahold of Blaise's hips. He started speeding up, feeling his peak coming slowly but surely. Pansy arched up against Blaise, crying out and shuddering as she came.

Ron groaned, pushing harder. After a minute he buried himself in Blaise, groaning deep and trembling as his peak crashed over him hard. He held himself there for a minute, gasping for breath. Then he gingerly pulled out, making Blaise tremble and groan. He shifted over and collapsed beside them, reaching over and grabbing his wand wearily, quickly casting cleansing spells on them.

Blaise just lay there on top of Pansy, his face pressed to her shoulder as she held him.

"Did he...?" Ron asked curiously.

Pansy giggled, "At least three or four times!"

Ron grinned. Then his grin faded as he noted the slight shaking to Blaise's shoulders. "He's crying again, isn't he?" He asked softly.

She just grinned at him, stroking Blaise's hair soothingly.

"Sorry..." Blaise said in a soft, muffled voice.

Ron grinned, stroking his back tenderly. "It's ok..."

"It's just... I love you both so much..." He said tearfully.

Ron grinned wider, cuddling up beside them. "We love you too Blaise..." He said softly, "And we're not going anywhere. It's ok..."

Blaise let out a shuddering sigh, more tears trickling from his eyes. "Just hold me..." He said softly.

Pansy shifted them over to the side, making him slip out of her. Then she and Ron pressed against him to either side, enfolding him in loving flesh.

-------------

A/N - Sorry it's taking me so long... been sick and drugged to the gills (the legal, over the counter drugs mind you!) but I can't seem to find anything that works and I feel all muddled most the time... the words just don't seem to come out right when my brain's all wonky :)

I'll say this now before you all lose interest and stop reading... I've asked it before, but I'll say it again. Especially now that it's getting closer to the end... **PLEASE NO PREDICTIONS!** It bugs me if you guess what's going to happen... and then I tend to go another direction just out of spite, and that can get tiring. My characters screw up my plans enough without outside help. You have any idea how many times I've changed my mind about what will happen? Of course, that set of predictions _did_ give me a bit of a chuckle, so I'll let it pass... oh, and please review Chapter 31. Lucius' ownership of the demon has already been established.

Ok, so I may not have mentioned it, but for those of you who haven't read all of the books, Snape was so amused at Harry being indebted to Draco in the last chapter because Snape acquired a Wizard's Debt which he owed to James Potter in his youth, one that caused him quite a bit of irritation since he absolutely loathed James (their relationship being very much like Harry and Draco's). It was one of the things that greatly increased his irritation and anger towards Harry, especially since he felt the debt was unjustly earned. It was also supposedly why he saved Harry from the cursed broomstick in his first year, since he was never able to repay the debt to Harry's father before his demise, passing the debt on to Harry as his only living heir. I'd like to think he would have done it anyway, being a good and responsible Hogwarts teacher... but that might have been a bit of a stretch ;)

And the 'Prongs' reference in that chapter... they didn't really cover it in the movie, but James Potter was an Animagi who's animal form was that of a stag (which resulted in Harry's Patronus taking on the form of a stag, alluding to the lingering protection of his father). Thus James' nickname was 'Prongs', one of the four creators of the Marauder's map. Moony was of course Lupin (werewolf, moon...), Wormtail was Peter (for his rat form), and Padfoot was Sirius (for his dog form).

Paraphrased from _Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander, p8:

**Crup** - Closely resembles a Jack Russell terrier, except for the forked tail. A wizard created dog, it is intensely loyal to wizards and ferocious towards Muggles. A great scavenger, eating anything from gnomes to old tires. Must have a license to prove you are able to control your Crup in Muggle-inhabited areas. Owners are obliged to remove the Crup's tail with a painless Severing Charm when it is 6-8 weeks old, lest Muggles notice it.


	39. Chapter 39

A/N - Smut (near the end). If you're skipping the smut, please read the A/N at the end. I answered some questions.

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Chapter 28

Draco stirred, feeling the bed shift. He cuddled closer to Ginny, trying to get back to sleep. Suddenly he stiffened, feeling a hand resting on the back of his t-shirt. He looked around and saw someone sitting on the side of his bed. He let out a sigh of relief, spotting the dark glasses despite the very dim light.

He carefully disengaged himself from Ginny, shifting over and sitting up, running his fingers through his hair. "Bloody Hell Blaise..." He said softly, so as not to wake Ginny. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"It's later." Blaise said softly.

Draco sighed and rolled his eyes. Leave it to Blaise to get all literal on him. "Fine... what is it you wanted to talk to me about?" He said in resignation.

"Did... did you mean what you said... about me being your best friend?"

Draco groaned. "I said it, didn't I?"

Blaise hung his head slightly. "It's just... you've always seemed to be so irritated with me all the time... To be honest, I didn't even think you liked me..."

Draco let out a deep sigh. He could feel Darien urging him on. His insistence on openness was irritating, but... whether it was his weariness or the encompassing darkness... or simply because it was Blaise... it didn't seem quite so difficult at the moment... He hoped Darien wasn't rubbing off on him... that would be a bloody nuisance. "Of course you irritate me... and annoy me... and drive me straight around the bloody twist on occasion... but..." He sighed again, "In a way... I guess... that's kind of what I like about you... you just don't care about what people think... you're always just... _you_..." He shifted uneasily. "I can't even count the number of times I've told you to bugger off or get lost... thrown things at you... all but kicked you to get you to go away..."

"Actually, you did kick me once..." Blaise said in a soft, amused voice.

Draco smirked, "Oh yeah... guess I did... my point is... no matter what I did, you never went away..."

"Guess I'm just a slow learner." Blaise said with a little smile.

Draco let out a soft chuckle. "Ya... well, you made up your mind that I was your friend, and no matter what I said or did to you, you just kept being my friend... you're the only person who never once gave up on me..." he trailed off, dropping his eyes. "There were a couple of times... I was probably at the lowest I've ever been... and you were there... I was wretched to you... I yelled and screamed and threw things at you... and through it all you refused to leave my side... you have no idea how much that meant to me..." he trailed off, his voice having gained and aching edge. He glanced up at him with a little smirk, "Sometimes I'd tell you to leave just to hear you say no... I find your unwavering, infuriatingly obstinate dedication... strangely comforting..."

Draco smirked, pulling himself together. "I guess what I'm trying to say is... if you're asking me if you are my best friend... I'd have to say that's a pretty bloody daft question to ask. Who else would put up with me? Honestly..."

Blaise grinned. "That means more to me than you know..." He said softly.

After that, the silence drew out a bit, neither one knowing quite what to say. Blaise fiddled with the buttons on his shirt. "Can't ever seem to get these bloody things aligned properly..." He mused with a smirk, adjusting them.

Draco sighed. "We'll get that potion made. I promise..."

Blaise shifted his head up sharply. "No... no no no! Do NOT promise Draco! This is none of your doing and none of your responsibility. You tried, and that means the world to me. I could ask no more."

Draco sighed again, "You're not going to run around blind forever, Blaise!"

Blaise gave a rueful chuckle. "No. I'm not. In that you are absolutely correct."

Draco found his tone unsettling. "Why did you come here tonight, Blaise?" He asked in a cautious tone.

Blaise sighed. "Just wanted to see you again..." He said, reaching out and brushing a lock of hair out of Draco's eyes.

Draco's heart started beating oddly as a cold feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. "I thought you couldn't see me anymore... Snape said that had passed..."

Blaise nodded agreeably. "It did."

"But... you can see me now, can't you?" Draco asked, though he already knew the answer.

Blaise nodded again.

"Since when?"

"The Common room earlier..."

The candles burst to full height as if of their own volition. Draco reached out, taking ahold of Blaise's glasses and pulling them off, trying not to let his hands tremble. Blaise's face was unnaturally pale, the rims of his eyes, and even his eyelashes were white as chalk. Draco let out a little pained breath. "Why didn't you say anything earlier?" He asked achingly. Now that he thought about it, it should have been obvious to him... Blaise had stopped him as he passed, though he had been walking across a rug in silence at the time... why hadn't he realized Blaise was once again able to see him???

Blaise gave him a little smile. "Wouldn't have done me any good. I talked to Snape about this as soon as I found out it was a possibility... I have all of my affairs in order and a certified Will on file and everything... I'm not as dumb as I look. There's nothing he can do to reverse it or delay it once it's started up again... not without all the ingredients he needs for the counter curse."

"Can't he just give you another dose of that potion he used on you before?" Draco asked, grasping at straws.

Blaise shook his head. "In the cases they had on file where they tried that, it only severely weakened the victims and actually made the curse work faster... not to mention a lot more painfully... So there was really no point getting everyone all upset when there was nothing they could do about it... and there were a couple of things I had to take care of while I was still able..."

He picked up a couple of sealed letters from where they had sat beside him on the bed. "Could you make sure these get delivered? One's for my mum... the other..." He took a deep, shuddering breath, tears leaking down his deathly pale cheeks. He ran his fingers over the second envelope. Draco could see the words 'Pansy and Ron' written on the back of it. Draco moved forward, wrapping his arms around Blaise and holding him tight. He tried not to notice how cool Blaise felt, and the slight rasp he could hear once he was closer, starting very softly deep in his lungs.

Blaise clutched him weakly, pressing his face into Draco's shoulder. "I don't want to leave them..." He sobbed achingly.

"You won't... you won't... we'll find a way around this..." Draco said, keeping his voice confident, studiously trying to ignore the despair he felt welling inside him. He held Blaise tighter. Despite his best efforts, a couple of tears escaped him.

------------------

"Wake up..." A voice gently prompted.

Ron and Pansy stirred, looking around in confusion. The candles were all up. They looked over as Draco took a seat on the bed next to Ron. They both also noticed the missing occupant, sitting bolt upright almost simultaneously.

"What..." Pansy stammered, looking around in a fruitless search for Blaise.

Ron didn't even bother, having already spotted Draco's red-rimmed eyes and grave expression. He seemed to be having a hard time breathing. "No... please don't tell me that..." He said achingly, tears already coursing down his cheeks.

Draco dropped his eyes.

Pansy let out a pained cry, covering her mouth.

"He's still alive..." Draco quickly said. He sighed, "But the curse has taken hold of him again... he didn't want you to see him like that..."

"Well too bloody bad!" Ron said, starting to get up.

Draco quickly put a hand on his chest to hold him back. "Ron please... he asked me to come here. I am to give you a message..."

Ron settled back, reaching over and taking Pansy into his arms as she stared in numb shock at Draco. He took a deep breath, "Tell us then..."

Draco nodded. "First, he asked me to tell you that... you should already know this, but he wanted to say once again that he loves you both with all his heart and soul... and if there was any good that came of this, it was that it gave him the courage to finally tell you how he truly felt..." He paused, letting them take that in. They just held eachother, tears streaming down their cheeks. "The rest is for Pansy... he told me to tell you that he keeps his promises... but that there is still time, and that you are free to change your mind."

Pansy looked up at Ron, confused. Ron just shook his head, equally bewildered.

Draco pulled open the drawer in the bedside table. He looked in and fished something out. "He said to show you this and you'd know what he meant..." He said, holding up his hand and letting the tiny charms slip from his fingers and dangle on it's chain.

Ron furrowed his brow in confusion. It was the necklace Pansy always wore... a tiny, stylized bird with its wings outstretched as if in flight, made of white gold on an impossibly thin white gold chain. He looked down at her to see if she had a clue...

Pansy was running her fingertips over where it usually lay, as if trying to belie that the charm in his hand could really be hers. "Merlin..." She whispered, looking like she was about to pass out.

"What?" Ron asked in confusion.

Draco took the tiny charm and lay it on the palm of his left hand, examining it distractedly. "It's known as a contraceptive charm, Ron." he said gently, "Most of the girls in Slytherin wear them in one form or another... and in many other houses as well of course... odd little bits of jewelry that no one would notice... usually given to them by their mothers when they go off to school... of course some of the boys wear such things as well, especially in the richer pureblood families..." He said, turning his right hand over and peering at the ring on his ring finger that had his family crest emblazoned on it. "But Blaise never wore one..."

Ron looked at the tiny, completely innocent looking charm, stunned. He looked down at Pansy, comprehension dawning. "You mean... he..."

"Got me pregnant... one little black haired child... just like he promised..." She said in a soft, utterly dazed voice.

"Well, you probably aren't there yet... but he also cast a fertility charm on you... so you undoubtedly will be if you don't put this back on within the next hour or so before the after effects of this wear off entirely... I mean since he took it off before he shagged you, his seed is still viable... but your body still has to catch up and produce a viable egg... and just as soon as it does you'll be pregnant... but if you put this back on now, it will neutralize the seed before that happens." Draco said, holding out the charm where she could take it if she wanted to.

She just sat there, staring at the charm for the longest time. She slipped her hand down to rest on her stomach, looking down at it, still too shocked to even think to cover herself, the blanket having slid down to her waist. She curled up against Ron, pressing her face to his chest as her tears redoubled. "I never imagined I'd have to raise our baby alone..." She sobbed achingly, her hand still clutched protectively over her stomach.

Ron sighed, holding her tight. "You won't... You'll still have me..." he said softly.

She looked up at him, surprised.

He wiped the tears off her cheek tenderly. He took a deep breath, "Whether as a friend... or a lover... or... maybe even more... whatever you _wish_ me to be... I'll be there... I could never let you go through this alone... and I could never let Blaise's child grow up without a father..." he said softly. "Besides..." He said with a little half-hearted smile, "You really think any one person could handle a child of _his_?"

She gave a little laugh, then slipped her arms around him, holding him tight as she started sobbing.

"I just want to point out once again..." Draco said gently, "He _is_ still alive... The curse has resumed, but its progress is still greatly hampered, so it is moving very slowly. Snape estimates he probably still has at least several days before he is past all possibility of recovery... and I, personally, plan on getting the last ingredients out of Fudge if I have to carve them out of his miserable carcass with a ruddy butcher's knife!" he said, his eyes swirled with brown and glinting dangerously as he finished.

Ron looked into the strange, chaotic eyes. He had no doubt Draco was telling the absolute and honest truth. "Tell me if you need someone to hold him down while you do." Ron said grimly.

Draco gave him a short nod, "I'll do that." He slipped his hand in his robe, tucking away the obviously unwanted charm and pulling out the sealed envelope. He stared at it for a long moment. "This is... in case... we _can't_ get the ingredients..." he said softly, setting the envelope on the bedside table, the side with their names facing up.

They both stared at the benign looking envelope for a long moment.

"We won't be needing that." Ron said firmly.

--------------------------

Ron and Pansy followed Draco impatiently as he led them to the room Blaise had been put in. Pansy was clinging to Ron's arm with both hands, looking pale.

Draco slowed as he saw Snape leaning against the wall of the corridor ahead, his arms crossed tensely across his chest, staring through the crack in the door opposite him, which stood slightly ajar.

"What's happened?" Draco asked worriedly.

Snape put his finger to his lips to quiet him, then said in a low voice. "I took down the wards and Flooed his mum... she's in with him now..."

Ron and Pansy stepped over to where they could see. They could see his mother, a petite woman with long raven tresses and dressed all in black, sitting on the side of the bed. She was holding onto Blaise as if her life depended on it and weeping openly. Blaise was stroking her hair soothingly, but it was evident by the slight jerkiness of his movements that he was already getting weak.

Pansy turned and buried her face in Ron's shirt. He just held her, fighting back his own tears and moving them out of view of the room.

After a drawn out silence punctuated only by Pansy's sobs and those of Blaise's mother drifting softly out of the door, Snape cleared his throat uncomfortably. "We'll be moving him into the Siege tunnel as soon as it's safe." He said softly, "I have a group of my best seventh years in there already, reinforcing the protective spells and setting the groundwork for the ward. I should be able to extend the main ward by early afternoon."

Ron looked over at him, surprised. "Why move him?"

Snape looked over at him, a look of pity crossing his dark eyes. "It was at his request... he is alright here for the moment... but if this progresses to the later stages... he didn't want to be in Slytherin if that should occur..."

"But he has several days, right?" Ron asked pensively. "Before it kills him I mean..."

Snape looked over at him again. "It won't kill him, Mr. Weasley." He said grimly, "We'll have to do that ourselves."

Ron and Pansy both looked over at him in shock.

"You obviously haven't read up on the curse... probably best... the descriptions are anything but reassuring... it will slowly turn him into a wraith if left unchecked, thus the name. He will become a malicious, soulless creature who's only purpose is to fly about stealing innocent souls... The only way to prevent it other than curing it is to kill the victim before they lose substance entirely... don't worry... I have a poison that will be swift and painless if it should come to that..."

He sighed softly, looking away as Ron and Pansy held eachother and sobbed. Draco looked away as well. He bit his lip, fighting the gathering moisture in his eyes.

"I'm going to go check on the others..." Draco said quickly, hurrying away.

He made his way through the winding corridors on instinct alone. He tried to fight off the echo of Snape's words that seemed intent on ringing through his head... tried to obliterate imagined images of Blaise wasted away by the curse like the pictures he'd seen in the book he'd found. And the poison... he knew well the one Snape had spoken of... it was a euthanasia potion that was highly frowned upon, but not quite banned as of yet... he, himself, had helped Snape brew it as a special project in his third year. It was a total headfuck to think that he had helped create the means by which Blaise would die... even though he knew how much more humane it would be than not using it.

He turned off before reaching the Common room. He couldn't face anyone right now. He entered his room and slammed the door, pulling out his wand and sealing it. When that was done, he slumped against the door, his wand falling from his numb fingers, pressing his forehead to the hard wood, his insides in utter turmoil.

"Draco?"

He let out a pained breath. He hadn't figured on Ginny still being in the room. He pulled himself together, straightening and turning, making his face studiously emotionless. She was standing there in the doorway of the bathroom, looking hesitant. She had a towel around her, her hair still dark with dampness from the shower. She bit her bottom lip, looking him over worriedly, her own eyes red-rimmed from crying.

He quickly averted his eyes, afraid they would betray him. He pulled off his robes and tossed them in the general direction of the chair, striding forward. "I should get my shower taken too..." He said, wanting to avoid having to talk to her. He unbuttoned his shirt as he crossed the large room. He reached the door, and yet still she stood there, blocking his way. "Ginny..." He said irritably.

"No." She said firmly.

He looked into her eyes and saw the unyielding set of them, her Weasley stubbornness flaring instantly.

Draco dropped his voice, "Not now, Ginny."

She just shook her head. "No. I'm not going to let you crawl back into that shell of yours! I know better than anyone what Blaise means to you, and you can't keep this all bottled up!"

He set his jaw. "My emotions, whatever they may be, are just that... MINE!" He growled. He grabbed her by the shoulders to move her out of the way, but she grabbed ahold of him at the same time. He growled in irritation, trying to move her and they stood there, locked in a struggle. He managed to swing her around out of the doorway, but she overbalanced, still holding him and pulling him down with her.

She hit the rug, and he landed on top of her. Before he could disengage himself, he found her lips on his, kissing him fiercely. He let out another growl, letting his weight crush her to the floor, kissing her back and forcing his tongue into her mouth. Their tongues battled fiercely as he quickly got hard, grinding his hips up against her roughly.

After a minute of this, he got up on his knees, ripping open the towel that covered her and hurriedly undoing his pants, all but tearing his clothes out of the way before shoving her legs further apart and dropping back down on top of her. To his frustration, he found it much more difficult than expected to enter her since she was fresh from the shower. She let out a little pained sound as he tried to force his way in.

He let out an angry breath, moving off her and shifting down, quickly alleviating the problem with his tongue. When he felt it was good enough to gain entrance, he moved back up, thrusting himself into her. It was a bit less than smooth to begin with, but within a couple of strokes the problem corrected itself.

He settled back onto her heavily, pounding himself into her body and making her cry out... though he wasn't entirely sure if they were cries of pleasure or pain... but he was past caring by that point. He thrust himself into her harder, pouring his pain, fear and frustration into her in a wild torrent. He didn't even notice when the tears started flowing down his cheeks. He had his eyes clenched shut, his whole attention focused on the purely carnal sensations of driving himself into her.

He sped up, letting himself go entirely as he felt the dizzying rush of his peak fast approaching. And then it crashed over him... he stabbed himself into her, crying out as he erupted inside her. He pulled back slightly and thrust back in with each aftershock, trying to drive himself deeper, until he was completely spent, his body finally coming to rest on top of her. He let out a sob of pure anguish, clutching her to him. He couldn't seem to control himself as he started sobbing uncontrollably, burying his face in her damp hair.

He vaguely became aware of her legs being wrapped around him... and the sting of fresh scratches on his back... and the fact that she was holding him, stroking his hair. He sobbed harder as how brutal he'd been with her began to sink in. reality seemed to be having a hard time reasserting itself in his mind... perhaps because reality had gone so very off-kilter.

He didn't know how long he lay there, just sobbing like a child... but eventually his tears ran dry and the sobs receded. He lay there, feeling hollow and utterly spent. "I'm sorry..." He whispered achingly, "I'm so sorry..."

"Shhh..." She said soothingly, still gently stroking his hair and nuzzling against him.

"I... I didn't mean to..."

She just smiled, "I love you..." She murmured, gently kissing his neck.

He shifted up some, taking his weight off her for the first time and looking down at her sadly. "But... I hurt you... how can I ever..."

She grinned and put her finger over his lips, silencing him. "A bloody _brilliant_ shag is something you never have to apologize for!" She said with a mischievous smirk.

He blinked at her, stunned. Slowly, a little smile started to tug at the corner of his mouth.

She leaned up and kissed him, then smiled. "_Now_ you can take a shower... in fact, I think I'll join you..."

---------------

A/N - Please don't kill me mandabella! Or any other big Blaise fans... I like Blaise, **_really_**... just calm down and take deep breaths... that's it... keep going...

Just so you know... I have left it assumed that Snape filled Harry in on at least the basics of the whole Draco/Darien thing before the scene in the Hospital Wing. I mean would he really introduce Darien and then refuse to explain??? Ok, perhaps it would give him a shred of sadistic glee since it's Harry we're talking about, but I still find it unlikely ;)

Ann-Marie - He cried the first time because it was a very emotional experience for him... the loss of innocence... sharing yourself more completely than you ever had with anyone before... it can be a bit... well, _emotional_. The second time... well that's probably pretty obvious now... he knew the curse had started up again and his chances of survival... That he was probably going to lose these two people that he loved so completely, and leave them... and he knew how very much that would hurt them... I'd say that's reason enough...

And before you go asking, because I'm sure someone inevitably will... Draco... sex can be a means by which some people, especially people who are very emotionally repressed (like Draco!), can achieve a catharsis... a purging of emotions. It's something that we all need... but some people just have a much harder time achieving on their own.

And I hope this satisfies you rabid D/G shippers who have been chomping at the bit for more shagging!

Oh, and JeanB - this is, admittedly, much smuttier than I usually go... I think writing it as you go, with all these reviewers egging you on... well, it gets a bit out of hand very easily... this was supposed to be at MOST like ten chapters long... and look! Here comes 40!!! _What the Hell?!?_ But seriously, if I ever get around to FINISHING THIS I will quite possibly start posting another fic that I have that is even more extensive (though this one is well on it's way to making a lie of that...) and MUCH less smutty... in fact, unless I seriously revamp it, it is way tame compared to this wild romp... and absolutely no slash in it. It is a very... well the only way I can describe it is a more traditionally J.K. style story... in that it starts at the beginning of the year and such, and follows her style much more closely... the characters being much more true to her vision of them, though I make my own interpretations on why they are the way they are... but I use what I call 'drifting focus'... which means I can't stick to a single character (smirks). The focus of the story shifts from character to character over the course of the story... it isn't a D/G ship... but I probably will put them as the two main characters... because in the beginning, Ginny seems to have the biggest part... and towards the second half it drifts to Draco being the most essential character (I try to avoid the term 'main character')... but it is a darker Draco that is what I think is more in keeping with J.K., though I have made him much more rounded. I'm babbling... I'll shut up now :)


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

"Pansy, dear..."

Pansy looked up as Blaise's mother knelt beside her where she sat on the floor, slumped against Ron. Pansy shifted over, hugging her. The woman held her, stroking her hair soothingly. She looked over at Ron.

"You must be Ron..." She said gently, "Blaise has told me so much about you..."

Ron stared at her, surprised. He hadn't really expected Blaise to waste his time with his mother talking about _him_... and he couldn't get over how much Blaise took after his mother. In fact, he couldn't imagine Blaise got much more than gender and a larger stature from his father. Still, she hardly looked more than twenty five... her skin still smooth and flawless... and those eyes... seeing the dark eyes that he remember so well... that he had gotten so little time to get to know... made him ache inside.... and yet he couldn't seem to make himself look away from them.

"I'm..."

"Mrs. Zabini... I know... Snape told me." Ron said with a little nod, still a bit thrown by her close resemblance to Blaise.

She gave him a little smile. "You can call me Delse."

He gave her a little weak smile and a nod. "Delse."

She smiled at him warmly and he saw where Blaise's ability to look completely unfazed by anything came from.

They looked up as Fred and George hurried up, Fred carrying the Marauder's Map. They didn't look pleased.

Snape looked like he dreaded asking, but did anyway. "What is it?"

"It's back inside..."

"It's in the Great hall..."

"Came right through the wall..."

"We figure it took an owl in one of the upper windows..."

"Came right in with the morning post..."

Snape sighed deeply. He had hoped it would be more difficult for it to return without a viable host to go out and fetch it. He'd already spoken to McGonagall, informing her of what had happened with Harry and had her seal the School. Apparently it wasn't sealed well enough. "Our owls apparently have enough magic in them to play host for a short time as well it appears... though I doubt that one survived the encounter... Crookshanks is a very strong beast, and he barely survived it... though I suspect it used him more than that once..."

"But he's ok...?" Ron asked tentatively. He had started out hating the bloody animal, true enough... but he'd grown to respect it after he discovered the reason behind it's dogged pursuit of his duplicitous pet rat.

Snape nodded. "Still a bit skittish, but he'll be fine... as long as we can keep him out of Ministry hands of course... Goyle's looking after him." He accepted the map from Fred and looked it over. It was easy enough to spot the smudge of the demon despite the crowding of dots and names that filled most of the Great Hall. The only notable gap in the crowd was where the Slytherin table sat. None of their House had left the Dungeon for breakfast. Snape had selected a number of house elves and assigned them to take up residence in the Siege tunnel, having them prepare food for the House in the small kitchen there. They had already fully stocked it after all, there was no reason not to use it.

He watched the smudge move about. It avoided the teacher's table, as stronger, more experienced wizards and witches were more likely to notice the incursion and had a much better chance of posing opposition to its control. But the students were another matter entirely... it flitted from one to the next like a humming bird, going from one end of the hall to the other in less than a minute. It seemed to almost be sampling them, seeking out the best host for it's purposes. At the rate it was moving, it would most likely have been through the vast majority of the students at least once before the end of the meal. The unsettling part was that this was probably how it had moved from the very beginning.

"Um..." Fred said tentatively.

"That's not the worst part..." George finished.

Fred flipped over one of the folds, pointing to a small cluster of dots moving along a corridor. Snape let out an irritable groan. It was Fudge and group of his Aurors, and they were heading right for the door to the Dungeon. Undoubtedly he would be coming to question them about last night's events.

He folded the map back up. "Fudge must not find out about this map." Snape said firmly, handing it back to Fred. "Take it and get back in the tunnel and send out my students. If he finds out about the map it will be whisked away to the Department of Mysteries in a heartbeat and do us no good... and the tunnel he'd have sealed... probably claim it was a security risk or some such bloody thing..."

They nodded and turned, running headlong back down the corridor.

Snape turned to Blaise's mother. "I'm terribly sorry..." He said. A number of students had gathered in the hallway by this point, holding a silent vigil outside Blaise's door. He motioned one of them over to take over watching Blaise, then looked back at her, "I have to go, but I'll be back shortly..."

She released Pansy and rose, tugging at the hem of her black blouse to straighten it, even though it and her finely tailored pants were still impeccable, her flowing black robes unwrinkled. "I shall accompany you. I've been meaning to have a word or two with our dear Minister of Magic, but he has been refusing an audience with me. I see no reason why I cannot talk to him now since he seems so eager to visit."

A little smirk flitted across Snape's lips. "Of course. This way." he said, sweeping off down the corridor, leaving Ron and Pansy staring after them.

-----------

Harry stood in the doorway of the room he'd been given, unsure what he was supposed to do. He had heard enough from passing Slytherins to gather the gist of what had been happening. In the flurry of activity that had been going on that morning, everyone seemed to have forgotten about him quite completely. Not that he minded. The room was small and sparsely furnished, but he'd take it over his room in Gryffindor in a heartbeat. At least no one here bothered teasing him or staring and talking about him just loud enough for him to hear.

He looked down the corridor towards the Common room, but was hesitant to leave the room they had put him in without being told to. Still... he had seen the twins tear past (though he still had no idea what _they_ were doing there), and he knew something new was happening.

There was a sudden increase in activity in the already busy corridors... he watched in surprise as the last of a stream of seventh years hurried out of the doorway the twins had run through... and then the doorway simply vanished! He realized that must be the hidden door they had been talking about the night before, though the conversation was a bit muggy in his mind now...

He tensed as Snape turned down the corridor, storming in his direction, his robes billowing ominously behind him as they always seemed to whenever he was angry enough to move that fast. "Let's go, Potter." He said shortly as he passed, not so much as pausing or glancing in his direction.

Harry quickly fell in behind him and found himself walking beside a petite, raven haired woman. She looked over at him and crooked a smile. He felt a shock go through him, realizing immediately who she reminded him of.

"Harry Potter..." She said musingly, trailing her eyes down him. "Certainly didn't expect to see _you_ here... I'm Delse Zabini." She said, confirming his initial impression. "My late husband absolutely loathed you..." She added offhandedly.

He blinked and dropped his eyes as they came out into the Common room, his cheeks coloring.

As they came to a stop, she reached over and lifted his chin with her fingertip, "That's a point in your favor, dear." She informed him with a smirk before dropping her hand.

He looked at her, surprised, but then was distracted as a couple of students unlocked and opened the door at Snape's nod. He slunk back against the wall, hoping to escape the notice of whomever they might be greeting.

Fudge looked in, startled. They he had obviously arrived just at that moment and he wasn't expecting the immediate response he received. He quickly brushed it off and started to enter. Snape immediately held up his hand. Fudge stopped, looking surprised.

Snape motioned two of the older students over and they began casting detecting spells on the group. Snape already knew none of them housed the demon, but not to check would be to admit that and make Fudge's suspicious little mind start wondering how they knew. Fudge huffed indignantly as he was motioned through and they continued on the others in the group.

Snape just smiled at him coldly. "Safety before pride, Minister. Surely you understand." He said softly.

Fudge rolled his eyes and waited until the entire group had entered and the door closed. The sound of the locks shooting into place made him a bit nervous, but he hid it quickly. He regained his superior posture as his men took up their positions around him once again.

"Minister," Snape said before Fudge was able to get out a word, "An urgent matter has come up which needs to be addressed..."

Fudge waved him off dismissingly, "First thing's first! I hear there was some kind of incident involving your students last night."

Snape took a calming breath, glaring at the insipid man for a moment before replying, "It was mostly about Mr. Potter actually... and he is only one of my students in the sense that he is a Hogwarts student. He didn't make it into my Advanced Potions class."

Fudge looked over, spotting Harry who was staring fixedly at the rug under his feet. "I didn't hear about any disruption in Gryffindor House..." he said, obviously confused and shocked to find Harry in Slytherin of all places!

"He was apparently driven out by the scorn and ridicule of his Housemates... a situation that was undoubtedly significantly escalated by the extensive testing performed on him by your administration." Snape said evenly, his eyes glittering.

Fudge puffed up a bit. "We did what was necessary to insure he was free of the beast!"

Snape sneered at him. "That would have taken a few moments and a handful of uninvasive spells... it was completely unnecessary to torture him for hours and leave him covered head to toe in scars that may never go away... did you think the other boys wouldn't notice? Gryffindor house doesn't have private wash rooms."

Fudge quickly saw that continuing the conversation along its current course would only lose him face and quickly diverted the subject. "But how did he get out?"

"That is a good question." Snape said, glancing over at Harry.

Harry turned beet red, "I... followed the Aurors out after the nightly checks." He said meekly.

Fudge seemed to puff up even more, seeing the possible implication of inattentiveness on the part of his men. "Impossible... my men are highly trained. There is no way they could have been followed out a door without noticing!" His beady eyes narrowed. "Unless of course the rumors are true... are you in possession of an invisibility cloak? Those are closely monitored by the Ministry you know! I didn't see your name on the registry..." He said accusingly.

Draco snorted with derisive laughter from where he leaned against the mantle, getting quite fed up with Fudge and his frivolous bantering, "Oh please! Can we get on with this already? You won't believe him even if he says no, so why don't you just search him and be done with it?" he sneered.

Fudge glared at him, then nodded one of his men over. The Auror went over and began searching Harry. Harry let him, looking over at Draco in surprise. Draco knew very well Harry didn't have the cloak on him... he hadn't returned it yet!

The Auror straightened after a moment, shaking his head.

"You can check the room we put him up for the night in if you'd like, but I doubt he'd leave such a valuable item just laying about in Slytherin House." Snape said with a sneer.

Fudge nodded to his man, and Snape gave one of his students a nod. The third year girl quickly led the Auror off towards the room.

"And what about the beast the demon possessed? I heard it was a Kneazle or some such thing. Where the devil would it find a Kneazle?" Fudge demanded.

"I have no idea where it originated from... the Forbidden Forest has any number of strange and rare beasts in it..." Snape said evasively, "As for this particular Kneazle... it didn't make it." He said without batting an eyelash. "Died on the way back to the Dungeon. Nothing we could do."

"I'll be wanting the body so my people can examine it." Fudge said, clasping his hands behind his back and trying to look authoritative.

"Not possible I'm afraid." Snape said evenly, "I incinerated the body and got rid of the ashes with a simple cleansing spell."

"You what?" Fudge demanded angrily.

"It is against your flouted health regulations to keep dead animals or animal parts in dormitories. I believe it was originally intended to prevent the making of dark potions in secret, but it is a regulation none the less and must be followed." He said with a thin lipped smile.

Fudge huffed angrily, then looked over as the Auror hurried back with the old pillowcase in his hand. Snape had come by Harry's room shortly after he'd been taken to it the night before and returned it to him after making him swear it wouldn't lead to another 'incident'. Harry pushed away from the wall and looked on tensely as the Auror carried his most precious and private belongings to Fudge.

"This is all there was." The Auror said, opening the case for Fudge to examine the contents.

Fudge pulled out the photo album and opened it. He flipped through it as the Auror pulled out Sirius' knife, examining it.

"Well, well..." Fudge said, coming to a stop on one of the pages. "Harry Potter and the infamous mass murderer Sirius Black... Don't you two look chummy?" He said with a smirk. "Not advisable to keep evidence of aiding and abetting such a creature lying about... Now where might this picture have been taken I wonder...?"

Harry pushed through the Slytherins in front of him and strode up to Fudge, snatching the photo album from his hands. He closed it carefully, then reached out and snatched the knife handle away from the Auror. "Those are mine." He said, his brilliant green eyes narrowed with fury.

Fudge looked shocked and taken aback by the unexpected behavior. His face quickly clouded with anger, "Now you listen here boy..." He started menacingly.

Harry didn't even let him finish, he stepped closer and even at only sixteen he was looking down slightly to look Fudge in the eyes. "All of this is bullshit! Sirius was innocent and you know it... not to mention ten times the man you'll ever be... and none of this even matters! You keep pulling the same bloody thing every time you think something will make you lose face! You divert attention to things that are entirely pointless and ignore what's right in front of your face. Snape tells you he has urgent matters to discuss and you blow him off for stupid shit that is in the past and none of your bloody business in the first place! You know what the right thing to do is, and yet you fuck around and avoid doing it! Why don't you stop posturing like a bloody peacock and give them what they need to cure that boy!"

Fudge went red with anger at his impudence. "His blindness is regrettable, but does not justify breaking the laws that have held us in good stead for a great deal longer than you've been alive, boy!" He hissed.

"He DYING!" Harry spat back.

Fudge darted a look over at Snape, who nodded, confirming it. Fudge quickly covered his surprise. "Well that still doesn't justify breaking the law. I cannot simply bend the rules every time someone gets cursed! Where would we draw the line? It's a slippery slope, that! And might I add that you are getting dangerously close to..."

"To what?" Harry asked with a laugh, "To getting thrown into Azkaban for dimpling your precious ego? You think I give a flying fuck? Does it look like my life is all roses? Does it look like I'm _enjoying_ myself? I'm out here dealing with all the bullshit everyone piles on me every bloody day, living under the constant threat that Voldemort will come through the door at any moment and put an end to my miserable fucking existence! So, you know what? Azkaban is sounding really fucking cozy right about now! Take me away! Lock me up and throw away the bloody key! I hope Voldemort pisses on your bloody corpse when he's done fucking you over you pompous bastard!" He gave him one last glare, then turned on his heels and stalked back over to his place by the wall, as if daring Fudge to send his men after him. When he got there, he turned and leaned back against the wall, clutching his photo album to his chest and glaring at him venomously.

Fudge just stood there in total shock, his jaw hanging slightly. When he recovered after a long moment of drawn out silence, he looked over at Snape, obviously trying to pretend he hadn't just been verbally eviscerated by a school boy in front of dozens of witnesses. "So this curse has started up again, has it?" He said, all business once again.

"It has." Snape said with a slight nod. "So you can see the urgency of our need for those ingredients..."

Fudge put on a false look of sympathy. "I am truly sorry Professor Snape, but I couldn't get many of those ingredients even if I wanted to..."

"What about Erumpent tail?" Snape asked pointedly, his dark eyes boring into Fudge, who was suddenly trying not to look like he'd been caught red-handed doing something wrong.

"Erumpent tail?" He asked, as if curious. "Is that one of the ingredients? I'm afraid I haven't perused any of the literature on that particular curse in quite some time..."

Snape's jaw clenched. "Oh really?" He said slowly. "That is very curious indeed... seeing as you recalled every last one of them mere hours after you heard he was afflicted with the White Wraith curse..."

Fudge colored again. "I... have nothing to do with such things..." He blustered unconvincingly, "You would have to talk to someone who oversees the import and export of potion ingredients... most likely some quality control issue or something of that nature..."

"Well why don't you give us one and we'll test the quality of it for you?" Snape asked with a little smirk.

Fudge narrowed his eyes at Snape angrily. "I'll see about getting you an appointment to discuss it with the appropriate department head." he said stiffly.

Harry looked over as Delse took off her cloak. She smiled over at him. "Harry... would you be a dear and hold my cloak for me?"

He blinked, startled, but held his arm out and let her drape her cloak over it.

"Thank you." She said with another bright smile, then she turned and began wending her way towards the center of the room.

Harry looked back over as Fudge started talking again.

"I feel for you, truly I do." He said not even bothering to put much effort into his false sincerity, "But there is very little I can do... but I assure you I will give you what assistance I can. In fact..." He looked over, motioning two of his men forward. "Just have someone lead my men to the boy and they will take care of dispatching him and disposing of the body for you."

Snape's posture stiffened, his jaw dropping slightly in furious shock and indignation at the suggestion. The Slytherins near the back moved as one, blocking the hallway leading towards the room Blaise was in. Even Fudge's own men were looking over at him as if he'd gone completely mental.

"I'll not have you slaughtering my students in cold blood!" Snape spat, incensed.

Fudge looked exasperated. "Come now... it isn't as if he can be cured, and you can't have a wraith flitting about a school full of innocent children!"

Snape looked about ready to either start screaming at him, or start tearing him limb from limb, but then his eyes shifted slightly and his posture eased, a little unnerving smirk flitting onto his lips.

Fudge looked down in surprise, noting Delse standing squarely before him for the first time. Delse was a good several inches shorter than him, but he was still a bit taken off guard at not having seen her approach. She smiled up at him genially, batting her eyelashes at him.

He brushed off his surprise, "And who might you be, young lady?" He asked curiously.

In the blink of an eye, Fudge found himself flat on his back, the diminutive woman perched on his chest, pinning his arms with her knees and a long, wicked dagger pressed to his throat, her other hand resting on the end of the handle. It was perfectly poised to be driven directly into his brain in a split second if she chose to.

"I'm the mother of the boy you are trying to murder..." She hissed softly, her dark eyes glaring down at him murderously.

His Aurors overcame their surprise, whipping out their wands and casting disarming spells at her. She just smiled down at Fudge evilly as the spells flared around her, bouncing off what looked to be be some kind of protective shield surrounding her and rebounding on the Aurors. All the Aurors suddenly found themselves disarmed, their wands flitting away into the furthest reaches of the room. The Slytherins just stood there, making no move to help them retrieve their wands... and being very uncooperative when a couple tried shoving their way through them to find the lost wands. "Like my little charm? I find it most useful..." She said with a smirk.

He glanced down, noting the striated crystal pendant hanging from her neck. "That's illegal!" Was all he could think to say.

She chuckled again. "No... this is a family heirloom... it predates your precious Ministry, and therefor is perfectly legal under the Legacy clause."

His jowls quivered, "You... you kill me and you'll go straight to Azkaban..." He stammered, "And it won't do your son any good..."

She smiled down at him, though it wasn't a reassuring smile in the least. "Who said I was going to kill you Minister? You really shouldn't jump to conclusions like that..." She looked down at him like a cat toying with a mouse, "I'm merely exercising my right as a wronged party to seek an audience with you... Having my request for audience through legal channels in verbal and written form turned down in excess of five times... and you've turned me down _eighteen_ times... gives me the legal right to use any means I see fit to get my _point_ across..." she said, the razor sharp tip of the dagger 'accidentally' piercing the thin skin of his neck, making a bead of blood emerge.

"You've made your point..." He said quickly while trying to keep his neck absolutely still. "How about we get up and I'll be more than happy to give you that audience and we can discuss your issues like civilized people..."

She grinned. "No need... I'll keep this short and sweet... my request is simple. Release this Erumpent tail and whatever else you may possess that they will need so they can cure my son... you will do this swiftly as he has little time left... and if he dies..." She said, her voice growing cold, her eyes hard and dangerous. "You will quickly follow him." She said in a low growl.

"Threats are hardly the way to get what you want..." He said, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.

She chuckled low in her throat. "That wasn't a threat, dear Minister... that was a _promise_. If he dies, I will consider it murder on your part under the article concerning the willful withholding of life saving materials without just cause... I will claim my right to collect a blood debt... and as you are the last in your bloodline... that really leaves taking your life as the only possible means to pay off that debt... now doesn't it?"

"I'm the last in my bloodline! We're protected by law!" He stammered, grasping at straws.

She laughed. "It would protect you if you weren't sterile! Didn't think I'd know that, did you? Not that you're likely to reproduce at any rate... The Bloodline Preservation clause only protects those capable of passing on their blood..."

He swallowed, obviously thinking hard for a way out of this.

She smiled down at him, then slipped her hand off the end of the dagger, patting his cheek. "Why don't you go and think it over? Just... don't think too long..." She said with a smirk. In one fluid movement she was up and striding away.

The Aurors were looking at Fudge for instructions. He motioned them over angrily and they hurried over, helping him to his feet. He glared at her receding back, as the gathered Slytherins tossed the Auror's wands back, though throwing them just badly enough to make they have to hurry after them and pick them up off the floor. Then Fudge looked over and spotted Snape's highly amused smirk, and those of his students, who were all obviously trying very hard to hide their mirth. There were a few titters, then they all broke into laughter. Even Snape chuckled.

Fudge looked down and realized he had pissed himself. He jerked his robes closed and turned, storming out as two giggling students opened the door for him, a large wet spot staining the back of his robes.

Delse was smirking merrily as she meandered back through the crowd. She paused next to Ginny. "Thanks for the pointer, by the way..." She said brightly.

Ginny blinked in surprise, "Pointer?"

"In the picture... pinning the arms like that... it's always so irritating when they flail... thanks..."

Ginny just looked stunned. "Um... sure..."

Delse then made her way back over to Harry. She came to a stop before him. He was just staring at her with open awe. She batted her eyelashes at him and he realized with a start what she wanted, holding out his arm so she could take the robe. "Do you think he will give Snape what he needs?" He asked curiously.

She smirked, tossing the cloak over the crook of her elbow. She lifted the dagger and turned it, examining the blood glistening on the tip. "He had better... or he's going to be in for one _Hell_ of a nasty surprise..." she said with a malicious glint in her eyes.

He just stared at her. To think a small, attractive, but overall harmless looking woman like this was capable of what he'd just seen... he found it oddly fascinating...

She looked back over at him, then her eyes drifted down. She smirked, her cheeks tingeing ever so slightly pink. "See you later Harry..." She said just a little too merrily, striding off back towards Blaise's room.

Harry darted a glance down and blushed brightly, shifting the Photo album down a bit lower and hurrying back to his room.

--------------------


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter 41

"Come on Draco! You can't keep us out!" Ron said pleadingly. "We've barely even been able to get a glance at him."

Draco sighed from where he sat outside Blaise's door, his arms folded across his chest, "He doesn't want visitors. I told you that." He sighed, "Listen... it's... not exactly pretty... he doesn't want you to see him like that... he doesn't want that to be how you remember him..." He finished gently.

Ron closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths and trying to pretend that wasn't really a concern... When he opened his eyes again, he looked even more determined. "Listen, I don't care what he looks like!" He sighed and dropped his voice, "Would you care about that if it were Ginny in there?"

Draco's eyes darted up, then he dropped them again, looking pained. "Ron... please..." He said softly.

Ron let out a pained sigh, his eyes watering as he went back over and slid down onto the floor next to Pansy.

Draco couldn't help but look over, seeing the aching pain and longing in their eyes as they just sat there, holding eachother and staring over at him. Draco looked away, glaring at a little spot on the floor.

After a few minutes he shifted, then got up. "I'm going to get some tea." He said crisply. "Ron, if you would be so kind as to watch the door and make sure no one goes in, I'd appreciate it."

Ron and Pansy looked up, smiles breaking over there faces as Draco quickly turned and started off towards the kitchen. They scrambled up and crossed to the door.

They braced themselves, then entered the dimly lit room, closing the door quickly after them so the heat and the fumes from the simmering cauldron in the corner wouldn't escape. Madam Pomfrey had put the cauldron in there to help ease Blaise's breathing. The scent was heavy and rather cloying, but as Ron listened, he did notice a vast improvement. The loud rasping and rattling as he drew breath the last time they had been allowed to peek into his room had been quite disturbing... but now it was back down to a soft rustling. It was also almost hot, the fire being kept high to combat his dropping body temperature.

They approached his bed hesitantly. He was facing the other direction, curled up under a thick pile of blankets. All they could see was his hair. Once pure jet black, it was now streaked with white.

As they came to a stop beside the bed they heard him let out a shuddering sigh. "Tea my arse... bloody traitor..." He wheezed with an edge of mirth.

"Heard that, did you?" Ron said with a little smile.

"I'm blind... not deaf..."

Ron sat on the side of the bed, "Then you heard what I told him... and I meant it... we don't care what you look like... we love you..."

Blaise let out another shuddering sigh. "But I do..." He said softly. "I know what I must look like... and I don't think I could handle seeing one of you like this... I don't want to do that to you... leave this image in your minds..." he said, gasping slightly from the amount of precious breath that had taken to utter.

"Stop it, Blaise..." Ron said gently. He reached out, putting his hand on Blaise's shoulder. Blaise resisted, but was too weak to put much into it. As he rolled over, Ron winced internally. His skin was all white as snow, as was most of the hair framing his face. He was also starting to get a hollow look to him, as if he was malnourished. Ron could feel the coolness of his body through the thin nightshirt.

Blaise opened his eyes. To their surprise, they had changed as well. What was once a dull, blank white, was now almost opalescent.

"There..." Ron said, trying to sound reassuring, "It's not that bad..."

Blaise almost seemed to be staring at him. After a moment, he reached out tentatively, touching Ron's arms with his cool fingers. He let out a soft sigh, the corner of his lips curling up slightly. "You're beautiful..." He breathed.

Ron blinked at him in surprise. The way he said it made it sound like an observation. "Can you see?"

Blaise gave a definite effort towards a smile. "After a fashion..." he said, stroking his fingertips down Ron's arm. "First only Draco... then others started appearing... Snape says I'm seeing peoples essence... their souls..."

"Sounds interesting..." Ron said with a little smile.

Blaise let out a little chuckle. "Snape doesn't think so... I'm starting to see like a wraith does..."

"Oh..." Ron said, feeling suddenly cold inside.

"It's kind of cool really..." Blaise said musingly. "Everyone looks so different... though I couldn't tell you how... and..." He trailed off as his blank gaze shifted over towards Pansy. He suddenly seemed to be having a hard time breathing. "Pansy?"

"It's me..." She quickly reassured him.

He started trying to struggle out from under the covers to move closer, but he was very weak. She immediately moved closer, sitting on the bed beside Ron. "Calm down! You're going to hurt yourself!" She said worriedly.

He wasn't paying attention to what she was saying. He settled onto the bed, reaching out and touching her stomach almost reverently, still panting slightly. "You kept it..." He said achingly, tears starting down his alabaster cheeks.

She looked at him in surprise, then down at her stomach. "It worked? You can see it?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

He struggled forward more, wrapping his arms around her waist, pressing his cheek against her stomach. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen..." He said, his voice strife with emotion.

"Thought you said you didn't want kids of your own." Ron teased gently, a little smile on his lips.

"I lied..." Came Blaise's muffled response.

After a moment, his shoulders started shaking and they could hear him sobbing weakly against her. They looked at eachother, but neither knew quite what to do. Pansy started stroking his hair soothingly. "It's ok, Blaise..." She said softly.

He let out a shuddering sigh. "No it's not..." He said, his voice once again muffled. He shifted his head up a bit to he could talk clearer, "It's not! You're not out of school yet... and I'm not even going to be around to help you raise it... what kind of bastard fathers a child under those conditions?" He said wretchedly. He nuzzled against her stomach gently. "I'm sorry little one... I'm so sorry... please forgive me..." he tenderly placed a kiss on her stomach before dissolving back into wracking sobs.

--------------

Harry lay on the bed, staring up at the even gray of the ceiling that curved over his head, his textbook laying open and forgotten on his stomach. Snape had finished the expansion of the ward earlier and he had been given a room in the Siege tunnel. He had also been given his homework to keep him busy, about which he was about as thrilled as could be expected. He had spent the last hour trying to think about anything and everything other than what was happening...

He wasn't the sole occupant of the tunnel of course. There were a number of people staying down there now, the twins among them. They had a room a couple of doors down, though they spent most of their time either keeping lookout using the Marauder's map, or standing vigil over Blaise. There hadn't even been a question of their staying after Blaise's curse had taken hold again.

Blaise was another subject he was studiously avoiding. No matter what anyone said, he still felt guilty over it. The boy was just at the other end of the corridor... dying a slow, horrible death... he found it very difficult to keep the memory of what he'd seen when he'd peeked in the room out of his head.

Blaise's mother, who had been so strong and self assured when she had faced Fudge, had been sitting on the side of the bed, cradling him against her like a little child, her eyes red rimmed and her cheeks glistening with her tears. And then there was Blaise... he could still remember the smirking, energetic boy he'd seen just the other night... but when he'd seen him in that room... he had been so deathly pale, his jet black hair already streaked with white, his breathing labored. It even looked as if he'd started losing weight... and then there was Ron... he never wandered far from Blaise's room. He and Pansy having taken up residence in the room next door to Blaise. What hurt the most was seeing the lost, haunted look in Ron's eyes... as if the curse was killing him just as surely as it was Blaise...

Harry quickly diverted his thoughts again as he found them wandering back to that image... he peered up at the ceiling, marveling that such a large place could have been so easily lost and forgotten for so long...

It was almost cave-like... but he kind of liked it. There was something very... _solid_ about it. The whole place appeared to be hand-carved into the bedrock foundation on which Hogwarts was build. The corners of the rooms were rounded and seamless, even the floor wasn't really _flat_... more of a smoothly flowing organic surface that rose and fell ever so slightly as you walked along it. The only thing precise in the whole place was the doors. They were all perfectly carved and fitted... and from the smell of it, the wood was freshly waxed. Harry amused himself trying to figure out how the diminutive house elves had managed to wax the full sized doors... imagining a wobbling tower of house elves standing on eachothers shoulders to reach the top...

He snapped out of it as his door opened. He snatched up his glasses from where he'd laid them at his side, putting them on. "Professor McGonagall..." He said in surprise, sitting up and making his book flip untidily onto his lap.

"Harry..." She said, entering with a very disapproving look on her face. "Professor Snape has just seen fit to finally allow me in... Harry... how could you just run off like that? You had us terribly worried! Don't you realize what kind of danger you put yourself in?"

Harry blinked at her. It suddenly dawned on him that she didn't know what he'd done in the prefects bathroom... she obviously just thought he ran off and was taken in by Slytherin. He dropped his eyes, deciding he definitely didn't want her to find out. "I... just couldn't stand being cooped up in the Tower... not with all of them talking about me like that..."

She sighed. "I'll have a talk with them... but you must promise me you'll not leave the Tower again without permission..."

He looked up at her sharply. "I'm not going back there!"

"Oh come now Harry... you can't possibly really want to stay _here_..."

"Actually... yes I do." He replied immediately.

She sighed, "How long do you plan on hiding away here in this little cave?"

He thought about it. "Until they give me the boot." he said evenly.

She let out an exasperated breath and sat down in the small wooden chair beside the spartan desk. "What is happening to my House?" She asked sadly, not really directing the question at him. "First what happened with the Weasleys... now you..." She gave a little mirthless laugh. "They have the whole set in fact now that they've moved Hermione down here..."

Harry sat up a bit straighter, looking shocked.

She saw his expression and seemed to come to herself. "Oh Harry dear, I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to tell you like that... Pomfrey has to be here to do what she can for young Mr. Zabini... so we had to move Hermione as well..." She sighed. "Please don't take up residence at her side again Harry... it really isn't healthy..."

Harry dropped his eyes. "I won't..." He wasn't sure he could handle seeing her lifeless form again.

McGonagall sighed. "Well if this is what you want, I'll respect your wishes... you're at the age where you are old enough to make your own decisions... even if I question them..." She said, glancing around at the somber décor.

"Thanks." He said softly.

She nodded and rose. "But if you ever change your mind... or need anything... even if it's just someone to talk to..."

He gave her a little smile. "I know where to go."

She gave him a little smile in return and sadly departed.

---------------

He knew he would wind up there... knew he could never really resist... not when she was so very near by...

Harry put his hand on the door. He was trying to brace himself when his light touch sent the door drifting open slightly, its hinges silent (obviously freshly oiled). When he looked up, he just stared. Hermione wasn't alone. Snape sat on the side of her bed. He was holding her hand in his, his other hand gently moving a few stray wisps of hair back into place. When he was done, the hand drifted back down to rest on their clasped hands, a shuddering sigh escaping him. Crookshanks was there as well, curled up on her stomach and staring at her as if expecting her to open her eyes at any moment. He butted his head up against Snape's arm and Snape started stroking his ginger fur absently, not even looking away from Hermione's face once.

Harry just stared. The look on Snape's face... it was familiar... though not one he ever expected to see on this normally cold, emotionless man. He had seen it often enough when he looked into the mirror, thinking of Hermione... and now when he looked at Ron's face... it was the look of a man who had lost his love...

He pulled away, backing up a few paces, just staring at the impassive wood of the door.

He was snapped out of his daze as the twins went streaking past, dashing down one of the branches of tunnel he hadn't been down yet.

He quickly took another step back as the door flew open and Snape came out, looking after the twins. He looked back the way they had come, the fact that Harry was standing there barely registering. Harry looked back as well.

Draco was sticking his head out of Blaise's door, seeing what the commotion was. Nicolaus was hurrying from the direction the twins had come from, carrying the Marauder's map, looking relieved to spot Snape. "They were just taking their turn watching the map and they suddenly just jumped up and left..."

Snape took the map from Nicolaus' hands and began searching it for whatever might have cause their sudden departure. Draco hurried over, looking at the map as well. They could see the dots of the twins heading rapidly up the tunnel for the outside exit.

"Why would they be going outside?" Snape asked pensively. The main ward wasn't up, since it wasn't quite time to seal up the Dungeon for the night, so there would be nothing stopping them from exiting.

Harry reached over, flipping the many folds of the map with practiced ease. He paused. "What's that by the main gate?" he asked, looking at the dot surrounded by five dots that were marked as Aurors. The center dot had a label marked with nothing more than a couple of flowing squiggles.

"FUCK!" Draco said, taking off after the twins.

Snape thrust the map back at Harry. "Stay here." He said briskly, hurrying off.

----------------

As Draco topped the last hill his heart did a flip. He could see the Aurors gathered around what looked like nothing more than a lump of black cloth on the ground. As he watched, a hand emerged from the cloth and a blinding light flew from it, knocking the Auror that was approaching a good ten feet through the air.

The other Aurors moved in, starting to cast. Draco could see the twins ahead of him raise their own wands. They called out a shielding charm in perfect unison, pulses of light flying from the ends of each of their wands and glomming together in mid-flight, combining into one powerful spell as it fell on the figure on the ground, forming a brilliant shield and deflecting all four spells without so much as flickering.

The Aurors spun around to face the new opponents, but before they could do anything the twins disappeared into the shield, having no trouble passing through their own spell. The shocked Aurors then tensed as Draco approached.

"Leave her alone!" He yelled, "She's a friend..."

Draco came to a halt near the still brilliant hemisphere. This close he could feel the air practically vibrating around it. He had no idea the twins had that kind of power!

"That thing is trespassing! Hogwarts is under quarantine. We can't risk spreading the threat of that demon to other areas!" The nearest Auror said indignantly.

"_She_ was invited, and we'll just keep her here then, that way she won't spread anything. Happy?" Draco growled angrily.

"We can't have unauthorized entries onto the grounds!" The Auror growled.

The shield suddenly became clear. The twins peered out, one of them holding her limp form in his arms. When they saw the Aurors had at least stop casting spells about, they dropped the shield and hurried over to Draco.

"She's hurt..."

"She keeps talking..."

"But we can't understand her..."

"What's she saying?"

Draco went over, peering down at Kulia's battered face, her once pristine skin bruised and smudged with dirt and blood. When her head lulled over towards him, she looked at him, her eyes not quite focused, and gave him a weak smile. "Little Dragon..." she slurred in elvish, reaching up and brushing his cheek, "Been looking for you..." Her hand dropped, her eyes rolling up and fluttering shut.

"Sweet Merlin..." Draco said in anguish, "What the bloody Hell did you do to her?!?"

"Hey, don't go blaming _us_ for that! She was stagger about and speaking that rubbish when she showed up here! We told her she couldn't come in, but she just kept going! We had no choice but the try to take her down! She could have been a threat!"

"Oh, like a battered, half dead elf is really going to pose a threat!" Draco growled.

The Auror she'd hit with her spell was coming back over, walking gingerly and clutching his side. "I'd say it does!" he grumbled.

"She has the right to defend herself!" Draco growled as he and the twins started back towards the castle.

"You can't take her in there!"

"Just watch us!" Draco growled back at him.

They could hear the Aurors starting after them as they passed Snape, who had just arrived. He took one look at the unconscious elf as they passed, then stepped between them and the Aurors. "Get back to your posts." He growled.

"We can't let them take that in! We have orders."

Snape glared at them as they continued to refer to her like a creature. "Under the Humanitarian Act of the Ministry Emergency Medical Protocol we can't _not_ take her in. Besides, elves, being magical in nature, are unsuitable hosts for demons, so this is really none of your bloody concern!"

"We'll have to tell the Minister about this."

"You do that!" Snape called back sarcastically over his shoulder as he followed his students towards the castle. "Tell him he can stop by the Dungeon if he cares to discuss it. If he's had a chance to change his trousers that is!"

----------------

"I think she'll be ok with a little time and rest..." Pomfrey said, looking over at the small crowd of pensive onlookers. "The physical damage was mostly superficial... she appears to have had a rather nasty mental shock... but I don't think it did any permanent damage."

"So that's why she's only speaking elvish?" Draco asked, peering down at Kulia worriedly.

Pomfrey nodded, "People often revert to their native language when they've had a strong enough mental blow."

When they had brought Kulia in, Pansy had immediately offered to let her use her and Blaise's room while they waited for the inevitable visit from Fudge. Kulia looked very small on the huge bed.

Kulia stirred, opening her eyes and gazed around a bit dazedly. When her eyes settled on Draco they widened. She reached her hand out towards him and he hurried over, sitting on the side of the bed and taking the hand.

"Little Dragon." she said softly. It was still in elvish, but the slur had cleared up some at least.

He smirked and nodded, "Snowflake." He greeted her in elvish.

She chuckled softly at the use of the nickname he'd given her just to bug her when she'd taken to calling him 'Little Dragon'. At the time he had thought she was teasing him with the name, not knowing the respect with which her people held dragons, but he'd since grown to like it.

She started patting herself searchingly.

"We fixed you up. You should be fine." He reassured her.

She smirked over at him as she located what she was looking for and pulled it out of one of her hidden inner pockets.

"Oh..." He said with a smirk.

She held it out to him. He looked at it in surprise, accepting it and examining it. It looked like a small, ancient journal bound in leather. The top edge of the binding was scorched, and from the smell of it, recently. He gingerly opened the frail looking tome. The yellowed parchment inside was covered in neatly written elvish.

"That must be the book..." Fred said, stepping forward and looking over Draco's shoulder.

"The one she said she'd get for you..." George added as he moved to Draco's other side, looking as well.

"The one your father had..."

Draco looked up sharply, then over at Kulia, "My father did this to you?"

She grinned. "I didn't know he was having friends over." She replied.

Draco sighed, "I'm sorry..."

She smiled, "Don't be. I should know better by now..." She trailed off, furrowing her brow as she looked at him. She reached out, taking his face between her hands and pulling it forward. "You found the other half..." She said in wonder.

His eyes widened.

She rubbed his temples gently with her thumbs and brown flooded his eyes. She chuckled again. "I suspected it would be you..."

Darien blinked in surprise. "You know me?" He asked, speaking in english as he didn't know her language himself. He only knew what she was saying through Draco.

She smiled and nodded. "Your father used to bring you into my shop when you were little... I haven't seen you since you were... maybe five? But I saw pictures after that."

He grinned. "My father took me a lot of places... trying to show me the ropes... back when I still had an interest in the family business..."

She nodded, releasing her hold on him and settling back. She stared up at the ceiling for a long moment, as if trying to think something through, though her mind was still a bit fuzzy.

Pomfrey bustled over with a glass of some dark liquid she had just finished mixing from a number of small bottles. "Here you go dear... this should help put things to rights..."

Kulia looked over at Draco skeptically, but then let Pomfrey give her the potion. When she was done, she settled back as it started to take effect.

After a minute, she tried english, enunciating carefully. "In the book... should be a spell of binding..." She sighed, getting frustrated and rubbing her temple ruefully she fell back into elvish, "It is most likely what your father used to bind that demon to him in the first place." She said, her elvish now flowing fluidly off her tongue. "It was written by my great aunt. He came asking after it early in the year... I never would have given it to him if I knew what part he wished to use..."

Draco's eyes had drifted back to pale gray. "But I'm not the oldest member of my bloodline... unless you killed my father...?" He asked hopefully.

She grinned and shook her head. "If you and your other half are bound together, he will be a living member of the family again, and you will be the oldest."

"Bound together?" Draco asked, suddenly much more interested.

She nodded as if surprised he hadn't thought of it.

"Do you know how to do that?" He asked eagerly.

She shook her head. "No... but they have healers at St. Mungo's who do that for those damaged by spells... it should work the same."

His eyes went wide. He hadn't considered that regular healers might be able to bind souls together! He had rather thought that his situation was unique. He'd never imagined that a spell might inflict damage similar enough to his own condition to make their solutions viable for him as well.

He quickly flipped through the book until he found the spell that would shift the demon's bond to him. He started looking it over. He really didn't want a pet demon... especially not _that_ one! But if it was in his control perhaps he could find a way to banish or destroy it... or at the very least use it to their advantage...

He looked up and rolled his eyes as Fudge bustled in with a much larger pack of Aurors surrounding him, gripping their wands in their hands. He was amused to see the addition of some kind of club and a short sword to each of their armaments. Dumbledore strolled in gracefully in their wake.

"You see!" Fudge said significantly to Dumbledore. "Blatant disregard for the order of quarantine. Not only did they let in that dangerous woman, but look at this! It's like a parade of unauthorized persons!" He said angrily, waving towards the bed.

Fred and George took seats on either side of Draco, effectively shielding Kulia.

Dumbledore noted the twins. He smiled and nodded to them genially, "About time you two got back... you'll have a hard time catching up I'm afraid..."

"What?" Fudge asked, at a loss.

"Fred and George Weasley are in their seventh year, of course. As Hogwarts students, there is really no question of their being allowed on the grounds."

Fred and George grinned.

"But... weren't they expelled?" Fudge blustered, at a loss.

"Ah, but that was a sanction imposed by Professor Umbridge during her tenure at Hogwarts... and you have publicly rescinded all penalties and sanctions imposed by her after her duplicitous actions were revealed... of course I don't need to remind you of that..." Dumbledore said, smiling at him genially. Actually the twins had left on their own, and quite flamboyantly at that! But Umbridge had put in her report that she had expelled them, not wanting to admit to the way they had completely disgraced her upon their departure.

Fudge huffed, "Fine. Whatever. That still leaves that creature they just let in!"

Draco and the twins stiffened angrily.

"Elves are beasts as defined in 1811 by Grogan Stump, The Minister of Magic of the time. They may be of near human intelligence, but it was their own choice not to participate in the governing of the magical community, and therefor are deemed in the classification of _beast_. So you can't tell me this is a new student."

"Ya, sure. They said we had to have a certain number of our members in active positions in their bloody Ministry, and even then it was nearly half of our remaining numbers..." Kulia muttered in elvish, "Grogan Stump was a pompous bastard... Is that a _requirement_ for the job?"

Draco carefully hid his amusement.

"What did it say?" Fudge said, narrowing his eyes.

"Nothing..." Draco said, face studiously deadpan. "She was hurt... she may still be a bit delirious... but we've been assured she should recover."

He glared at Draco suspiciously. "Well, at any rate, it's presence is still unauthorized..."

The twins were getting increasingly angry at the way he was referring to Kulia, but then both of their expressions changed. They looked at eachother, little smirks forming on their faces.

"Well of course elves are beasts..." Fred said with an amenable smile and nod.

"Very magical creatures really..." George agreed.

"That's why we picked her..."

"For our familiar."

They both grinned at him.

Fudge looked about ready to burst. "You can't have an elf for a familiar! It's preposterous!"

"Why?" Dumbledore asked curiously. "You said yourself, she is classified as a beast... and not one known to be particularly harmful to wizards unless greatly provoked... Hogwarts bylaws allow for the use of any beast that falls in the category of Ministry of Magic classification XXX and below. As you know, that is the classification level of elves, and therefor I see no reason why they cannot chose her as their familiar. I believe they are both more than competent enough wizards to handle her."

Fudge just glared at him in mute rage. Then he looked over and saw that Fred had leaned back against the pillows, and Kulia was now resting her head on his lap. He stroked her hair like he would a cat as she smiled at Fudge. He just stammered indignantly, struck speechless by the ludicrousness of the idea.

"We may have found a way to subdue the demon." Draco said, rising and diverting Fudge's attention.

"Indeed?" He said, pulling his eyes away from the elf.

Draco nodded. "But it would require me to undergo a medical procedure, so I would either have to go to St. Mungo's, or one of their specialists would have to come here..."

"Whatever could you have done to you that would subdue a demon?" Fudge said, bewildered.

"I will have to have a spirit bonded with me... to make me the oldest living Malfoy."

"What balderdash is this? Binding a spirit?" Fudge said, obviously considering it a bad joke.

"Actually... as chance would have it, we _do_ happen to have a spirit of a Malfoy that is over a century old at Hogwarts..." Dumbledore provided helpfully, his eyes twinkling as he glanced over at Draco.

"But... but that's preposterous! Why not just have someone else who is already the oldest in their line do it?"

Draco opened the book, then turned it to him so he could see it. "Can you read that?" He asked with a sarcastic smirk.

"What the blazes is that?" Fudge asked, leaning forward and squinting to try to make out the strange text.

"Elvish. A rare dialect spoken by Snow Elves to be more specific."

Dumbledore leaned closer as well, peering over his half moon spectacles at the book, "This spell requires two people..." he mused.

Fudge huffed, giving up on the text and looking over at Dumbledore, "So you expect me to risk one of our healers by bringing them here, and then let you two perform some unknown spell? Who knows what you could be doing!"

Dumbledore smiled at him genially. "Oh I could not be the one helping him..."

Fudge furrowed his brow, "And just why not?"

"I can not read this dialect."

Fudge looked at him incredulously, "Oh really?" He asked with an edge of sarcasm, "Then how did you know it takes two people?"

Dumbledore continued smiling, his eyes twinkling merrily. "I looked at the _picture_."

Fudge darted his eyes back over to the book, noting the drawing depicting the spellcasting. "Oh... yes..." He said, clearing his throat, "So who would help him then?"

"Well... that language has not been taught at Hogwarts in centuries... to have even one student that speaks it is astonishing nowadays... but if I recall correctly, our ancient languages teacher, Professor Oblique, told me that we do have one other student who has learned it on their own as a special summer project..."

"Who?" Fudge asked, surprised that someone would actually learn an entire language without being required to.

"Blaise." Delse said from where she stood a mere hand span from Fudge's side.

He was so startled he knocked against the Auror on the other side of him hard, very nearly sending the man sprawling.

She glanced over at him with a smirk, then rolled her eyes as he tried to subtly, but frantically wave the Aurors between them. She strolled over to the bed. "He wanted me to come check on his teacher..." She crouched down next to the bed and reached out, brushing Kulia's cheek sympathetically. "You ok?" Kulia smiled back at her.

Fudge's eyes were darting between them. His eyes narrowed as he straightened, trying to regain his authoritative posture. "I see what this is... You're trying to force me to help you cure that boy." He said suspiciously.

"Actually, I had no idea he could speak it..." Draco said, genuinely surprised. "But now that you mention it..." He said with a grin, "Yes, that would be required... Can't work the spell alone after all. This also makes it a very limited time offer."

"If this elf taught him, then it would be just as able to help you itself!" Fudge said, as if catching them trying to pull a fast one.

"She's _hurt_! She can't work a spell in this condition. She can barely speak!"

"Well then we will just wait until it is better." Fudge said with a superior smirk.

"Well, that wouldn't work... because then _I_ wouldn't help..." Draco said, smirking back just as widely.

Fudge huffed. "I could threaten you with an extended stay in Azkaban you know... but..." He said, a wide, superior grin slipping over his lips. "I don't need to... because my people have come up with a plan, so we don't need yours."

"Like what?" Draco asked sarcastically.

"We have found the means to fashion an ancient device that traps such creatures in their host. Once trapped, it should be relatively easy to take down. The device should be finished by this evening, so by this time tomorrow it will all be taken care of!"

He made quite a meal of standing there, smirking at them pompously. Then he went on. "Well, keep your little pet then, it matters not." He said loftily, and with that he left, his Aurors keeping a close watch on Delse as they flanked him out the door.

Dumbledore lingered, wandering over to the bed. He held out his hand and Kulia reached up and took it with a smile. He gently patted her hand with his other hand. "Never thought I'd see the day when you became a pet!" He said merrily. "You rest up and let them take care of you." With that, he released her hand, giving her a little nod and following the Aurors out.

"Is there anyone that you _don't_ know?" George asked, looking over at her incredulously.

Draco grinned. "She has a very selective clientele, but most of the oldest wizarding families know her... the Malfoy's have done business with her for the past... what? Seven generations?"

She blushed slightly as the twins stared at her. It was finally sinking in that she probably hadn't been joking when she said she was about three hundred years old.

"Alright... everyone out. She needs some rest." Pomfrey said authoritatively. The others all started saying their goodbyes and drifting out.

When only Draco and the twins were left, she looked over at Draco. "Who was cursed?" she asked, still in elvish, looking like she still wasn't quite able to keep her mind entirely on her surroundings.

"Blaise."

She blinked, stunned, then started shifting around, trying to rise.

"Whoa..." Fred said, putting a hand on her restrainingly.

"Where are you going?"

"Ministry of Magic... to get that bloody tail." She said, trying to get up, but wavering and nearly passing out with the effort.

"You're in no condition. Try that now and they'd have you before you got through the lobby." Draco said gently.

The twins were looking from one to the other, not understanding what they were saying. Draco gave them a grin, "She wants to go knock off the Ministry."

"Good idea..." Fred said ruefully.

"But not tonight..." George said, doffing his robes and shoes and crawling up on the bed. He settled down behind her, putting his arm around her and pulling her close.

"Tonight you sleep..." Fred said, getting on the bed as well and laying down on the other side of her, cuddling up to her affectionately.

She just sighed with a little smile at the feel of them pressing close, letting her eyes drift shut.

------------------

Harry turned over again, settling uncomfortably. He sighed. It was no use. He couldn't sleep. He grabbed up his glasses irritably and put them on, then picked up his watch off the bedside table and squinted at it in the dim light cast by the low burning candles. It was a bit after eleven.

He sighed and tossed it back on the table. That was the biggest drawback to living underground... it was so hard for your body to get used to not having ever-changing levels of light to tip it off as to what time it was. It felt a bit like he was somehow apart from time... suspended in it... but he knew that was just because he was used to having a window right there next to his bed. It never used to bother him when he spent every night locked up in a tiny closet under the stairs... but the expansive windows of Hogwarts had gotten him a bit spoiled since then.

He decided to get up and go see if there was an juice or something of the sort in the little kitchen down the hall. He got up off the bed. The smooth stone under his feet wasn't as cold as he expected it to be... it just felt slightly cool, so he didn't bother with shoes. He had just worn an old pair of jogging pants to bed, so he grabbed up a flannel and tossed it on against the slight chill in the air, not bothering to button it up. With the twins in the Dungeon now, there really weren't many people there at night, and those that were, were most likely asleep, just like he _should_ be.

He opened the door and went out, his bare feet silent on the worn stone. When he got to the kitchen, he made for the ice box. He was almost half way across the room when he froze, realizing with a start that he wasn't alone. Delse was sitting at the small table against the far wall, facing away from him, her head tilted down. As he stood there uncertainly, he saw her shoulders shaking slightly. She wasn't making any sounds, but he was pretty sure she was crying.

He turned and started back towards the door, not wanting to intrude on her. He was almost to the door when he heard her shift.

"Harry?" she asked softly, spotting him.

He quickly pulled his shirt closed, folding his arms across his chest. "Sorry... I didn't think anyone was up."

"I was just having some tea... would you like some?"

He looked over at her. She was looking at him with a somewhat hopeful look on her face, obviously looking for a distraction. He sighed. If he left now she'd probably just go back to crying. "Um... sure..." He said, making his way over. He took a seat and she moved a cup over in front of him, pouring some tea in it from an antique looking pot. "Thanks."

"So..." She said, obviously trying to think of something to talk about, "How did you wind up staying in Slytherin of all places anyway?"

He looked over at her, wondering what she'd say if he told her the truth. 'Oh I just tried to snuff myself cause I couldn't handle a little teasing and I totally botched it, so they took pity on me'... hmm... that'd probably go over just great... He decided a half truth would probably be best in this case. "Ron asked Snape to put me up. He didn't want me going back to Gryffindor. Things have been a bit... tense around there since the whole demon thing started... and since I was the one it started with..."

She nodded commiseratingly, "Blaise didn't want me to come and see him... wanted me to wait until he was cured..." She said, trying to keep her voice from tensing, "But I read about it in the Daily Prophet..."

He looked up at her in surprise. "Really? Fudge let them write about it? I thought he would be keeping it hushed up..." The Daily Prophet had 'mysteriously' stopped arriving for the students that subscribed to it after Fudge and his men had arrived.

"Well it didn't say much, but it did mention that the Demon had attacked you, but that you had been thoroughly checked over and declared Demon free." She said, looking him over and remembering what Snape had said during Fudge's first visit. "What did Fudge do to you?"

She seemed to have an amazing knack for figuring out which subjects he least wanted to discuss. He hugged himself a bit tighter. "Just... tests..." He said evasively.

"Harry..." She said a bit sadly, obviously not buying it.

"It's nothing..." He muttered, staring studiously at his untouched tea, unconsciously hugging himself tighter and shifting away from her a bit. After a tense moment of her staring at him expectantly, he scooted his chair back and got up. "I should get back to bed..." He said softly, quickly turning and heading for the door.

"Harry..."

He sighed and came to a stop near the door, hearing her coming after him. She came around to stand before him, looking up at him and trying to catch his eyes, but he was studiously avoiding her gaze. She slowly reached up and took ahold of the front of his shirt. He didn't stop her she pulled it open a bit, his cheeks coloring with shame.

"That bastard..." She breathed, pulling it open more and looking in shock and dismay at the scars etched in his skin that were evident even in the low light. She patted the pockets of her robe searchingly. "Let me get my wand and I'll see what I can do..."

He pulled the shirt back closed. "Pomfrey already tried. She got rid of the ones she could..."

"Well, I think I probably have a bit more experience working with scars, what with how my late husband and my son got along..." He saw the little flicker of pain as she realized what she'd said. She took a breath, quickly covering. "Worth a try anyway. It's in my room. I'll be right back..."

"No... really... I'm fine." He said, still hugging himself tightly.

"Oh..." She said softly, "Very well... it was... just a thought... I... I guess I should try to get some sleep anyway..." she said, wandering off towards her room.

He made his way to his door, then paused, looking down the hall and watching her as she made it to her own door. He sighed as he saw the tension and worry that had crept back onto her face as she turned and entered her room.

When she was in her room he just stood there for a minute, staring at her door. He turned back to his door and reached out, taking the knob, but he didn't turn it. He sighed, leaning forward and resting his forehead against the cool wood. By now she was probably dwelling on Blaise's rapidly fading health again... probably sitting in her room and crying... she had just wanted to help him... and was it so much to ask to help distract her from her worries for a while? And it wasn't as if he _wanted_ to be covered in scars for the rest of his life... maybe she could really help.

He looked back down the hall and sighed. He walked down until he came to a stop before her door. After a moment of internal debate, he reached up and tapped softly on the door. There was movement inside, and then the door opened. She peered out at him, surprised. Her eyes _did_ look a bit damp again.

He blushed, dropping his eyes to stare intently at the floor. "Um... I... uh..." He took a deep, calming breath and let it flow out. "Are you sure it wouldn't be any trouble?"

She gave him a little smile. "No trouble at all. Come on in."

She turned and went back into her room. He paused, feeling a bit awkward entering her room. He glanced both ways down the corridor, then went in.

-------------------

A/N - I tried not to have too extensive a scene with Blaise... It was a bit short, but I felt that much more would have just been gilding the lily...

And just to be perfectly clear, Blaise's mother is **_NOT_** a Death Eater... if she was, she wouldn't have made a very good shield for his father against the Aurors, now would she? In fact, I got the impression that Voldemort was a bit sexist... I saw very few female Death Eaters mentioned... and those that were appeared to be completely insane... (can you say Bellatrix? (smirks))

This was my longest chapter yet, otherwise I wouldn't have cut the last scene (which will be continued in the next chapter). I just kept feeling like the chapter wasn't to a good breaking point yet... and yet I know you are all getting impatient by now, so I didn't want to go on and on... I _have_ been trying for longer chapters, even though it also _TAKES_ longer... for one thing, I'm starting to wonder if there is a chapter limit on this place... I'm over 40 chapters now after all... anyone know if there's a cutoff? Because there isn't enough left to make it a reasonable second story...

Oh, and it took me quite a while to figure out what could have _possibly_ given the impression that Ginny was possessed. No, she is not. They can see the demon with the map now, so that's not really even an issue anymore. If you are referring to her actions in Draco's room, she was just trying to keep Draco from retreating emotionally, as it is his nature to do... and as far as what followed, all _she_ did was kiss him ;) And besides, you don't have to be possessed to want to shag Draco!!!! Hell, I certainly wouldn't mind a good tumble with him!!!! : 

References: _Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander. Big surprise, eh? It tells about the definition of beast, and the Ministry of Magic classifications. Just so you know, M.O.M. Classification XXX means competent wizard should be able to cope with them. Actually, oddly enough, elves are not listed in the book, so I made up their classification. I also do not truly have a copy of Hogwarts' bylaws... just thought you should know :)

Sorry if this was full of mistakes, gotta get it up in a hurry before work and can't proofread it again as I usually do.


	42. Chapter 42

A/N - Warning, adult stuff. I'll let you guess what ;)

Chapter 42

He stood there in the middle of the room, feeling completely out of sorts as she went to fetch her wand. She had removed the robe she had been wearing before, dress now in only a long white nightgown.

She caught his gaze before he could drop it and looked down. "I know propriety requires a full six months of wearing black after a spouse's death... but I'm nearly to the end of that... besides, I didn't really think anyone would see me in this... I always think black makes me look too pale and washed out..."

"No... you look good in black." Harry said without thinking, then blushed bright red and dropped his eyes to the floor again as he realized what he'd said.

She gave him a little smile. "Thanks for the vote of confidence. Well, down to business..." She came over to him and he let her pull his shirt open again. He watched in silence as she began to cast spells on the scars.

"Um... how's he doing?" Harry asked gently.

Her movements stilled for a moment before going on. "As well as can be expected I suppose... he's asked me not to spend much time in his room... in fact now he only seems to let Draco and Severus in... There's really nothing more for Pomfrey to do, so she's not even allowed in. Severus said he would tell me if there were any changes..."

He just nodded. After a minute, she finished working on his chest. She couldn't get all of the scars, but she was able to remove a number of them, and the remaining ones looked a bit less pronounced at the very least.

Then she lifted the side of the shirt, circling around him and then lifting the back. She sighed and shook her head. "Thorough little bastard, isn't he?" She muttered. She started slipping the shirt off to get a better look, but he quickly crooked his arms so it wouldn't come all the way off.

"What?" She asked, coming back around to face him.

"It's just... um..." He blushed brilliantly again, arms crossed, not wanting her to see his forearms.

"Oh come now... how bad could it be?" She said, gently prying his arms apart and pulling the shirt the rest of the way off. She stared, looking stunned as she spotted the pink of newly mended skin running down his arm across the many scars. He looked studiously away, his cheeks red with shame.

"Oh..." She said softly. She looked up at his face. "Oh..." She repeated. She seemed to gather herself then. She began casting on the arm as if there was nothing odd about the thin scar. Most of the scars Fudge had put there came off, but the one Harry had added remained stubbornly in place.

She gave up and went over the other arm with similar results. She circled around again, working her way methodically down his back. He studiously tried to ignore the feel of her agile fingers as they gently probed and examined each scar to determine the best spell to use... it was getting increasingly difficult, despite how uncomfortable he'd felt just moments before.

He took slow, even breaths, baffled as to why every innocent touch seemed to cause a responding stir within him. She was Blaise's MUM! She was old enough, therefor, to be _his_ mum. She certainly didn't _look_ it thought... He closed his eyes, trying to banish thoughts that started creeping into his mind. It didn't seem to help though... It just seemed to amplify the feel of her hands gently touching him. He quickly moved his thoughts back to the subject of her being a mother... and of a boy in his year at that... a Slytherin no less... not to mention that Blaise would probably give him a right pasting just for being in his mother's room! Let alone having any kind of _thoughts_ about her... of course since he was a bit laid up at the moment, Draco would probably get the pleasure.

He quickly veered his thoughts away from Draco. He didn't want to be reminded of the humiliating incident in the bathroom. He absently rubbed one of the scars. If only he'd been a bit later... but then he couldn't even bring himself to truly wish that now... not knowing what it would do to Ron... The thought of Ron led to what was happening to Blaise and brought his thoughts full circle to Delse again. The corner of his mouth tugged up slightly as he remembered her perched on Fudge, the dagger poised at his throat. She was certainly something else when she wanted to be...

"Take off your pants."

His eyes sprang open as her voice came from behind him. "_What???_" He asked, shocked.

"I can't imagine he just stuck to the top half of you, and I can't just _guess_ where a scar might be..." She chuckled at the tension in him, "Come along... you've got skivvies on haven't you?"

"Ya..." He said quickly, stooping down and snatching up his shirt, holding it nervously. "But... um..."

She chuckled again, "Ok, if you're bashful I'll look away. Just get the pants off and get on the bed."

He darted a glance around at her incredulously. She was dutifully facing the wall. "The _bed_?"

She laughed. "I'm not kneeling on a hard stone floor Mr. Potter. It's either the bed or the desk, and I'm not sure that ancient desk would support you..."

He glanced over. It looked ok for writing on, but he probably wouldn't put anything heavier than a sack of potatoes on it. He stared over at her for a moment as she stood, waiting patiently.

He looked down in embarrassment, moving the shirt out of the way and seeing the bulge in the front of his pants that he knew would be there. How could he refuse without her finding out why? He'd already had to endure her catching him showing a bit more interest than was proper once... but then she'd certainly find out if he took his pants off! Then he got an idea. He quickly stripped off his pants and went over, laying down on his stomach on the bed. It wasn't exactly comfortable, but it would at least buy him time to banish the thoughts properly...

He glanced over as she got on the bed, then quickly turned his head back, burying his face in the pillow. She had had to hike her long gown up so she could crawl over into position without treading on it. He tried to banish the image of those slender, shapely legs. He sighed. This wasn't going to be easy... the pillow was saturated with the scent of her light, slightly musky perfume. He tried not to react as she started gently touching him again.

Unfortunately, Fudge had run out of things to test on him and had only had half a dozen marks put on the backs of his legs... so all too soon she finished, and he'd had no luck banishing the thoughts... in fact, it had done nothing but make the problem _worse_...

"Over." She said, patting his leg and moving away a bit to give him room.

Harry had been dreading that word. He thought quick, grabbing the pillow from under his head and moved it down, obscuring the problem as he turned over.

She chuckled. "You certainly are bashful." She said with a shake of her head, but went about her work without further comment, starting at his feet.

He lifted his head slightly and hazarded a glance down, making sure the pillow was covering him adequately. His throat went dry. She was leaning forward over his feet, working on the scar that ran up the side of his ankle... and the position she was in gave him a perfect view down the front of her nightgown. He couldn't seem to break his gaze from those downy white swells of flesh half visible through the neckline of her gown. It was only when she moved, shifting around more to the side as she worked her way up his legs that he was able to look away. He closed his eyes tight, afraid they would be drawn back.

She worked her way slowly up his legs as he studiously tried to keep his breathing normal. He felt wretchedly guilty for reacting like this, but he couldn't seem to help it. He'd never felt so completely drawn to a woman before... not even Hermione. His feelings for Hermione had been a deep longing, feeling like he'd never been closer to a girl before... and the desire to get closer still... but never had he experienced the burning, flame-like desire that was surging through him now.

Her knee bumped into his hand as she shifted again. "Sorry." She she said a bit distractedly.

He opened his eyes, looking down in shock. His fingertips were now resting on her bare knee, her gown having been pulled a bit out of place by her movement across the bed. He stared for a moment. She was making no move to shift her leg away. He looked up at her. She was intent on her work. He just watched in amazement. It was obvious she was completely unaware of how she was effecting him.

He couldn't stop the little involuntary shiver that went through him as her delicate fingers traced one of the scars, the end of which ran a little ways down his inner thigh. She paused in her work, her eyes getting slightly wider. They slowly shifted over to look at him. He suddenly realized he had started unconsciously caressing her leg, his fingers having made there way up her thigh a bit.

He immediately snatched his hand away, his cheeks burning brightly and his eyes closing, mortified. After a moment she started working again.

After a few minutes he felt her finish working on the last scar. He dreaded opening his eyes. He'd never been so embarrassed in his life. Here she was, just trying to help him... the mother of one of his classmates... and he was acting like a... well, ok, like a hormonal teenaged boy, which he supposed he was... but it still didn't make it right.

He started slightly and opened his eyes as she took ahold of the arm he had put across his stomach to keep it away from her. She was examining the long thin scar again. "It was a magical blade, wasn't it?" She asked gently.

He looked away, staring at the ceiling in embarrassment. He just nodded.

She nodded, "That would explain it... I'll give it one more go..." She said, starting to weave her wand over it and muttering softly.

He ventured a glance over at her, wondering at her lack of reaction to his actions. Surely she was mad at him? Her cheeks were a bit flush, but her eyes remained fixed on the scar. His eyes drifted down a bit and he noticed the delicate flush that colored the pale skin along her collarbones and creeping down between her breasts. He blinked. Wasn't that supposed to be a sign of arousal in girls? Or maybe embarrassment did that too...? With the high necklines of the school uniforms, he hadn't had much opportunity to see girls' reactions in either state.

His eyes darted down as he felt his hand brush her as she worked higher on his arm. He stared. His hand was a hair's breadth from her breast. He couldn't restrain his curiosity. He let his fingertips 'accidentally' brush her breast. It was obvious by the deepening of the flush near her throat that she noticed, but she studiously made no other indication. As she moved up just a bit higher on his arm he grew bolder, letting his fingers rest on her breast. The flush became deeper still, and her breathing seemed to be coming a bit faster. He shifted his hand slightly closer, gently cupping her breast. It was soft and hot, and it was quite obvious there was nothing between but the very thin material of her gown.

The spell she had been muttering faltered and fell away, but still she sat there, staring at his arm. Harry couldn't stop himself. He sat up, leaning over and kissing her. She tensed, but didn't pull away. Much to his surprise, she kissed him back, her eyes fluttering shut. Emboldened, he deepened the kiss and soon they were in a deep liplock, their tongues eagerly exploring eachother.

He didn't even remember removing the pillow and pulling her onto his lap, but he suddenly found himself fondling her firm breasts through the thin material and grinding up against her, achingly hard. She broke the kiss and pulled away slightly and he feared she wanted to stop, but then he heard her utter the most wonderful thing he could ever recall hearing...

... a silencing spell...

Her wand then fell forgotten from her fingers, her lips finding his once again. Any hesitance gone, Harry took ahold of the hem of her nightgown, breaking the kiss long enough to pull it off. Then he felt the heavenly heat of her bare skin against his. After another long minute of heavy snogging, he shifted her around onto the bed, breaking the kiss as he slipped off her knickers. Her eyes seemed to glue themselves to him as he pulled off his skivvies.

He knew he should have some second thoughts... some hesitance... but his overwhelming desire seemed to block them out entirely. There wasn't a trace of the awkwardness he'd felt with Hermione. He shifted down on top of her, kissing her passionately as everything seemed to fall into place on instinct alone. Her breath caught as he pressed himself into her. He groaned, immediately starting to thrust himself into her incredible heat.

In the back of his mind, he feared she'd change her mind, ask him to stop as Hermione had... he almost _did_ stopped the first time she called out his name... but that was all that left her lips... his name... as he moved faster she called it out again. The sound of it, being called out more and more as she got closer, drove him on. Suddenly she bucked up against him, calling out so loudly it echoed off the walls as her body clamped down on him.

He groaned driving himself into her hard for a moment before his own peak finally crashed over him. He closed his eyes, his head spinning like a top as he spent himself in her clutching body.

He just lay there for a while after that, trying to gather himself. She was still wrapped around him tightly. Finally she broke the silence with a sigh. "I shouldn't have done that..." She said softly, holding him a bit tighter. "Please tell me you weren't a virgin..."

He shook his head mutely.

She sighed again. "That's something at least..."

He shifted up some, looking down at her searchingly. "You... didn't want to?"

She let out a laugh, pulling him back down and hugging him tightly. "I wanted to Harry..." She said gently, "Oh how I wanted to... Merlin it's been so long..." she sighed. "But I should have been able to control myself..."

"I started it..."

She let out a laugh, "Yes, but you're a teenaged boy!" Then she pulled him closer again, "I'm sorry... I didn't mean it to sound like..." She let out another sigh, "Thank you Harry... I think we _both_ needed that..."

-------------

Harry pulled his clothes back on as silently as he could, trying not to wake her. He longed to stay, but the implications of what they had done that he had ignored before had come rushing back to him after the fact. He tensed as the door made a clicking sound when he turned the knob. He glanced back as she stirred slightly in her sleep. He very carefully opened the door, slipping out and trying to shut it as silently as possible.

He was about to step away when he heard a sound. He spun, his heart catching in his throat as the door opposite opened. Draco stuck his head out. "Potter." He said, looking unsurprised to see him there, "Blaise wants to see you."

Harry stared, feeling a bit panicked. Did Draco see where he'd been coming from? "Um... why?" He asked cautiously.

Draco slipped out of the room, closing the door behind him and coming over to stand before him, folding his arms across his chest. "I didn't ask."

Harry shifted uneasily, "Um..."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Let me make this simple for you Potter. You are the first person he has voluntarily asked to be brought in to see him, so I'd say it's important. He also has very little time, so every minute you spend out here being indecisive is one less minute he has left. So, here's your choice... either come with me now like a good little Gryffindor, or I break your legs and drag you in."

Harry blinked at him. It was obvious he was being perfectly honest, and he had no doubt he _would_ break his legs, and quite happily at that... even if a stunning spell or paralysis spell would be just as effective. "Um... ok..." Harry said softly.

Draco nodded his head. "Ok... just... don't do anything stupid like gasp or anything... he's already self conscious about his appearance as it is..."

Harry just nodded.

Harry felt more like making a run for it, but he forced himself to follow Draco into the room. Draco closed the door, then looked over towards the bed. He let out a sigh, hurrying over to it. "Damn it Blaise..." He said gently, "You know you're not supposed to lay on your back."

Blaise let out a little amused sound. "I'm not going to stop breathing Draco... that would be too easy..." he said in a soft, wheezing voice. "Besides... my side hurts when I lay like that."

Draco sighed, settling down on the side of the bed, gently shifting him around.

Harry approached the other side of the bed hesitantly. Blaise was all but hidden by the thick quilts. When he got close enough to see him properly, he was glad for Draco's warning... without it he would have undoubtedly gasped.

The person laying before him looked nothing like the boy he'd seen. His hair was, by now, almost completely white, his body looking frail and wasted, and all of his exposed flesh completely chalk white. He just watched mutely as Draco carefully shifted him up on his side to help ease his labored breathing.

When he was settled, Draco gently rubbed Blaise's aching side. Blaise's lips curled up into a little smile. "So this is what it takes to get you to touch me?" He wheezed mirthfully.

Draco gave a little smirk. "Oh shut up." Then he glanced over at Harry. "Potter's here."

"I know..." Blaise said, opening his eyes.

Harry stared at the strange eyes as they seemed to survey him. Curious, he shifted to the side a bit. The eyes seemed to follow him.

Blaise smiled weakly again. "Ya... I can see you." He said softly. He surveyed Harry for another moment. It was beginning to unnerve Harry. "You have a lot of scars..." Blaise commented almost curiously.

Harry unconsciously rubbed one of his remaining scars.

Blaise smiled again. "I can't see your body, Potter. All I see is your soul..."

Harry shifted uneasily, his cheeks burning.

"It's getting stronger too... this vision... you would be amazed what people look like underneath... it's fascinating really..." He paused, catching his breath. After a moment, he went on, "You know what I _can't_ see?"

Harry looked up at him, wondering if he was really supposed to guess, "Um... what?"

"Walls." Blaise breathed.

Harry stood there, thunderstruck. He couldn't possibly mean he'd seen...

Blaise was making a soft sound. After a moment, he recognized it as soft chuckling. "I can't believe you shagged my mum..." He wheezed, gasping for breath in his mirth.

Harry's eyes immediately affixed themselves to the floor, his cheeks going beet red.

Draco looked up at him, his eyes widening, then he laughed. "Bloody Hell Potter... I kind of suspected something was up when I saw where you were coming from but honestly! Never thought _you_ of all people..."

Blaise's thin hand reached up, patting Draco's where it rested on his shoulder. "Leave him be..." He wheezed, still sounded highly amused. "If she hadn't wanted to, Potter would be on the way to St. Mungo's by now..." He said, making Draco smirk. Blaise took a deep breath and let it shudder out. "Merlin knows she needed it... she's not taking this well at all..." He said, his soft voice growing sad.

Harry hazarded a glance up. "You... you mean you aren't mad?" He asked incredulously.

Blaise gave him a little smile. "Hardly." He shifted around a bit uncomfortably and Draco overcame his surprise, starting to rub his back. "Actually... I wanted to ask you a favor..."

Harry blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Help her deal with it... when I go..." He said sadly, "Ron too... I have a feeling neither will take it well..."

Harry's eyes stung. Seeing Blaise like this, and hearing the fatalistic acceptance in his voice brought it home profoundly that this was probably a final request. "I'll do my best..." he said earnestly.

"He won't need to. We'll get you cured." Draco said firmly.

Blaise gave a sad sigh, a little smile playing over his lips. "Sure, Draco..." He said gently.

Draco gave him a little half-hearted smirk. "You know... you better hope this thing with Potter and your mum is just a fling... imagine if they got married!"

Blaise let out a little laugh. "Merlin! He'd be my dad! Bloody Hell, bring on the poison..."

The amusement faded from Draco's face and Harry saw a pain in his eyes so profound he would never have thought him capable of it. He knew this was supposed to be Draco's best friend, but he never really imagined the cold, sarcastic boy could actually have such a strong emotional attachment to someone. He couldn't help but imagine how he'd feel if it was Ron laying there wasting away and dying like that.

Blaise let out a shuddering sigh. "It was a joke Draco..." He said softly.

Draco nodded. "I know..." He said offhandedly, but his eyes looked a bit watery.

Harry shifted, uncomfortable witnessing Draco's pain. "Um... maybe I should go..." he said, starting for the door.

"Harry..." Blaise said, stirring weakly.

Harry stopped and looked back, "Ya?"

"Go back and be with her... I'll have a house elf wake you before the others come down in the morning..." Blaise said softly.

Harry nodded, "Ok..."

"But..." Blaise added as Harry started to turn back to the door. "If you're going to shag her again, could you take it to your room? I tend to favor this side..." He said mirthfully.

Harry smiled, his cheeks flushing again. "I'll remember that..."

-------------

Draco snapped awake as he felt a gentle tug on his arm. He blinked the weariness out of his eyes, realizing he'd nodded off where he sat on the side of Blaise's bed. He looked down, feeling the tugging again and saw Blaise looking up at him.

"What? Are you ok?" He asked, immediately worried as he saw the unsettled look on Blaise's pale face.

"There's something wrong... something's happening..." He said with a note of urgency in his rasping breath.

"What?" Draco asked, fear welling in his chest that the curse was worsening. Blaise had so little time left as it was...

"I don't know... there are people fighting and running..." he said, his blank gaze staring past Draco up in the direction of the main castle.

"I'll check it out..." Draco said, getting up.

A knock came at the door as he reached it. He opened it and stepped out, startling Nicolaus. "What's happening?" He asked, spotting the Marauder's map in his hand. He had obviously pulled the night watch duty.

"I don't know... it looks like the Aurors are going after the teachers!" He said, holding up the map so he could see. "It looked like they were having some kind of meeting with Fudge... and then everything went all wonky... The Aurors came in from where they were waiting in the next room and all Hell broke loose..."

Draco looked over the map, then spotted Professor Oblique making for the dungeons. "Go wake Snape. Tell him I'm dropping the ward." He said, taking off down the corridor.

He lit his wand and made his way as quickly as he could through the winding passage, trusting Nicolaus to get the word to Snape. He didn't have the time to spare. From the looks of it, the Aurors would catch up with her long before she made it to Slytherin, if that's even where she was heading, but there was still a chance...

When he reached the end of the passage, he took one last glance at the map, then set it aside and let the light wink out, leaving only the faint glow of the protective runes for him to see. He cast the spell that would take down the ward, making the runes fade from the stones. He put his hand against the wall, making it dissolve, leaving an open arch into the recessed alcove. He slipped out into it, pressing back against the wall and waiting tensely.

It wasn't very long before he heard footsteps racing along the corridor. He darted out, wrapping one arm around her waist and clapping a hand over her mouth before she could cry out in surprise, yanking her back into the alcove and through the secret passage before her pursuers had a chance to round the corner into view.

When they were in, he dropped the struggling woman, quickly pulling his wand out and casting a sealing spell on the passage. The Aurors shouldn't know about the passage, but there was no sense taking chances. When it was safe, he looked over at her. She was panting, staring up at him, stunned as he lit his wand.

"Malfoy?"

He smirked.

She scrambled to her feet. "Where's Professor Snape?" she gasped, still out of breath.

"Right this way..." he said, snatching up the map and heading off down the passage.

By the time he got back into the main corridor of the Siege tunnel, Snape was arriving as well. "Sit..." He said, seeing how distraught she was. He led her over to one of the chairs next to the little table they'd put there for those watching the Map. "What's happened?"

"Fudge called a meeting for this morning before breakfast..." She said, obviously getting a grip on herself with some effort. "He told us about his plans for how he is going to try to get the demon..."

Snape nodded. "He mentioned something about a device to trap it in it's host.

She nodded, her eyes tearing. "He didn't tell you all of it, did he?"

Snape glanced at the others, then shook his head, "No..."

She drew a shuddering breath. "He's planning on sending the children out on the grounds after breakfast... and to use the device outside... it will activate and trap the demon once it gets within a certain distance of it... and once its been trapped in a host, he's going to kill the host! One of our students!" she said achingly, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Snape just stood there, staring at her in shock, "You can't be serious!"

She wiped the tear off her cheek, nodding, "Kill them and incinerate the body so the demon is exposed to direct sunlight. He figures that should kill it."

Snape looked incensed, "He's going to kill an innocent child in the _hopes_ of killing a demon?? And if his plan fails?"

Her face clouded with anger. "We asked him that. He said that odds were in their favor, and one child was an 'acceptable loss'." She spat. "When we told him we wouldn't stand for it, he had his Aurors standing by... few of us even made it out of the room... I should have known not to go when I heard Dumbledore was gone..."

"Dumbledore is gone?" Snape asked, his eyes narrowing.

She nodded. "Fudge summoned him to the Ministry to discuss the possibility of relinquishing what you need for Zabini with the head of the Banned Materials Department. Obviously just a ruse. He's already sealed the grounds and closed off the Floo network into Hogwarts."

"I was never notified of the meeting this morning... I suppose he may have been worried I'd bring along Blaise's mother..." Snape mused

She let out a half amused laugh. "I heard about that... but I also heard he's been spending all his time since then changing laws." She said ruefully.

"Insufferable bastard!" Snape growled, "All that effort to prevent something that wouldn't even be an issue if he'd just hand over what we asked for! Well, I might not be able to stop him from endangering the other students, but if he thinks I'm sending my students out there to possible slaughter..."

She let out a bark of rueful laughter. "Not likely. He knows that thing isn't in here, because you are far too careful for that... and besides, you've got Potter. He can't chance it getting back into him!"

Snape growled angrily. "Nice to know there's _one_ student he doesn't want to kill." He said sarcastically.

----------

Harry shifted away from the door, slipping it shut, looking over at Delse sadly. She was just staring at the door, tears streaming down her cheeks. He stepped up to her and took her in his arms.

She wrapped her arms around him and pressed her face against his chest. "He's just going to let him die..." She sobbed achingly, "He's going to kill someone else's child, then he's going to kill mine..."

Harry just held her in comforting silence.

----------

Within half an hour, everyone in Slytherin was awake and knew what was happening. The air was filled with anger and frustration, but there was nothing any of them could do. The Aurors had set a barrier on the Dungeon entrance to prevent it opening, so they couldn't get out that way if they wanted to. Besides, if they left the Dungeon they would either be caught and arrested by Aurors or possibly possessed and killed! Not great options.

The news came especially hard to Ron and Pansy. They made their way to Blaise's room, determined not to let Draco keep them out. When they got there, Draco was coming out of the room. "He thought you'd be by..." He said gently, holding the door open for them.

They were surprised, but hurried in. Ron kept his arm around Pansy comfortingly as they approached the bed. The sight of him hit them both hard, but they tried not to show it. Ron let Pansy sit on the bed next to Blaise, choosing to stand at her side. Blaise managed a weak smile, sighing happily as he reached his hand over, gently caressing Pansy's stomach. They looked over as a light tapping came on the door.

"Let them in..." Blaise said softly.

Draco went over and opened the door. Kulia entered, the twins on either side lending her support. Ron could see her grip on the twins tighten when she saw Blaise, and the twins both looked distraught over how much he had deteriorated since they had last seen him. Pansy got up, shifting around to sit by his pillow so Kulia could sit as well.

"Hello Blaise..." Kulia said gently.

He gave her a little smile. "I thought that would be you... you look very...." he just shook his head slightly, at a loss for words as he gazed at her. He gave her a weak smirk, "Hey... how do you like the hair? The color looked great on you, so I thought I'd try it..."

She gave a little smile, but couldn't hold it. She sighed. "I tried to get the ingredients... I'm so sorry..." she said sadly.

He smiled again. "Don't be... everything happens for a reason..." He said, his voice soft and raspy.

"What possible reason could there be for this?" Ron asked, pained.

Blaise shifted his gaze over to Ron. "Good can come from bad... without this curse... I might never have gotten the balls to tell you both how I felt... and this little one would never have been..." He said, reaching up to gently touch Pansy's stomach as he regained his breath a bit, a little bit of a smile working onto his ghostly pale lips, "And if Draco wasn't so upset... he'd have thought to explain the peculiarities of fertility spells... and then there wouldn't be _this_ little one..." He said, shifting his hand over and touching a different part of her stomach.

Both of their eyes went wide and Draco blushed. "Shit... you shagged her?"

Ron and Pansy looked at eachother wide-eyed.

"Bu... but fertility spells only allow for one egg to get fertilized... they fixed them when they had so many problems with women having half a dozen kids or something..." Pansy said, sounding a bit faint.

Draco smirked. "In a monogamous relationship, yes... but the spell can only recognize that a given male has fertilized an egg and prevent _his_ seed from fertilizing more... so it only limits it to one fertilized egg _per male_... and it keeps working for two days in case the couple was using a more residual contraceptive spell before."

Ron was looking completely stunned. "You mean... she's have _TWO_ babies... and one of them is _MINE_???"

Draco smirked, "It appears so."

Ron and Pansy both looked like they were about ready to faint at this point.

Fred and George were smirking over at Ron.

"You knock up Pansy???" Fred asked with a chuckle.

"Way to go..."

"Didn't think you had it in you..."

"Honestly..."

"Molly will be thrilled..." Blaise said softly, but happily. "She wanted grandbabies... now she's gonna have three..."

"Wait a minute, THREE???" Pansy said, alarmed.

Blaise nodded slightly, "Unless she counts mine too... that would be four."

"No way... he said one per male and I've only slept with two guys!" She said defensively (and with a slight edge of panic!).

Blaise let out a soft, rustling chuckle. It took a minute before he was able to settle down and catch his breath. "Calm down love..." He said soothingly. He reached out and touched the spot on her stomach again. "One little Weasley..." then he laboriously moved his thin arm over to Kulia, patting her stomach, "Two little Weasleys..."

Fred and George looked like they could be knocked over with a feather. Kulia just smiled brilliantly, not looking the least bit surprised. "Can you tell if they're identical?" She asked eagerly.

He gave her a little smile and nodded.

"Yes!" She said triumphantly. "I knew it..." She beamed over at the twins.

They looked at eachother, then back at her.

"You knew?"

"But..."

"I mean..."

"Pregnant?!?"

She grinned at them at they stared at her, even their speech thrown. "Just what theory did you _think_ I was testing out?"

Blaise was chuckling softly, enjoying everyone's shock. "Blaise... the amazing human pregnancy test..." He wheezed mirthfully.

-----------

Harry leaned up against the wall next to the table on which a Slytherin fifth year was diligently watching the Marauder's Map. He could see the students spreading out onto the grounds, blithely unaware of their mortal danger. Just watching them wandering around, wondering which one would die, made his feel deeply disturbed.

He had managed to slip out of Delse's room without anyone else seeing. Nicolaus, of course, smirked at him and wriggled his eyebrows knowingly as he passed him later, but he thankfully didn't appear to be sharing what knowledge he may have gleaned from the map the night before with anyone else.

Harry sighed as he looked at Delse's room on the map. She was right where he knew the bed was. She had wanted to be alone for a while, not wanting to disturb Blaise while he was with his friends, but also not ready to face anyone yet.

Harry couldn't help but imagine all sorts of horrible ways he'd like Fudge to suffer for what he was doing. Fudge may want _him_ alive, but the feeling was definitely not mutual.

He watched as the small group came out of Blaise's room. They had been in there nearly half an hour... he wondered sadly if they were saying their final goodbyes... Ron gave Harry a sad look, but went with Pansy... undoubtedly they would end up sobbing in their room just like Delse. Even the normally light-hearted Weasley twins looked torn up as they left the room, each with their arms around what, to Harry's surprise, appeared to be a large white haired elf...

He watched as Draco emerged from the room. He carefully closed the door behind him, then put his back to the wall beside the door and slid down it into a crouch, covering his face with his hands.

Harry just stared as Draco's shoulders shook. He hated Draco... always had... and yet he found seeing him like this incomprehensibly painful. It was that more than anything that made up his mind. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then started down the corridor towards Draco.

Draco heard the approaching footsteps and straightened himself out. By the time Harry came to a stop before him he looked just as indifferent as always, glaring up at him. "What do you want Potter?"

"I want to see Blaise."

Draco furrowed his brow. "Why?"

"It's a private matter." Harry said evasively.

"He's pretty wiped out. I don't think he should be disturbed again." Draco said firmly, getting up.

"It won't take long. It's important." Harry said insistently.

Draco glanced back at the door for a moment, then sighed. "I'll go see if he wants to see you." He said, slipping inside the room. He returned a moment later, looking less than pleased, but holding the door open.

Harry paused as he passed Draco. "Um... I'll be sure to find you and tell you when we're done talking." He said, the implication to leave blatantly apparent.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Fine. But if you aren't out of here in ten minutes, I'm coming back in. He needs his rest."

Harry nodded. "Fair enough."

Harry waited until Draco was gone, then went over to the bed, pulling up a chair and sitting down next to the bed, looking Blaise over in silence for a moment. His rate of deterioration was alarming. He didn't appear to be awake, even though Draco had talked to him just a moment before.

"Blaise." Harry said gently.

Those strange, opalescent eyes opened, peering over at him. "Ya?" he wheezed tiredly.

"I just wanted to tell you... I'm sorry about this... all of this..."

Blaise let out a little belabored sigh, "We've been through this..." he said, his eyes drooping even as he spoke.

"I know... but I just wanted to say that I'm sure they will cure you... you just have to hang in there a bit longer... so _you_ can look after your mother and Ron..."

Blaise sighed again. "We both know the odds of that happening Potter."

Harry nodded, "Yes, but that just means we have to increased the odds."

"Sure..." Blaise said, "We've had such luck at it so far..." He wheezed mirthfully, his eyes drifting shut.

Harry sat and watch for a moment as the emaciated boy slipped into a fitful sleep. Then he rose, "Time for me to face my demon." He said softly, pulling out his wand and setting it on the bed beside Blaise.

---------------

A/N - sorry it took a while again. I felt I had to get this much in a single chapter. And I hope you don't mind me cutting out the tearful part of the scene in Blaise's room. Didn't think you all really needed to read that. Too much sadness. I'm sure you can guess how it would have gone. Sorry, eloquence has flown for the moment. Way way way tired.... oh, and the main ward is an _added_ precaution, not their only defense. Taking it down wouldn't endanger the Dungeon unless a demon or something of similar strength was currently attacking. They have regular locks on the main door that would keep most stuff out, and only some of the staff know about the Siege Tunnel.

And before you complain about Ginny not being around really in this chapter... well I think she's a good enough girlfriend to back off and leave him alone when he needs time with his friend.

As I said, eloquence gone bye bye. I best post this before I do too... (yawns)


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

Ginny turned and spotted Draco as he entered the little kitchen, quickly setting aside the teapot and going to him. "Is everything ok?" She asked worriedly.

He waved it off, "Potter just wanted a word with Blaise and wanted me to make myself scarce." he said a bit irritably.

She came up to him and slid her arms around him comfortingly. "You should get something to eat while you wait..." She encouraged gently.

He rolled his eyes. "What is with you people's fixation on eating?" he said with a little smirk.

"You can't start this back up Draco... I know you haven't eaten anything since this whole thing started... have you even slept?"

"I nodded off just a bit ago I'll have you know!" He said with feigned indignation.

She rolled her eyes. "Probably not for more than a few minutes."

His eyes fell, his expression growing somber. "He doesn't have that many minutes left, Ginny... I don't want to waste them when there's really no good reason to." He said softly.

She sighed, holding him tighter. "I know..." She murmured.

After a minute, she sighed. "At least have some juice before you go back." She said with a little encouraging smile.

By the time he left the kitchen she had gotten two glasses of juice down him, and he had to admit, he felt a little better at least. He paused by where a number of Slytherins had gathered around the Map table, pensively watching the demon flit around the grounds through the students.

"Potter still in there?"

"He left a few minutes ago." One of them answered absently, not even pulling their eyes from the map.

Draco sighed and rolled his eyes. _Sure_ he'd come get Draco when he was done. "Bloody prat..." Draco muttered darkly to himself as he went over, reentering Blaise's room.

He made his way over to the bed, his heart sinking as it always did when he heard Blaise's strained, very labored breathing. He sat in his usual place at Blaise's side, reaching over and gently rubbing his back again. It may have just been his imagination, but Blaise seemed to rest easier, his almost visible physical decline slowing just a bit when he kept physical contact with him. Still... he was fading fast.

He closed his eyes, Snape's words as they spoke earlier haunting him. Blaise was going faster than expected. His bones had already begun losing density. From what Snape could tell, they would have to administer the poison before sunset tonight. Blaise hadn't said anything, but Draco knew he had come to accept his fate. It was this acceptance, Draco felt, that was allowing the curse to ravage him more swiftly. Blaise didn't _want_ to die, far from it, but he'd simply lost the will to fight it. Nothing anyone said seemed to convince Blaise that he had a good chance of survival. And, Draco hated to admit it, even to himself, but he couldn't deny a growing dread and knowledge that Blaise was probably correct.

He sighed, opening his eyes and gazing around the room absently, looking at anything but the withered shell that his best friend had become. Blaise twitched in his sleep, then shifted around a bit uncomfortably. Draco looked over in surprise as he heard something clatter to the stone floor on the other side of the bed.

He got up, circling around to see what it was. He stooped down and picked up the wand, lifting it and examining it, puzzled. It wasn't Blaise's. His brow furrowed as he recognized it. "Why the hell would..." He trailed off, his eyes widening. He wouldn't...

Draco dropped the wand, dashing out of the room and over to the Map table. "Potter... where did he go?"

They all looked up at him, startled by the urgency in his voice. "He came over and looked at the map... then he left..." A startled fourth year said.

"And _THEN_ where did he go???" Draco said irritably as Ginny came out of the kitchen at the sound of his raised voice.

"Um... I don't know..." The cowed girl said.

Draco rolled his eyes, shoving her aside in exasperation and scouring the map.

"There he is!" One of the other students said, pointing to one of the tiny dots.

"Draco pounded his fist on the table, making them all jump. "Bloody Hell! He's already outside the Dungeon!" He said, watching the tiny dot as it approached a group of students in the open space of the grounds. As he watched, the demon started tracing it's way through the students in his direction, obviously having spotted him as well, it's swiftness a bit alarming.

Draco let out a growl of frustration. "Go tell Snape Potter's gone into Hero Mode again. I better go get him before he gets his miserable arse killed." Draco said, spinning and running down the corridor.

The other students stared after him, stunned.

"Well that's a bit like the cauldron calling the cat black, now isn't it?" Goyle said sarcastically, rolling his eyes and hurrying off to find Snape.

---------------

Harry looked around at the students milling about, searching them for some sign of possession.

"What are you doing here Potter? The snakes get tired of you and knock you back?" Dean said with a sneer as he spotted him.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Bugger off Dean." Harry said, "This is important..."

Dean and some of the other Gryffindors came over. "And what's so important, Potter?" Dean asked sarcastically.

Harry sighed irritably, glaring at him. "Has it passed your notice that there are no _teachers_ here?"

"The ministry Aurors are taking over for them while the teachers are in some big meeting," Dean said snidely, "Where have _you_ been? Don't they tell you anything in that little pit they call a Dungeon?"

"Leave... leave him be Dean..." Neville said, looking as if speaking up to the other boy was taking all his courage.

Dean glared over at him. "Bottle it Longbottom!" He growled irritably, "He ran off like a little baby and abandoned us for a bunch of snakes! Just like his stupid prat of a friend did! My family is starting to owl me asking what we're doing that is so bad it's driving other students off! Like it's my fault the stupid prat is such a messed up wuss!"

Neville's cheeks colored as he shifted away from Dean, taken aback by the boy's attitude. "Well... well you certainly didn't help!" Neville said, girding himself. "You... you were saying all of those things... I mean it can't have helped, can it?"

"Oh sod off you gormless twit!" Dean spat at Neville, who turned bright red.

"Oh leave him alone and shut it Dean!" Harry growled. "If I don't figure out who's possessed, and quickly, someone's going to die!"

Neville's eyes went wide, turning to glance around, then looking back at Harry pensively. "Die?" He asked, his voice a horrified whisper.

Dean snorted. "Ya right. You expect us to believe that? You're just playing for attention again and you know it! There are Aurors all over the place!"

Harry rolled his eyes, "They're the ones that are going to kill someone!" He said in exasperation. He didn't have time for this. He could see a group of Aurors 'casually' strolling past the crowds of students. As they drew closer, he couldn't help but notice the lead Auror was holding his hand out flat, close to his chest, and there was what looked like a small ball made of crisscrossed metal filigree floating an inch or so above his open palm. This was undoubtedly the device he'd heard about...

"They're _Ministry_ men, Harry." Dean said derisively, "They aren't going to hurt us!"

Neville had shifted around, following his gaze to the approaching group of Aurors. "Are they really going to _kill_ someone?" he asked, his voice wavering.

Harry nodded, "That's their plan... use that thing they have to trap the demon in it's host, then kill the host and incinerate them out here to expose it to the sun and kill it." He said, his eyes scanning the students almost frantically now.

"But what can you do to stop them?" Neville asked faintly.

Harry glanced over at him, then looked away, his cheeks coloring. "It likes me... so it'll probably possess me if it gets a chance before the device traps it..."

Dean snorted. "You're trying to get your little demon back! You were right Seamus... he likes it!"

Seamus looked over at him, puzzled by the comment (having been possessed during the time he had made that comment).

Neville, on the other hand, was staring at Harry with open shock, ignoring Dean, "But... but why would you let it get you? They would kill you!"

Harry looked over, meeting his gaze evenly. "Even if they do, that's one less innocent bystander that has to die... I started this, I'm going to end it." He sighed at Neville's worried look. "Of course, Fudge doesn't want _me_ dead, so I'm hoping it'll just make a shambles of his plan and make him find a way to do this without anyone else dying..."

"That could work..." Neville said in a small, pondering voice. He glanced over at the approaching Aurors, then back at Harry, a wicked smirk slipping onto his lips. "Let's fuck up their plan then, shall we?" He seized Harry's arm as the device in the Auror's hand flashed brilliantly.

Harry was thrown violently backwards as something hit him, a searing pain encompassing his throat as if red-hot iron had been clapped around it. He tried to claw it off out of instinct, but his fingers only felt something like loosely woven threads that seemed to be tightly adhered to his skin. He panted as the burning sensation subsided.

"Home sweet home..." A soft, terrifying voice whispered in his head. He shifted his head to the side, seeing Neville sprawled on the grass a few meters away, looking thoroughly stunned and bewildered.

He shifted up, his head still spinning as the group of Aurors ran up, making the other students scatter in fear as they formed a circle around him. One of them grabbed ahold of Neville's collar as he rose shakily, shoving him roughly out of the circle without a second thought. They were looking at eachother, shocked and confused at seeing Harry. Fudge huffed as he hurried over. "What are you waiting for?" He blustered. Then he spotted Harry. His jaw dropped. "Potter... no... this can't be... Damn it! I said to seal Slytherin!"

"We did!" One of them replied defensively.

"Obviously not well enough!" Fudge growled.

Harry felt himself shoved to the back of his mind, the demon taking control. He rose, giving Fudge a bright smile as he dusted his robes off. "Like you could keep _Potter_ locked up when you were planning on killing an innocent student! You should have known that his insufferable _'noble intentions'_ wouldn't stand for that!" He said, chuckling evilly.

Fudge was beside himself, at a complete loss for what to do now.

Harry chuckled, "I'm glad to see you were smart enough to make up contingency plans for such _obvious_ possible screw-ups on your part..." He said sarcastically, reaching for his wand. The smile slipped from his lips, He searched around, growing irritated at Harry's amusement he felt filtering through.

"Why that crafty little bastard..." he growled, then sighed, straightening. "Oh well. Guess I'll have to do this the hard way..."

Fudge's eyes went wide as Harry started towards him. "Take him down!" He yelled, quickly hiding behind a couple of his men, "Just don't kill him!"

The Aurors began casting Stunning spells, but they just flashed against Harry with no noticeable effects. Harry smirked. "Oh please! Your element of surprise is long gone. Were you truly too stupid to even _research_ this?" He laughed, then he launched himself at the nearest Auror, taking him down in a blur, making a sweep with his leg and taking down the one next to him as well. When he stood again he held a short sword in each hand. He grinned evilly over at Fudge, whipping the blades around in a flashy, obviously expert flourish before settling into a battle stance, swords poised. "Thanks for the toys Fudge. You didn't honestly think I'd never inhabited anyone who had fighting experience, did you?" He said, beaming gleefully, "Let's dance!"

The other Aurors looked intimidated, but at Fudge's impatient wave, approached Harry.

Fudge watched in horrified silence as blades flashed in a flurry, his men falling to the ground at an alarming rate. In less than a minute, Harry rose back to his full height, smiling over at Fudge, his skin and clothing liberally spattered with blood, his swords literally dripping it... a dozen Aurors laying bleeding and moaning on the grass at his feet.

"Fudge, Fudge, Fudge..." he said in a mocking voice, his head shaking sadly. "You really _are_ the stupidest excuse for a human being that I have ever encountered... and considering I'm over seven hundred years old, that is _saying something!_"

Fudge just stood there like a deer in headlights, too terrified to do or say anything as the grim visage approached him slowly, treading carelessly over the body of one of his fallen opponents.

"Look what you've done..." He said, shaking his head in mock sadness. "All but gave me Potter on a silver platter... and made it so he has no chance of escaping me at that! I really must thank you for handing me my favorite little meat puppet lock, stock and barrel!" He said, grinning evilly. "I'm letting him watch, you know... just a little _thanks_ to him for that missing wand trick he pulled... I imagine the memories will cause a lot more trauma later on... and therefor give me more amusing angst to enjoy..."

"You're... you're insane!" Fudge stammered faintly.

Harry laughed that deeply disturbing laugh as he came to a stop before Fudge. "I'm not insane, Fudge. I just do my job... and _enjoy_ it... Of course, I also have an entirely different idea of right and wrong... a different idea of what has value and what must be eliminated... something I truly doubt your tiny little brain could comprehend... you never _have_ been one to understand differences, now have you?"

Harry watched Fudge's face raptly as he plunged both blades into his thick abdomen. Fudge's eyes went wide, his mouth falling open, the pain such a sudden shock it struck him momentarily dumb.

Harry's eyes lit up, a look of intense amusement crossing his face as he leaned forward, whispering softly to Fudge, "I'll let you in on a little secret... this..." he said, wriggling the blades embedded in Fudge, "Harry is _enjoying_... never would have thought him capable of it... he's going to be even more amusing to have around than I thought..."

He eased back, glancing around casually. Almost all of the students had fled back into the school by this point. He looked back and growled in irritation, spotting Draco emerging from the shrubs that hid the secret entrance and sprinting towards him.

He sighed laboriously, turning back to Fudge. "It's been fun, but it looks like play time is over... Thanks again." He said with a genial nod, then he gave both blades a hard twist, making a shriek of pain emerge from Fudge for the first time. He grinned, backing up a pace and planting his foot on Fudge's chest, kicking him off the blades.

He turned and found Neville standing before him. The boy was visibly shaking, but holding his wand on him determinedly.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Out of the way boy!" he snapped irritably.

Neville flinched, but shook his head stubbornly, "He... he did this to save my life... I... I'm not going to let you take him!" he said, his voice trembling as badly as he was.

"_Take_ him? He's already mine. Deal with it!" Harry laughed.

Neville cast a spell at him while Harry smirked at him. Instead of hitting Harry, it hit one of his swords. The whole thing started to glow red from within. Harry cried out and dropped it as it seared his hand. He looked down in shock as the blade melted into a bubbling molten line on the ground, making all the dry grass around it smolder and flame in little spurts.

Harry looked back up at Neville, shocked and enraged. He balled his injured hand and belted him hard, right in the nose, sending the boy sprawling. He glanced back and hissed in irritation as he saw that Draco was approaching faster than expected. The entrance would undoubtedly be swarming with Aurors, and from Harry's thoughts he also knew it was warded... something he probably couldn't break through without a wand. He needed to buy time... He turned and sprinted off towards the Forbidden Forest.

He reached the edge and plunged in, feeling much more at ease in then near darkness, though it was a disadvantage to the sight of his host. As he crashed through the forest, he picked up the sound of something he didn't expect... Draco was catching up with him! He put on more speed, but he was already driving Harry's body far past what should be humanly possible.

After a few more moments, he came to the startling conclusion that he wasn't going to be able to outrun him! He grimly started making plans for how best to handle the impending confrontation. Draco wasn't as stupid and hung up on traditional thought as Fudge and his men... and he had Darien... that could be a _serious_ problem...

----

Draco ran through the forest, his mind instinctively picking out the signs of 'Harry's' passage and following it. He hadn't had any problem whatsoever passing by Fudge without stopping to help, though the man called out to him in obvious agony. Draco wiped the little smirk at the memory off his face, growing serious. **_You said you knew some of this Green Magic..._** Draco thought quickly in his mind, too busy trying to breath enough to keep up that speed to speak it aloud.

**_Yes... enough at least..._** Darien replied.

**_When we reach him, take over and use it. It might be our only chance..._**

**_I can't!_** Darien said in exasperation. **_I'm afraid my talents are useless to you... I'm just a spirit that's possessing you... I need my own flesh to cast... and my own WAND! If you haven't noticed, we are a bit different, you and I. Your wand doesn't match me..._** he trailed off thoughtfully. **_But perhaps I can teach you..._**

Draco nearly stumbled as thoughts and images suddenly started flooding his mind. He compensated, carefully keeping up the pursuit as his mind swirled with gathering knowledge that wasn't his own.

After a few minutes, he broke out into a clearing, his eyes dazzled by the sudden return of the brilliant sunlight all around him. As he dashed across it, he searched the opposite side for the trail... but he didn't see it. This fact had just registered when something darted out from behind a rock outcropping he was passing.

He felt a fist clock him upside the head before he had any hope of reacting, sending him sprawling. His momentum sent him tumbling across the ground for a couple of meters before coming to rest on his back, too stunned to do more than stare up at the sky spinning wildly above him.

And then a shadow obscured the sun and he saw Harry's smirking face looking down at him. Before Draco could get away, he darted down, hitting his hand against Draco's chest flat palmed.

Draco's eyes went wide as he felt talons extend from Harry's fingertips, sinking down inside him. Draco let out a shriek of pure agony, which was taken up by Darien in his head, as it suddenly felt like he was being eviscerated. Though it didn't seem possible, the agony continued to escalate as it felt like his mind was unraveling and leaking away.

And then the pain eased some... though it left him feeling as if he'd been ripped from stem to stern and left to bleed out. He just lay there panting, unable to comprehend the chaos in his mind.

"Lose something Malfoy?" A sneering voice asked with sadistic glee.

Draco managed to turn his head towards the voice, making his eyes work with some effort. His eyes widened, his breath catching in his throat. Harry was standing there, triumphantly holding out a pale, wispy form by its ghostly hair. Draco let out a sob of anguish as he reached weakly for what was undeniably Darien.

"Ah ah ah!' Harry said, pulling the shade away. "You seemed so opposed to possession... so I thought I'd help you out with _your_ little problem..." He said, tossing the ghost carelessly aside.

Draco let out another cry, watching as Darien drifted over, settling to the ground some distance away. He just lay there, looking completely lifeless. "Darien..." He gasped, finally comprehending the raw, achingly empty feeling inside. He turned over, trying to crawl over to him shakily, but Harry just laughed, kicking him back over on his back.

"Enough fun. Time to get this over with and get out of here." He said offhandedly, flipping the short sword around to point down at Draco, gripping it with both hands. He lifted it, preparing to drive it down through Draco's chest, but then paused. A puzzled look crossed his face. He growled in irritation. "Give it up, Harry." He muttered angrily, "It's over." He tried again, but it looked as if he were trying to drive the sword through an invisible tree trunk. His arms quickly began shaking with the effort.

He pulled back, pacing back and forth and glaring at Draco. "What is this accomplishing?" he seemed to ask the air. "I'll tell you what, its pissing me off!" he growled. "You want to play this game? How about I go back to that school and start slaughtering your little friends at random? Hmm? I could probably dice up a good couple dozen and still get away before those idiotic Ministry people got their act together to come after me... Does that sound like _fun_?" He said, nearly screaming by this point.

He stopped his pacing, looking hatefully over at Draco. "Ok now... let's try this again. We kill this little bastard, then we go away and hide and no one else has to die today..." He said, trying to sound reasonable. "Ok? Ok then..." He said, strolling back over, raising the sword again. Draco could do nothing more than watch fearfully as the blade flashed down...

... and was deflected by an invisible force half way down, darting over and embedding itself in Harry's thigh.

Harry let out a shriek of pain and outrage, ripping the blade out of his leg. His arm then jerked as if of it's own accord, sending the sword flying all the way to the edge of the clearing. "You little BASTARD!" He shrieked, clutching the profusely bleeding wound. His body jerked slightly and Draco watched as something in Harry's eyes seemed to die.

Harry ripped the hem off his robes, his movements looking a bit jerky as he wrapped the wound securely, then he straightened. "Oh well." He said, his voice sounding different, unnaturally flat and lifeless. "He was fun while he lasted... but it's not like I had his bloody wand anyway..."

Draco's eyes widened as he realized what had happened... and realized that there was nothing of Harry left in the animated shell before him.

"Well, let's get this over with, shall we?" He asked casually, strolling over to get his sword. His gait was technically perfect, not even effected by the wound that looked to have gone nearly all the way through the muscle, but lacked any grace or fluidity.

As he stooped, reaching for the sword, a wickedly taloned paw stepped on it from the shadows of the forest. Harry fell back and scrambled away as a piercing screech rang through the quiet of the clearing. Harry got up, trying not to look startled as he dusted off his robes automatically. "Well..." He said, quickly regaining his arrogance as he glared at the Thestral before him. "Looks as if you have a friend..." His smirk faltered as he heard rustling. He looked around, seeing subtle movement further back in the forest. His eyes widened as he spotted Thestral after Thestral taking up position around the edge of the clearing. In moments, there wasn't a gap left that wasn't filled with a shadowed form with hauntingly white eyes.

Harry's face clouded with anger. He stalked back over to Draco, glaring down at him. Draco looked up, having spotted them as well. He managed a little smirk.

"Think this is amusing, do you?" Harry hissed angrily.

"Yes, actually..." Draco said the smirk gaining strength.

"Ah... yes... very amusing..." Harry said with a sarcastic smirk. "But my problem is now _your_ problem... you see it's daylight... and your little friends like sunlight nearly as much as _I_ do... So I have the rest of the day to take out my _amusement_ out on you..." He said, suddenly producing a small dagger. "And not all of those Aurors stuck to the standard issue..."

Suddenly a bird-like shriek pierced the air again. Harry gripped his dagger tighter and tensed, but then his stance relaxed and he let out a laugh as Tiger scampered over and skidded to a stop between him and Draco.

Harry continued to laugh as Tiger bared his fangs, his main and fur fluffing up a bit, wings half unfurled and his tail lashing back and forth angrily as he faced off against Draco's attacker.

"What is _this_?" Harry asked, wiping away a tear of mirth. "Is this little thing your _pet_ Draco? How precious. A miniature Thestral... and a spunky little one at that."

"Tiger no!" Draco said, struggling to sit up, afraid of what the demon might do to the diminutive colt.

Harry laughed again. "Tiger? Oh this gets better and better... aww... look at the little stripes... bet he'd make a nice satchel... or perhaps a pair of boots..." He mused, grinning at Draco sadistically.

"Leave him alone! Tiger, get back into the forest!" Draco said, fervently hoping the little thestral would listen to him. He desperately gathered himself, trying to shake off the shock that was holding him down.

Harry pulled back one leg to kick Tiger, but Tiger darted forward before he could, sinking his fangs into the leg Harry was standing on and jerking his head back, his body braced for leverage. Harry cried out in surprise and pain as he overbalanced and fell back.

Tiger let go and nimbly sprang onto his chest, his talons digging into his flesh as he sank his fangs in Harry's shoulder. Harry grabbed a handful of it's mane and ripped the colt off, slashing out at it with the dagger.

Tiger sprang off with a pained cry, quickly scrambling away, heavily favoring one of his hind legs. He only got a couple of  meters before he collapsed, letting out little mewling screeches of pain. Harry was just about to go after him when the clearing filled with outraged shrieks from the surrounding Thestrals. He looked over and scrambled up as the Stallion burst out of the forest, galloping towards him at full tilt, his fangs bared and nostrils flaring. Harry made a run for it, though both of his legs now bore wounds.

The Stallion bound over Draco and was on Harry in a heartbeat, rearing up and slashing at him. The talons got mostly robe, but it tossed Harry to the ground. As Harry was rolled over by the force of the impact, the Stallion darted his head forward, intent on ripping out Harry's throat.

As his fangs sank in, the Stallion jerked, releasing him immediately as the device around his neck shocked it. He shook his head, tossing his mane angrily and let out a full volume shriek of outrage right in Harry's face, but then looked over, hearing his colt's pained cries. He looked down at Harry and snorted, then turned and hurried back to Tiger.

Draco watched as the Stallion quickly began cleaning the wound. It looked shallow at least... He looked over at Harry, who had sat up and was glaring at the Stallion murderously. A red glow sprang to life in his eyes, and Draco could feel the power around him being drawn towards Harry. A chill flooded through him. Even when wandless, witches and wizards were capable of producing wild bursts of magic if they got angry or scared enough... He imagined it was quite possible that Demons had similar abilities... Given enough time to gather power, who knew what it might do?

Draco quickly gathered himself, getting shakily to his knees. The trauma of separation was still hindering him greatly, but he drew himself together as well as he could, pulling out his wand.

Harry was ignoring him, his attention focused on the Stallion as he slowly got to his feet, the air starting to crackle around him.

Draco closed his eyes, centering himself, focusing on the knowledge Darien had imparted to him. He started muttering softly, almost as if to himself. He pressed his palm flat against the ground as his muttering grew stronger. He shifted his wand around, holding it out before him gripped firmly in his fist, the tip pointing downward.

Harry's glowing eyes darted over to him as Draco plunged his wand down, burying half its length in the soft earth. The glowing eyes widened as an inhuman shriek of fury ripped out of his throat.

Before he could do anything, thin vines sprouted around his feet, racing up his body and curling around him. He seethed in anger and frustration as he desperately tried to free himself from the clinging tendrils, but there were far too many of them. He ripped at them, but the strands he managed to pull off were replaced before the torn strands even hit the ground. He looked over at Draco with pure loathing, trying to force the gathered power at him, but the delicate strands were already grounding him, draining away the demonic power.

He thrashed in vain as the tendrils pulled him down, gently cocooning him. In moments, he was completely immobilized. Draco removed his wand from the ground, knowing the spell would hold without him. He crawled over to Tiger, feeling even more drained than before. The Stallion had finished cleaning the wound, and it looked almost healed. Draco carefully examine it, casting a few spells on it to speed the healing for good measure. Tiger bent his head around, licking Draco's face.

Draco pressed his cheek against the side of Tiger's snout, stroking his hand down his silky mane. "Thank you Tiger... you saved me..." He said softly.

Tiger made a little cooing sound, nuzzling up against him. Draco smiled again, taking Tiger's head in his hands and gently bumping his forehead against Tigers. Tiger let out a happy trill and licked him again.

Draco broke away then, struggling in the direction Darien had been thrown. He looked at him in anguish as he drew closer. He was just laying there, sprawled out on his back, his form faint in the bright sunlight. He wasn't moving at all... not even breathing... but then ghosts didn't technically _have_ to breath... and ghosts couldn't be killed... Draco kept reminding himself of that as he came to a stop beside him. He reached out, but his hand passed right through Darien of course, growing cold and numb.

He pulled back his hand, tears streaming down his cheeks as panic filled him. What was he supposed to do? How could he get him back where he belonged? He finally gave up trying to guess in frustration, settling on what would seem to be the most logical method. He positioned himself and carefully rolled over, then shifted around until he was completely overlapping the spirit. His whole body quickly went numb with cold, but he refused to yield to his body's natural instinct to remove itself from the disturbing sensation. He closed his eyes, trying to focus on Darien... trying to call him back...

------------------

A/N - I referred to the demon as Harry after it possessed him because, hey, gender neutral references to 'it' get tiresome quickly! Also, just noting that J.K. only said Thestrals _prefer_ the darkness, not that light would harm them... they don't _like_ light, perhaps it's a phobia, but I think they _could_ come out into it if they felt so inclined.

Also, Draco was so effected by the loss of Darien because his mind had become so accustomed to Darien's presence. Tests have proven that the human mind can adapt amazingly to unusual conditions... but once they have become accustomed to the conditions, they can't always cope when those conditions are unexpectedly removed. Example (ok, I only heard about this and can't back it, but this is what I heard anyway) - they did a study on human coping abilities where they had a group of people wear glasses that turned everything upside-down. After a while, all of them adapted, their mental processes changing to accommodate the new conditions, and they saw everything upright again. Then, after a while the glasses were removed... the people had some serious mental trauma and really didn't deal with it well at all, and I believe some of them even went insane (no, I'm not planning on Draco going nuts!). Lesson: Human brains are amazing things, but don't fuck with them if you don't have to! :)

About the twins' twins... they are _identical_... that means _one_ egg was fertilized and divided on it's own, making two babies. Kulia's twins won't be cousins, they will be sisters or brothers. Paternity will be discussed in more depth later. Pansy's babies, on the other hand, will be _fraternal_ twins that are only half-siblings; Same mother, different fathers.

You'll find out about Blaise in the next chapter. Really.


	44. Chapter 44

A/N - This is the wizarding world. You can't expect it to be that easy. You'll figure out what I mean.

------------------

Chapter 44

"Draco!" Ginny cried out fearfully as the Thestral Stallion skidded to a halt at the edge of the clearing. She hopped down from the Stallion's back and sprinted towards him as the others began arriving on their own Thestral escorts.

Tiger lifted his head from where it lay on Draco's chest as she dropped to her knees on his other side. Tiger let out a little piteous sound as she reached out and touched Draco's cheek. She let out a frightened cry, feeling the icy coldness ofhis skin. She quickly checked his neck and let out a relieved sob as she felt a pulse. As she watched, his chest rose and fell, but far too slowly to be normal.

"Draco?" She said achingly, "Draco, can you hear me?" She took his hand, then looked down in surprise as she felt a chill flow through her hand. Her eyes widened as she saw a ghostly hand separating from his. She let out a cry of fear and horror, quickly putting his hand back down.

"What is it? " Snape asked, striding up briskly.

Ginny dropped her hands that she had clasped over her mouth, looking up at him. "Something's wrong... I can't wake Draco, and Darien... it's like he isn't attached..." she said, staring at the hand.

Snape knelt, lifting Draco's hand slightly and noting the ghostly hand it left behind. He replaced the hand, closing his eyes with a pained expression. "The demon must have gotten ahold of him..." He said sadly, "If it damaged Darien... I don't know if they'll be able to reintegrate on their own. Spirits are very vulnerable when they are possessing the living... that's why more of them don't do it..."

"What can we do?" Ginny asked, staring down at Draco pensively.

Snape looked thoughtful for a moment, then sighed. "We could try a containment spell... it might bind them temporarily, at least until we can get them back to the castle..."

"Snape..." Goyle called over.

Snape looked over at the group of Slytherins that were standing in a rough semi-circle. Then he spotted what they were staring at. He stood, staring at the large green cocoon in the middle of the clearing. "Stay back!" He said sharply, quickly making his way over to the strange object. He stared down at it. Between the tightly woven strands near one end, he saw a glint of red gleaming back at him as a low growl emerged from it. He took a step back. "Sweet Merlin! How did he accomplish _that_?" he muttered, obviously impressed.

"What is it?" Goyle asked, keeping back warily.

"That would be a powerful Green Magic binding spell..." Snape said softly, still eyeing the mass of vines.

Goyle stared at it. "You mean... _it's_ in there?"

"It would appear so..." Snape said, peering back over at Draco. "We'll have to wait until we can prepare a proper holding cell before trying to move it, but I fear Draco is in need of much more immediate help. The demon managed to separate him and Darien. Unfortunately, even if I can bind Darien back in him, levitation spells will be out of the question, and he will have to be moved very gingerly or they may split again."

Goyle cracked his knuckles, "That's why they keep _me_ around!" He said with a smirk. "Get to binding and I'll take it from there."

--------------

The Thestrals were able to get them to the edge of the Forbidden Forest, but they had to go very slowly to accommodate Draco and Darien's delicate condition. After that, Goyle carried the unconscious Draco all the way back across the grounds to the castle, and down to Slytherin dungeon without even pausing to rest once.

By the time they reached the Dungeon, nearly half an hour had passed. Goyle had barely had time to gently deposit Draco on the couch before the door was opened again and Dumbledore entered. He strode over to the couch immediately, sitting beside Draco without so much as a word and gingerly examining him. He sighed deeply as the others gathered around.

"Can you do anything?" Snape asked, his arms folded across his chest and his dark eyes pensive as he stared down at Draco.

"Not much I'm afraid..." He said, casting a few minor spells on the still form beside him. Draco's breathing increased some, and a bit of color returned to his overly pale skin. Dumbledore gave a little sigh. "That is the extent of my own abilities in this area... however, I have already sent for one of the healers from St. Mungo's that specializes in soul binding, so we must simply keep him stable until he arrives..." He said softly, accepting a blanket from one of the anxious students and draping it over Draco.

"You weren't authorized to summon a healer!" A weak, but irritating voice said from the doorway.

Ginny could have sworn she actually saw Dumbledore roll his eyes. His usual genial smile slipped into place as he looked over to watch Fudge enter, supported on both sides by assistants and ranked by Aurors.

"Cornelius." Dumbledore said, giving every appearance of being delighted to see the Minister still alive and breathing. "So glad you're feeling better."

"Don't change the subject!" Fudge growled, obviously in no mood to banter back and forth.

"Very well," Dumbledore replied with a smile, "It _was_ authorized, Cornelius."

"I never gave any such..." Fudge began, blustering.

"Not by you." Dumbledore said, gently cutting off the angry retort, "By the Interim Minister during your convalescence."

"By WHO?" Fudge asked, his cheeks coloring slightly with anger despite the massive blood loss he'd so recently suffered.

"It is clearly stated in the regulations that a functioning Governing Body must be maintained at all times, and in the event that the Minister of Magic is unable to perform his duties, an Interim Minister is automatically assigned until such time as said Minister is able to resume his duties."

Fudge's jaw hung slightly for a moment, then he glared at Dumbledore angrily. "I wasn't 'unable to perform my duties' for more than fifteen minutes!"

"And a good thing, too. The job is far too hectic for my taste." Dumbledore said agreeably.

Fudge's eyes went wide. "YOU?!? **_YOU_** took over?"

"As the highest ranking member of the Wizengamot, I really had no choice in the matter." Dumbledore said guilelessly. "I tried my best to fill your shoes and do as I was sure you would, for the betterment of the wizarding community. In this case, to order a healer to tend to a student in dire need of his attention. Binding him to this spirit has become necessary for his survival, and therefore clearly falls under the Health and Protection Act."

"The what? What the bloody Hell are you babbling on about Dumbledore? There is no such Act!" Fudge said irritably.

"Well, I believe if you check the law book, you will find there is _now_." Dumbledore said with a little smile.

If it weren't for the efforts of his assistants, Fudge would have fallen over. "You passed legislation? You were only in office for fifteen minutes!"

Dumbledore nodded, "Indeed, but as luck would have it, I happened to be at the Ministry at the time... and I also just happened to have a ledger with me that I jot down my ideas in... I had been planning on bringing it up with you, the Minister of Magic, the next time I saw you... imagine my surprise when I found I would be required to talk to _myself_! So, of course as Minister, I looked the ideas over, decided they looked good, and implemented them." He said as if that were the most logical thing imaginable.

Fudge glared at him with pure hatred. "So what is this 'Act' that you've pushed through?" He growled angrily.

"Simply put, it makes anything medically necessary to save a person's life or health legal, so long as it does not put anyone else's life or well being at risk. This includes medical procedures... _potions_..."

"Aha!" Fudge said, pouncing on the word, "You're still trying to override me for that bloody potion!"

"A child's life hangs in the balance, Cornelius..." Dumbledore said sadly.

"It's _illegal_! It's against the _law_! Without laws, our society would crumble!"

Draco groaned, his head shifting slightly to the side. "Bloody Hell... isn't he _dead_ yet?" he muttered irritably.

Many of the others smirked, but Dumbledore went on as if he hadn't heard, though he was the closest. "You seem so eager to see the boy die just to prove a point! Are you willing to give up Harry's life as well?" Dumbledore asked softly, but his tone wasn't quite as genial as it normally was.

"We just have to find a way to release the device and it should flee from Harry." Fudge said as if that would solve everything.

"Bloody brilliant idea, bollock-brain." Draco mumbled a bit louder. "Too bad it has his soul and isn't too bloody likely to leave it out of the goodness of it's little black heart."

Fudge's eyes widened. He looked at Dumbledore furtively, "Is this true?"

Dumbledore sighed. "From what I've been told, The demon has been incapacitated by young Mr. Malfoy here... he was the last to see Harry before the binding spell, so if he says it took his soul, I'd dare say it did. And even if it didn't already, it undoubtedly would on it's way out if you released it..."

Fudge growled in frustration. "Fine. Do it then. Fix Malfoy up and get him ready." He looked over at Kulia. "Glad to see you appear to be doing better." He said with obviously false sincerity, "You will have to help him."

She furrowed her delicately arched eyebrows at him. "No."

He narrowed his eyes at her. "You'll help or you'll be taken into custody!" He growled. "We have Madam Pomfrey's records, and according to the examination she gave you the other day, you appear to be carrying a child that was fathered by a human wizard."

"Two actually, on both counts. And that's exactly why I won't help." She said, narrowing her eyes at him in return.

"Yes, well the Wizardry Protection decree allows for the incarceration of any beast that is deemed by the Ministry to be unsafe or unstable and carrying a half-blood child until such time as they give birth, after which the child is taken into Ministry custody to be raised as a proper witch or wizard." Fudge said triumphantly, "But if you help, I may be willing to overlook the issue..."

The twins quickly stepped around her, slipping between her and Fudge, "Like hell!" Fred growled.

"Those are our babies!" George added, both of them red faced with anger.

Fudge smirked. "Got a little too _familiar_ with your 'familiar', did you now?"

They started for him, but Kulia grabbed their elbows, holding them back. "Calm down boys." She said soothingly. "He has no authority to do that."

Fudge let out a snort, "And what makes you think that?"

"Because," Kulia replied with a little smile, "They both signed a contract before conception giving full and complete custody of any offspring to _me_. So legally, the wizarding community has no authority over them whatsoever."

Fred and George were now both staring at her in open shock, only now remembering the contract they had signed.

Fudge was looking at the twins, "You were daft enough to do that???" He asked, incredulously.

"I guess..."

"...We did..." they said somewhat dazedly.

"Oh just cure Blaise already!" Draco said, his anger strengthening his voice, "How bloody hard is that?"

"You'll not get a single ingredient out of me!" Fudge growled.

"Actually..." Dumbledore said, reaching into his robe, "This is all they had..." He withdrew what looked like a long, gray rope.

"The Erumpent tail!" Snape said, stepping forward and taking it, examining it eagerly. "And the other?"

Dumbledore sighed. "The Ministry vaults do not contain any Romanian Longhorn bone. I'm afraid they have been a protected species for so long that all of the remaining supplies have run dry..."

"That's the last ingredient?" Draco asked, "Well Bloody Hell... why didn't you say so?" He reached in his robe, fumbling around weakly for a moment before pulling out his wand and holding it out hilt-first towards Snape. "Will a fang do?"

Snape's eyes widened, "Yes... I believe it would..." He said wonderingly.

"NO!" Fudge said indignantly, "You can't use his wand! We need him to cast the spell, which he can't very well do without that! And it's not like we can replace it! You'll just have to find some other..." He looked over sharply as he heard a snap. His face turned beet red with pent up anger as he saw Draco patiently trying to work a gleaming white fang out of the hilt of his broken wand.

When Draco was done, he handed the slender, three inch long fang over to Snape. Snape took it, turning and leaving so fast his robes actually snapped.

"He... he doesn't have time to brew it now... I mean it takes well over half a day to make! The boy can't possibly hold on that long, can he?"

"Snape has been brewing the ingredients he has since early yesterday." Dumbledore replied evenly, "Those last two are thankfully not required until the end. The potion should be ready in a couple of hours."

Fudge huffed angrily, "Well if those were the last two ingredients, then that means he got the others, some of which are highly _illegal_, and acquired _before_ you passed your precious Act, so..."

"So I made it retroactive. The two men you were holding in Azkaban for brewing similar potions to spare their loved ones the ravages of dark curses have, of course, been released with full pardons and the Ministry's apologies. Along with a token monetary payment to make up for their lost wages during their incarceration as well of course." Dumbledore said softly.

"You... you can't do that!" Fudge sputtered.

Dumbledore's smile looked much more genuine now, "But I already have, Cornelius."

Fudge narrowed his eyes. "Enjoy your moment of bravado, Dumbledore. As soon as I get back to the Ministry I'm going to repeal your little Act faster than you can say Quidditch!"

"That might prove difficult." Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "What with the Administrative Accountability Act..."

Fudge's eyes bugged and his assistants were obviously straining to keep him upright, "The what?" He asked faintly.

"It's rather technical, but part of it does mention that repealing humanitarian legislation requires sixty percent of the Wizarding Community being in favor of repealing it..."

"Vote? A percentage of the Wizarding Community? You act as if we're going to ask each and every witch and wizard!"

"Only the ones seventeen and older." Dumbledore said evenly.

"But... but... the planning alone..." Fudge said, aghast at the idea.

"Have no fear, Cornelius, I wouldn't leave you with that kind of an organizational nightmare. Alastor Moody is heading the committee that will handle all vote taking."

"Mad Eye?!? But he's..." Fudge stammered.

"Very thorough. Yes indeed. I daresay you don't have to worry about any issues of vote tampering."

Fudge had gone from beet red to sheet white alarmingly fast. "How could you have done that much in only fifteen minutes?" He asked numbly.

"That was the first five actually... You'll be reading about a good deal of it in a late edition of the Daily Prophet they should be putting out around noon. Don't worry, I was sure to make reporters accountable for the contents of their articles as well. I can't very well liberate them from Ministry control and influence without some kind of safeguards after all..." He said reassuringly.

"You...?" Fudge said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Freed the Press. Yes indeed." Dumbledore said agreeably.

The assistants were suddenly straining under Fudge's full weight as the man passed out.

"Oh dear..." Dumbledore said, looking concerned. "Perhaps you should take him to the Hospital wing. It doesn't appear as if he is quite ready to be running about..."

Several of the Aurors had to help the two assistants as they carried Fudge from the room.

Dumbledore watched them go, "I do hope the new column in the paper reporting all official Ministry decisions isn't too damaging for him... I only made that one retroactive by a month... but then the plan he was implementing for the capture of the demon might put a crimp in his chances in the upcoming election..."

"Election?" Draco asked, looking up at Dumbledore with smirking admiration.

Dumbledore nodded, "For the position of Minister of Magic. It is now a three year position for which there is an general election, every witch and wizards of seventeen years and over getting one vote..."

The gathered Slytherins roared with laughter. They might not normally be big fans of Dumbledore, but today was a notable exception.

"You did all of that in fifteen minutes?" Ginny asked, wiping a tear of mirth from her eye.

Dumbledore smiled at her genially. "I daresay Cornelius may discover another little change or two as well... oh, and I'm pleased to inform you that Arthur is now Head of Muggle Affairs, overseeing everything Muggle, large and small. I believe he will bring a great deal to the position."

Ginny beamed.

Dumbledore peered down at Draco, sobering. "How is he doing?" He asked gently.

The smirk fled Draco's face. "I can barely feel him... I mean at least I _can_ feel him, which is an improvement, but he's so faint..." He shivered, "And I'm so bloody _cold_!" he said, weakly pulling up the blanket that had been spread on him.

Dumbledore nodded gravely, "Just hold in there. It shouldn't be long now..."

---------

Ginny paced back and forth before Draco's bedroom door. The healer had taken him in there so he could concentrate. He was a bit of a gruff man, and didn't seem to take well to having several dozen pensive students crowded around him while he worked.

Most of the Slytherins were now congregating in the Common Room, the stress over both Draco's and Blaise's health being on such treacherous ground was weighing heavily on them all. Snape had insisted that they only enter the Siege Tunnel if absolutely necessary. No one wanted to talk about it, but they knew from his pensive manner that it would be a close thing with Blaise, and there was some fear that he might turn before they could administer the cure, in which case the tunnel would have to be sealed immediately, any left inside having pretty much no chance of survival.

Ginny spun, her heart catching in her throat as the door clicked open. The stout, gray haired healer emerged, looking a bit worn out. "How are they?" She asked pensively.

"Resting." He replied shortly.

"But they're going to be alright?" She persisted.

He frowned at her. "I did what I could." He said gruffly.

She bit her lip. What was that supposed to mean? She wanted to press him for more information, but he hardly looked in the mood to be grilled.

He saw her expression and sighed, rolling his eyes, "As I told Dumbledore before, I've never bound two souls together like this. My training was for the healing of spell-damaged souls. I can't guarantee how well they'll mesh."

"I'm sure you did your best..." Ginny said, trying not to sound too distracted as she tried to catch a peek through the door, which was still cracked open a bit.

"You must be the Ginevra they kept going on about..." he said shrewdly.

Her eyes darted back to him and widened in surprise. "Ginevra... Ginny... yes..."

He sighed, "Go on in. I have to see Dumbledore, but I'm sure that boy will be defying my orders to rest and making his way out here otherwise."

She smiled at him gratefully and darted around him, not giving him a chance to change his mind.

As she closed the door behind her, she looked over, spotting him sitting on the side of the bed, staring at his hands as if he found them fascinating.

"Draco...?" She asked tentatively.

He looked up and she came to a halt, staring in shock at his eyes. Where before she had seen the occasional little swirl of color, his eyes were now an almost dizzying mixture of light gray and dark brown. The colors were constantly flowing in little swirls and eddies, though at the same time the colors remained clearly separate. She found herself mesmerized by the fascinating manifestation.

"That bad?" He asked a bit tiredly.

She shook herself out of it. "No... it's just..." She was at a loss for words. She went into the bathroom and brought back the small hand mirror, handing it to him.

He took it and then stared at the reflection for a long moment. "I think we're gonna need those glasses..." He said softly. Even he seemed to find his eyes fascinating.

"So... you're both... there?" She asked, unsure how to phrase it.

He looked up at her and smiled, setting aside the mirror. "We are... Darien's still a bit bollocksed, but overall we're doing alright... the healer said we might eventually be a lot closer to one person... but for now..." He took a deep breath and let it out, setting aside the mirror. "It's like it was... and yet on the other hand, entirely different... we're separate... and yet somehow the same too... I can't really explain it... it's just... hard to tell where one ends and the other begins..."

She wasn't sure she really understood, but then it didn't sound like he really did yet either, so she let it pass for the moment. "What should I call you now...?"

He smirked. "Draco will do. It's this body's legal name, and we don't really care what we're called so Draco is what we'll go with. At least for now. But then you can call us whatever you like." He said, his smirk widening.

She gave him a little smile, then it faded a bit. She wasn't sure how to broach the next subject. "And... what about... um... _us_...? Do you still feel the same...?" She asked pensively.

He looked thoughtful for a long moment, then shook his head. "No..."

Her eyes widened worriedly, but then he reached out and snagged the front of her shirt, pulling her forward and guiding her down until she lay on her back on the bed next to him. He stared down at her with those chaotic eyes for a long moment. "When we were separate..." He said softly, "We both loved you... but in different ways... for different reasons... now..." He took a deep breath and let it slowly out. She shivered as it whispered warmly across her skin. "Together... we love you far more than should be humanly possible..." He said almost reverently, leaning down and capturing her lips, kissing her with a deep, burning passion.

-----------------

Draco paused, bracing himself as he reached Blaise's door. He opened the door, slipping in as the warm air flowed out to meet him. He looked around, noting Snape and Delse hovering around a medium sized cauldron on a newly added table to one side, a strange, musky scent competing with the cloying sweetness of Pomfrey's medicinal brew still steaming away in the corner near Blaise's bed.

He made himself look over at Blaise, and winced. The last time he'd seen him he hadn't thought Blaise could possibly get that much worse... but he'd been wrong. Professor Oblique sat beside Blaise, gently stroking his snow white hair and murmuring to him softly.

Draco made his way over beside Snape. "How long until it's ready?" He asked, keeping his voice low.

"Not long now..." Snape said, glancing over at Blaise pensively, and dropping his voice a bit more so Delse couldn't hear him from where she stood, studiously stirring the cauldron, "But he's fading even as we speak... His bones are already very brittle and there's just not much of him left... but I can't rush this... it's delicate, and it's already been steeping far longer than it should have while waiting for those last two ingredients. I've been having to add Re'em blood to keep it viable... I just have to hope it hasn't grown too strong... too much of a shock to his system right now..." He trailed off, leaving it unsaid. He took a deep breath and let it out. "Our biggest problem is keeping him aware and fighting it so he'll make it long enough for this to finish."

Draco nodded. "I'll do what I can..." He said, making his way over to the bed.

Professor Oblique saw him and patted Blaise's hand, giving him a light kiss on the forehead and rising, moving away so that Draco could take her place.

Draco took a seat beside Blaise. "Hey there..." He said softly, "I'm back..."

A little smile tugged at the side of Blaise's mouth at the sound of Draco's voice, but he didn't even open his eyes.

"Well... the soul binding procedure is done... we're one now..." He said conversationally, trying to draw Blaise's attention.

Blaise's eyes cracked open slightly for a moment before closing again. He mumbled something, but it was too soft to hear.

"What?" Draco asked, leaning close. Even with his ear only a few inches from Blaise's mouth, he could barely make out the whisper soft words.

"You... look... bizarre... as... fuck..." He wheezed softly.

Draco laughed. "Bet we do..." He quickly leaned back as Blaise began speaking again.

"Should... you... be... up...?"

Draco smirked, but tears stung his eyes at the same time. Blaise was laying there, literally on death's doorstep, and he was worrying about Draco's health? "We'll be fine." He said softly. "Actually..." He said, quickly going on when Blaise started to look as if he was drifting off again, "The healer _did_ want me to rest at first... but when he came back into my room and found me 'resting' with Ginny on the bed with my tongue down her throat and my hand in her knickers, he suddenly decided that I should probably get out of my room and walk around for a bit..."

Blaise's thin shoulders shook slightly with amusement as his lips pulled into a weak smile. "You... didn't... curse... him...?" He wheezed quietly.

Draco grinned. "Admittedly, it was rather tempting at that point, but he'd just done me a favor... and besides, I couldn't... the business part of my wand is boiling away in that cauldron over there."

Blaise's eyes cracked open again as he made a little questioning sound.

Draco blushed slightly, though he wasn't sure why he should be embarrassed about it. "The last ingredient... they needed some Romanian Longhorn bone... but they said a fang would work... so I gave them one..." He said with a shrug, trying to make it sound like nothing. He looked over in surprise as Blaise's gaunt hand touched his, settling over it and taking ahold of it with a feather-light grasp.

"You... loved... that... wand..." He gasped a bit louder.

Draco flashed him a little smile. "Maybe... but it was still just a wand... a wand can be replaced... finding someone else who would put up with _me_? Now that would be _much_ more difficult..." He teased gently.

Blaise gave him a little ghost of a smile, then they sat there for a time in companionable silence.

Draco tensed, sitting up straighter as a tremor went through Blaise, his frail hand grasping Draco's convulsively. Blaise let out a pained sound. "Leave..." He gasped urgently.

"No bloody way." Draco said, slipping his hand out of Blaise's grasp and taking ahold of him, gingerly pulling Blaise up until he was draped halfway across him, cradling him in arms like he would a little child. His body was disturbingly light... it was like holding a doll. "Come on Blaise... they're almost done with the potion!"

Blaise let out a pained sound, "Just... want... it... to... stop..." He sobbed weakly.

"It _will!_"Draco said firmly, "But you have to wait just a bit longer! Come on..."

Blaise let out another pained sound.

"None of that!" Draco said firmly. "Because I'll tell you right now, I have no intention of leaving. I plan on walking out of here with you at my side, so buck up! Because if you don't, do you know what will happen?"

Blaise cracked his eyes open, looking up at Draco silently.

"If you let yourself go... you're going to turn into a wraith... and as soon as _that_ happens, you're going to _kill me_. There won't be a bloody thing I can do to stop you. Then you're going to go over there and kill Snape and then your _mum_... because none of us are leaving. Do you want that to happen, Blaise?" He asked softly, "Do you want to kill me?"

Blaise let out a weak sob, his thin fingers grasping feebly at the front of Draco's shirt and clinging to it with all his meager strength.

--------------

The tension in the Slytherin Common room had grown thick. By nowevery last Slytherin was in that one large room... this made it a bit crowded, but they seemed to draw strength from being surrounded by their housemates. Despite the number of people present, the room was unusually quiet, no more than the occasional rustle of cloth or creak of a piece of furniture to be heard. It had been nearly half an hour since Professor Oblique had emerged from the tunnel and sealed it on Snape's orders... in case the worst should happen. It could be unsealed from within by a wizard, but was impenetrable to a wraith.

They all tensed, their heads snapping around as they heard a door open. Ron and Pansy sprang up, their hands clasped, drawing what comfort they could from eachother as they watched Snape came into the room, his expression unreadable.

He surveyed the group for a moment, then said in a somber voice, "First and foremost, I would like to apologize to you all... and most especially you Ron... Pansy... The potion was left brewing far longer than it should have while waiting for the last ingredients... and he was much further gone than any who survived ever had been... I ended up having to give him three entire doses... all of which were _far_ too strong... and as a result..." Snape grabbed ahold of a nearby chair to keep from sprawling as something blurred past him.

Ron and Pansy stared in shock as Blaise suddenly stood before them, beaming. His hair was once again jet black, his skin his usual pale but healthy color, his eyes clear and dark. In essence, he looked pretty much the same as before the curse had hit him... perhaps a bit thinner still, but nearly back to normal. Before they could even react, he wrapped an arm around each of their waists and hugged them to him, lifting them off their feet and spinning them around.

"...he's a mite hyper..." Snape finished ruefully, straightening his robes and trying hard not to smirk. He straightened. "Now now Blaise, put them down. Remember what I told you..."

Blaise set them down but didn't release them, leaning over and giving Pansy a breathstealing kiss as the rest of the Slytherins broke into fractious cheers. When he broke the kiss, he turned his head and did the same to Ron.

When he released Ron's lips, he beamed happily. "Yes yes... be gentle... never fear, Snape... these are the last two people I would _ever_ hurt..." He said, sighing blissfully as he held them, then he released them, slipping down to his knees and resting his cheek lovingly against Pansy's stomach, "Well... except for these two of course..." he said, nuzzling her lovingly, then placing two very gentle kisses on her stomach. "You're stuck with me now..." he murmured softly, as if the tiny babies could hear him.

"Who's stuck with you?" Delse asked a bit faintly, standing beside Snape wide eyed. It was obvious she had a good idea already.

Blaise looked over at her in surprise, realizing she didn't know. He stood, and beamed around at his gathered fellows. "Pansy, Ron and I are going to be parents!" He announced proudly. "Twins! A Weasley and a Zabini!"

Surprised and happy chatter quickly filled the room. What with Blaise's dire health, they hadn't thought to tell anyone.

Snape quickly grabbed Delse and supported her as her knees got suddenly weak. She looked up at him, stunned, "I'm going to be a grandmother?" She asked, dazedly.

He gave her a warm smile. "It would appear so."

"Merlin..." She breathed.

Blaise held up his hands for silence, "I also want it known that I love these two more than I have any right to... and I have every intention of spending the rest of my life with them if they let me... so I want to make sure this is perfectly clear in all your minds right now... these two are _MINE_... so... if any of you want to shag them, I expect you to _ask first_." He finished with an impish grin.

Ron and Pansy laughed, wrapping themselves around him as the others chuckled.

Blaise shivered, snuggling against them. "What say we get back to our room...?" He murmured suggestively.

Ron grinned, but looked over at Snape hesitantly. "Is he... fully recovered?"

Snape let out a snort of laughter. "You can shag him all you want. He could definitely stand to work off a bit of excess energy before attempting that spell... if there's anyone I'm worried about, it's _you two!_"

Blaise grinned, then pulled Pansy close. "Don't worry... I plan on being _very gentle_ with you..." He said, kissing her tenderly. He then released her and looked over at Ron with a smirk. "As for you..." He said, taking Ron in his arms and surprising him by sweeping him back, dipping him low and taking Ron's entire weight as if it was nothing. "I haven't shagged anyone in _DAYS_... so I certainly hope you're well rested..." He said in a soft, sultry voice. Then he kissed him deeply, making Ron's head swim with his intensity as the others chuckled.

---------------

A/N - I know, I know... I make you wait an eternity, and then I let Fudge live. Well, Blaise, Draco and Darien all lived too... so am I off the hit lists now? And for those of you who are upset about Fudge... if I let Harry kill him, then some Ministry prat would have Harry thrown in Azkaban, saying it was his fault because he voluntarily went out there and let himself be possessed. Note: I didn't say Harry would feel horribly guilty over it ;) But really, we need someone around like Fudge... someone who is just so damn fun to bitch slap! Oh, and I don't really know exactly how the Ministry of Magic works, but I don't believe Minister is an elected position in J.K.'s 'world'. For one, over the course of the five years that she has thus far chronicled, they never mentioned anything about elections, and I can't truly imagine that everyone really wants FUDGE as Minister. I imagine if there's any kind of election it is limited to members of the Wizengamot or something like that. I mean Dumbledore said people had been encouraging him to go for the position, but I don't recall them saying he should _run_ for it... just that they would support him... and hasn't Fudge been Minister for like a REAL long time? Didn't he get the position like a year or two after Harry's parents were killed or something? I think I remember something about Crumb being close to getting it, but when his boy went all Death Eater he lost his chance to Fudge... but then I could be remembering wrong and I don't really feel like looking it up just because I got chatty in an author's note... ;)

Sorry about the wait, BTW. Muggle crap came up. Not to mention, it's not easy deciding the fate of so many! I am still struggling with what I want to happen... the story is obviously coming to a head, and I have an idea what I want to happen in the end... but what route to take there, how long it will take, _exactly_ how it will end and such are still really up in the air... I haven't even decided out for sure what I want to do with the bloody demon!

Oh, and I know someone gave the spelling of the fire spell, but that wasn't the one I was trying to figure out how to spell... I had just mentioned Hermione had used a fire spell in the book, but what I wanted was the sunlight spell she used in the Movie instead... it sounded like "Lumos Solem" but I didn't want to officially venture a guess as to it's spelling in the body of the story. That was a while ago that we discussed that I know, but I saw that part in HP1 today and thought I'd mention it.

I will attempt to get the next part out faster, but as I said, I'm struggling with it a bit at this point, and it's difficult to write a chapter without accidentally ruling out possible outcomes, and without knowing what I'll need to _support_ the outcome... if that makes any sense... I'm getting really tired, so I'll just shut up and post already.


	45. Chapter 45

A/N - adult stuff. Some slash in second part, if you wish to skip, just go down to the next divider (----), then a bit more non-slash adult stuff near the end.

Chapter 45

"Hey there..."

"Need help?"

Kulia looked around and smiled as the twins walked in. "Just making a sandwich..." She said, turning back and spreading mayonnaise on a slice of bread.

They came up on either side of her. "There are house elves you know..."

"They could make you anything you wanted..."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No thanks. They stare at me like I'm a pink Unicorn or something... those huge eyes glued on me... it gets kind of irritating..." She looked up, staring into space thoughtfully, "And a bit creepy actually..." She shrugged and went back to work.

The twins chuckled, then gently moved her aside. Working with seamless coordination, they had three sandwiches assembled in moments. They handed her one, Fred grabbing up three glasses from the cabinet and George snagging a pitcher of pumpkin juice from the ice box on the way over to the little table.

Kulia just smirked at them as she settled down, letting Fred push in her chair while George poured her a glass of juice. When they had all settled down, they ate in silence for a time. Unsurprisingly, they finished first. They settled back in their chairs, just watching her and sipping their juice in silence.

After a minute, she sighed, setting the remains of her sandwich on the plate and settling back in her chair, eyeing them. "Ok, what is it? Or are you just practicing to be house elves?" She asked with a rueful grin.

They gave her little smirks, then glanced at eachother as the smirks faded. "Um..."

"We were just wondering..."

"About that contract..."

She folded her arms across her chest, watching them both carefully. "Yes...?"

They looked at eachother, then back over at her. "You..."

"You wouldn't really _keep_ them from us..."

"Would you?"

"Because we just found out..."

"And we were a bit thrown..."

"At first!"

"But now that we know..."

"We can't just _not be there!"_

"Because that would just _kill_ us..."

"And then there's _mum_...."

"She'd go absolutely _nutters!_"

Kulia chuckled, holding up her hand to stop their tirade before they gained too much steam. They fell silent, watching her pensively. "Do you have any idea how rare identical twin Snow Elves are? Even halfblooded ones?"

They looked at eachother, then back at her, shaking their heads in perfect unison.

"It's been over five centuries since the last recorded twins... and those were only a quarter blood. Twin elves are the only thing that any of my kind would consider anywhere near sacred. My species are extremely old and extremely powerful... but twins are a whole different level... working together, they amplify eachother, increasing their powers far beyond what should be possible.Having twins is something I've always wanted more than _anything_... but the odds of it happening naturally are laughable... so I've worked on finding a way to accomplish it all my life. About twenty years ago, I finally found a way I was relatively certain would work... but it required something that is exceedingly rare, even among humans... something I've been searching for these past twenty years... very special _twins_... twins that are identical all the way to their soul..."

Their eyes widened. "So you're saying..."

"That we have twin souls?"

She laughed, "Did you ever have any doubt?"

They smirked at eachother.

"The spell I worked allowed a single egg to be fertilized by _both_ of you... making it almost certain that it would split and form identical twins."

"Both?"

"With them being identical..."

"We figured it was one of us..."

"But we didn't ask which..."

"Because we really didn't want to know..."

"But _both_..." They beamed at eachother, obviously thrilled by the idea. Then they sobered a bit.

"And the contract?"

She smiled at them. "I would think that jackass made it abundantly clear why I had you sign that."

"So we can see them?"

"You won't keep them from us?"

She chuckled. "You really think I could handle _your_ children alone? Especially if they turn out even half as talented as I have no doubt they'll be?"

They both relaxed visibly.

"Besides..." She said with a smirk. "My kind are only fertile about once every three years... I managed to put my reproductive cycle into stasis with spells so as soon as I found my twins, I could release the spells and be fertile immediately... but that hasn't delayed my eventual loss of fertility... and I only have about another fifty years or so of prime breeding time left... you think I want to waste that looking for _another_ set of twins just because I got over possessive? I probably wouldn't have even found you two on my own... I mean I don't usually go nosing around the children of Ministry personnel... but thanks to Draco, I've finally found some good breeding stock... and I have no intention of letting you get away that easily..." She said, smirking at them mischievously.

They stared at her wide-eyed. "Breeding stock?"

"What does that mean?"

She chuckled. "Don't worry... I mean we've practically just met, and you're just boys... you've barely begun to explore sex and relationships... I'm not going to try to pin you down... So give me a little help raising the most likely overly mischievous tikes, and give me a nice little interlude like we had before every three years until I've decided to call it quits and I'll be happy... anything more than that would be nice, but I'm not going to insist upon it... I'll leave that up to your discretion."

They looked at eachother for a moment, then smirked, looking back at her. "After long and careful deliberation..." Fred began with mock seriousness.

"We've come to the conclusion that..."

"We can handle that..." they finished in unison.

----------------

Ron finished casting the cleansing spells on Blaise and himself, leaving them once more clean and sweat free. He sighed contentedly as he tossed his wand back on the bedside table. Blaise rolled up to him, slipping his arms around him. Ron cuddled up to him, enjoying the feel of his warm flesh pressed against him.

Blaise nuzzled up to him, then gave him a lingering kiss. Ron parted his lips and their tongues eagerly explored eachother. Blaise ran his hand slowly down Ron's back, letting it come to rest on his bum. As the snogging deepened, he pulled Ron a bit closer, pressing his hips up against him.

Ron broke the kiss with a little chuckle, glancing down. "Bloody Hell... just what did they _give_ you?!?"

Blaise blushed, pulling back some. "Sorry..."

Ron grinned, pulling him back over. "I'm just beginning to see what Snape meant about him being more worried about _us_..." He said, grinning over at Pansy, who had already fallen into an exhausted sleep on the other side of the bed.

Blaise looked over at her with concern. "She's ok...?" He said worriedly.

Ron let out a laugh. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

Blaise seemed to relax some, looking back over at Ron. He snuggled up again. "Don't suppose you could shag me again...?" he said with a hopeful smirk.

Ron groaned and rolled onto his back. "It hasn't even been two minutes! Not to mention I've never shagged this much in one day... If I don't give my choicer bits a rest they're going to get worn off!"

Blaise sighed and nodded.

Ron looked over at him. He hated to see that dejected look on his face. "You know, you could always shag _me_..."

Blaise sighed deeper, sitting up and folding his legs tailor fashion. He pulled one of the pillows over and covered himself with it, hugging it to him and shaking his head sadly.

Ron sat up, studying him worriedly. "Why not?"

Blaise dropped his eyes. "I don't want to hurt you..." He said softly.

"What makes you think you would?"

Blaise let out a little frustrated sound. "I wouldn't _want_ to, but I _would_... The potion they used to cure me... he told you it was too strong..."

Ron nodded, "Ya..."

"Well, it was _far_ too strong... and three entire doses..." He shook his head. "Snape says with luck it will pass out of my system in time... but for now..." He sighed again. "I cracked four of Draco's ribs just hugging him... and I wasn't even halfway recovered at that point! I mean they fixed him right up and he's fine now... and... well he just found it kind of funny... _afterwards_ of course... but I... I just don't want to risk it... I mean come on! How much strict control can you keep over your body when you're shagging someone? I couldn't bear it if I hurt one of you..."

"You shagged Pansy..." Ron said, confused.

Blaise shook his head. "I let _her_ shag _me_... and even while worried about the babies it was hard to restrain myself... if I'd been on top I have no doubt I would have done damage..."

"Oh..." Ron said softly. He looked over at Blaise and sighed. It seemed almost cruel that he finally had this boy that he loved so much right there at his side, healthy, aroused and ready and yet was unable to fulfill his desires. After another moment of thought, he reached over, pulling the pillow away and putting his hand on Blaise's chest, pushing him back down the bed.

Blaise looked at him questioning, but let himself be pushed back, settling down on the bed. Ron shifted over, smiling down at him, then slipping closer and kissing him deeply. Blaise closed his eyes, returning the kiss unhesitatingly. After a few moments, Ron broke the kiss, shifting over and kissing and licking his way slowly down the side of Blaise's neck. Blaise let out a groan and shivered as Ron's hand drifted down and started caressing him.

Ron slowly worked his way down Blaise's chest. Blaise shivered and chuckled as Ron probed his bellybutton with his tongue playfully. Ron looked up at him, smirking. "Just keep in mind... this is my first bash at this..."

"Ron... you really don't have to..." Blaise trailed off, letting out a moan as Ron ignored him, starting in on him.

Blaise let his eyes drift shut, running his fingers through Ron's hair lovingly. It was easy to tell he was inexperienced, but just the fact that it was Ron made all the difference. He smirked as he felt him trying something he had done to him that first time in the alcove. He opened his eyes, looking down and just watching him for several long minutes as his pleasure slowly escalated.

He groaned and quickly pulled his hand away from Ron as Ron hit a particularly sensitive area. Ron heard and shifted his focus. In moments, Blaise was panting and groaning, grabbing fistfuls of the blankets under him to keep from grabbing Ron as he bucked his hips up.

Ron did an admirable job of not being thrown by his movements, keeping up his onslaught without pause. Blaise hazarded a look down again. Their eyes met and it sent a jolt through him. He bucked up again, calling out as he peaked.

As Blaise came back down, panting for breath, he looked down. Ron was sitting beside him, looking at him with a smirk. "Is it always that sudden?" He asked with a chuckle.

Blaise grinned. "You learn to anticipate it..."

Ron grinned, slipping down beside him and cuddling up to him. "Guess I need practice..."

Blaise chuckled, "You can practice on me anytime..." His smile slipped away and he sighed as he lifted his hand. There was a large chunk of raggedly torn cloth in his hand, little feathers fluttering down from it. "Bloody hell... I think I got the mattress too..."

----------------

Delse looked at the lush grass that was so dense it nearly hid her feet, then her eyes drifted up. She looked over the thick tree trunks and wildly sprawling vines that draped down from them. She reached out, touching a tree trunk, looking up and searching the thick foliage above, noting surprising glimpses of what appeared to be sunshine.

"Pretty amazing, isn't it?" Snape said, coming up behind her.

She started slightly, then smiled over at him before looking back. "Yes... I've never seen it's like..." She said, smirking as she saw a little waterfall gurgling out of a nearby rock outcropping to form a little pool no bigger than a puddle below.

"The Twins' work mostly. They had quite a spectacular swamp going in one of the hallways last year... I believe Professor Flitwick left a bit of it as a sort of tribute to their splendid accomplishment actually... the spellwork was just too impressive to obliterate entirely... With a little help from Firenze, they were able to alter it into a somewhat dryer environment... I must admit, they have real talent..."

She smiled and nodded, "I've heard... but this... this is truly magnificent... I really must see about having them do up part of the manor." She said with a smirk, then sobered slightly, "Do you think it will hold him?"

"Well, it should keep it weak and unable to draw surrounding power at the very least... as for holding it, it is trapped in a physical body, and physical bodies we can contain without too much bother, even ones as strong as that. The entrance has already been warded. Once it enters, it will not be able to exit again without special spells being cast from the other side. We, on the other hand, can pass freely. Not that I'd suggest it once Hagrid gets here with the creature... As it demonstrated with Darien, it is still able to snatch souls, even when contained."

Delse sighed, looking pained. "Harry did what he did so Fudge would have to cure Blaise..."

Snape sighed, "Why would he be so concerned about Blaise? He just did it because his over developed Hero complex kicked in."

Delse just dropped her eyes. He could believe what he wanted, but she knew to truth. She could still see the pained look in his eyes when she'd told him she needed to be alone. Now both Draco and Blaise were whole and well... and yet she couldn't help but feel guilty, feeling like Harry's fate was entirely her doing.

They looked over as they heard someone at the entrance. Delse bit her lip pensively as Hagrid entered, holding the strange green cocoon ahead of him and having to crouch down a bit and move sideways to fit through the average sized entrance. He shifted the cocoon around carefully once he was in, carrying it over and laying it down gingerly in the middle of the small 'clearing'.

Snape went over, checking the binding spell. Hagrid was sniffling, fat tears trailing down into his bushy beard.

Snape sighed, rising. "It's not _him_, Hagrid." He said sadly.

Hagrid nodded, but the tears didn't stop.

Snape sighed, "You should go back and... check on the Thestrals." He said, grasping for a reason for him to leave, knowing the Thestrals didn't really need looking after. The only one that had been hurt had already been healed.

Hagrid gave another nod, eager for something to do to keep him from thinking about Harry's body laying there, bound and possessed by a demon. He went back to the entrance, giving the cocoon one last mournful look before squeezing back out.

Delse couldn't help but go over, peering down at the innocuous looking bundle of vines. It let out a low growl and thrashed.

Snape put a hand on her shoulder. "We should leave. The vines have been separated from their native earth and are losing power as we speak. It could break free at any time."

She sighed and nodded, letting him lead her out. They stood outside the arch, watching in silence.

It took less thanfive minutes for 'Harry' to fight his way out of the vines, rising a bit unsteadily from the strewn about remains. He looked around, growling in irritation at the burgeoning nature surrounding him. He spotted the entrance and made a run for it. Delse took an involuntary step back, but Snape didn't even flinch as the demon hit the barrier. The demon fell back, looking as if it had run headlong into a solid wall.

He got up, shaking his head to clear it. He approached the barrier a bit more cautiously, reaching out and touching it. He growled in irritation, his eyes flashing crimson. Long, shadowy talons emerged from his fingertips. He tried to use them to claw his way through, but the barrier just sparked, obviously sending some kind of jot back through the claws. He snatched his hand away, the talons vanishing as he shook the hand.

He glared at Snape through the invisible barrier. "Let me out." It growled with inhuman fury.

"No." Snape said evenly. "You will remain here until we are ready for you. Now be a good little demon and do as your told."

The demon slammed his fist against the barrier, but accomplished nothing more than hurting his own hand. He glared at Snape with undisguised loathing. Then his eyes flicked past, noting Delse. "Well... why don't I just tell everyone about our last little meeting then?" He asked with an evil grin.

"I really don't care if you do." Snape said with a shrug, "This is your situation. There will be no negotiation. Deal with it."

"Fine." He snarled. He smirked over at Delse. "You know he's fucking a sixteen year old? One of his students no less?"

Delse blinked, then shrugged. "His sex life is really none of my business, now is it?"

He looked at her, shocked, "Don't any of you people have any morals? Bloody hell!" He growled, storming around and kicking a large toadstool, making little bits of it fly everywhere as spores swirled out like smoke.

Snape was looking over at Delse, a bit surprised by her reaction as well.

They both looked over in amusement as the Demon sneezed. He staggered slightly and sneezed again. "Bloody hell (sneeze)... Stupid bloody bodies (sneeze)..." He said, moving away from the settling spores. He wiped his nose on his sleeve and glared at them. "You might have warned me he's allergic to those bloody things!"

Snape smirked. "Would you have listened?"

The demon glared at him murderously, still sniffling slightly. He looked them over, his posture easing a bit. "Fine... we play nice then. So are you going to fix up this bloody body already?" He said, half irritated, half petulant.

"The body should survive long enough. We will heal it later." Snape said evenly.

Delse looked at him, then back over, noting the amount of blood staining Harry's mangled clothing.

The demon caught the glance and looked her over calculatingly. He slumped against the side of the entrance arch. "My powers are the only thing keeping this body moving... I'm afraid the wounds are pretty grievous... You won't let him kill this body, will you m'lady?" He said, slipping into a soft, imploring voice. "He's known for overestimating his skills... by the time they are done, there would be nothing left but a corpse... no chance of getting poor Harry back then..."

"Oh stop it." Snape growled.

"I don't believe I was talking to you, Snape..." The demon hissed at him irritably.

Snape rolled his eyes and looked over at Delse, "It just wants to get you in there so it'll have a hostage. Or perhaps it'd kill you outright just for spite!"

It glared at him. "You think I want to animate a corpse? You know how _repulsive_ that is? Besides..." He said, looking back over at Delse and giving her a little smile, "How could I hurt such a lovely lady?"

"Oh please! You'd gut her in a second if you thought it would benefit you!"

"Snape..." Delse said, putting a hand on his arm restrainingly. "What if this takes longer than expected? He does look badly injured..."

"Dying as we speak." The demon sighed sadly, giving her another imploring look.

Snape glared at him. "The only way you could safely look after him would be if the demon were to swear an oath not to harm you."

The demon eyed Delse speculatively. "I might be willing..."

They both looked a it in surprise. Then Delse looked over at Snape. Snape glared at the Demon, then looked over at her. "You'd be taking your life into your own hands... it can't break an oath, but if it finds a way around it..."

She nodded thoughtfully, then eyed the demon. "Very well. Here is the oath, then... I will heal the physical wounds of that body, within the limits of my abilities, and in exchange, you will not harm me, _or_ my loved ones in _any_ way... not in body, mind or soul. And all of our souls belong in our bodies, and _in control_ of our bodies, and you will not cause them to be otherwise!"

He rolled his eyes. "Asking an awful lot for a simple healing, aren't you?"

She smiled. "That's the deal. Will you swear the oath, or do I trust that there will be time to heal him later?"

He glared at her for a long moment, then sighed, "Fine. This isn't exactly comfortable."

She narrowed her eyes, "Say the words, demon."

He rolled his eyes, "Fine..." He said, reciting in a bored voice, "I hereby solemnly swear that I will not harm you _or_ your loved ones in _any_ way... not in body, mind or soul. And all of your souls belong in your bodies, and in control of your bodies, and I will not cause them to be otherwise. In exchange you will heal the physical wounds of this body within the limits of your abilities. You have my oath, now get to healing already!"

Delse glanced at Snape. He sighed and shrugged. "It should be binding... if not, I'll just have to have Hagrid rip his limbs off so he can't do any more harm..."

Delse gave him a little smirk while the demon glared at him. "Well, we'll see..." She said, taking a deep breath and passing through the barrier.

The demon smirked at her, looking her over in an entirely indecent manner. "Molesting is considered harming." She said with a smirk.

He chuckled. "Only if you say _no_..."

"I don't shag demons."

"Oh I think I could change your mind..." he said suggestively.

"Perhaps we should get you fixed up?" She suggested with a smirk.

He grinned. "But of course..." He said, doffing his robe, and then stripping off his shirt, wincing slightly where the dried blood pulled on his wounds. As he dropped the heavily soiled garment, a smile broke over his face. He gave a chuckle, examining the thin scars running up his forearms. "Guess I haven't lost my touch after all!" He said gloatingly.

She glared at him, but went to work healing the claw marks Tiger had left on his chest. "You know..." She said conversationally once she had the first several sets of claw marks healed up, "Dumbledore and Snape... Oblique... Kulia... the Weasleys and all the Slytherins... they have all been so very supportive of me and Blaise during his very nearly fatal brush with that little curse you hit him with..."

He smirked. "I don't do things by halves."

"I can see that." She said, nodding. Then she went on. "But really... it's meant a great deal to me... and I _love_ them all so much for all of the caring and support they've shown us..."

His eyes darted up and narrowed. "You can't just make sweeping statements like that! You can't possibly expect me to leave an entire house be on one oath alone!"

She smiled up at him. "I can list them off by name if you really want to take the time."

The demon seethed, his eyes glowing red as he glared at her, then his eyes darted over to Snape, who was barely stifling a little chuckle. "Forget it! Leave him to rot then! Get out!"

She looked up from her work and smiled. "The oath said physical wounds... meaning only more than one wound. I don't have to finish to fulfill my part... I've already healed nearly a dozen wounds, thus sealing the oath. You're stuck with it, so you might as well let me finish."

He let out a growl, glaring at her, but let her continue.

She healed the deep bite on his shoulder, then started working on the puncture wounds on his neck, having to move much closer to get at it through the fine mesh of the binding device. "You know..." She said musingly, "There _is_ someone else..."

He rolled his eyes, "Don't tell me, you've decided you love the entire wizarding community!" He growled sarcastically.

She looked thoughtful. "No... I could never say that in all honesty... there are a number of them I wouldn't mindwatching you reduce into a bloody mess on the floor..."

He grinned, "Now _that_ I could do... no oath required..."

She grinned, "I have no doubt... but you see... there is at least _one_ more I'd have to say I _do_ love..."

He rolled his eyes, sighing, "Who?" He asked in an irritable voice.

She shifted a bit closer, whispering softly in his ear, "Harry..."

He jerked away from her. "No fucking way!" He growled. "You can't possibly love that little prat! You only just arrived! You can't have had time to even get to know him!"

She grinned, moving closer, "You didn't notice how few of his scars remain? That was my doing..." She moved closer still, until she was peering up at him, bare inches from him. "You could say I got to know him very... _very_ well..." she said softly.

His eyes shot wide, "He shagged someone _without me_!?! Why that little bastard!" He seethed.

"I believe there was something in that oath about my loved ones' souls staying in their bodies, and _in control_ of their bodies, and you not making it otherwise..." She said, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

He glared at her, looking like restraining himself from ripping her apart was taking all of his will. "Fine." He spat at last. "You want him? Take him!"

There was a flicker in his eyes and he suddenly let out a cry of agony, crumpling to the ground.

She dropped to her knees beside him. She gingerly turned him over, looking down into his face. He looked up at her, his eyes full of pain as his cheeks darkened with fever.

"Harry!" She said in relief.

He looked around, his breath panting in his chest. "Where am I? What happened?" he asked dazedly. He let out another cry of pain as he tried to shift over.

"Tell me where it hurts." She said, her heart aching at his obvious anguish.

---

She worked on him for a good twenty minutes. The stab wound in the leg that he had given himself had already become infected and was the most likely source of the fever that was running through him. He just lay there limply, only moving when instructed to. The aurors had only managed to inflict a few small nicks on his arms and legs, and he had other minor wounds, but the strike from the Thestral Stallion had caused the most grievous damage. Though only two of his talons had penetrated Harry's cloak, they had dug deep. Even the ones that didn't make it through had left deep bruising and cracked several of his ribs. Another few inches over and the blow might have broken his back.

She looked up as she heard someone nearby. Snape knelt by her side, handing her a blanket and a couple of potion bottles. "This should help..." He said softly. He peered down at Harry, who had dozed off while she finished casting cleansing spells on him to remove the grime and blood that had covered him. "I suppose _he_ was the reason you found the demon's declaration somewhat less than scandalous..."

She smiled at him softly. "I already knew about Hermione."

His dark eyes darted over to her.

Her smile widened. "My son could see through walls, Snape. You were in her room the other night when I wanted to talk to you, he told me where you were... he thought it was your room... he said it's the only other place you usually went other than the Potions lab. Said you spent most of your time there..."

He dropped his eyes, his pale cheeks coloring slightly.

"I wish I had known her before... I'm afraid I can't say I love someone who I am not related to and have never even _met_. To lie would weaken the oath... maybe even break it entirely... I'm not totally naive in these matters..."

"Obviously..." He said with a little smirk. "I guess I should be grateful you included me in your little lovefest." He said with a smirk.

She blushed and grinned. "Oh you would have been in there at any rate... you've been a beloved family friend for many years after all..."

He smirked. "I didn't think your late husband was a big fan..."

She grinned. "Never said he was, but Blaise and I have always cared for you... I always knew there was something about you that was good and decent... not something I usually saw in his 'associates'."

"Well, I'm certainly glad you didn't spread _that_ around!" He said with a smirk.

She smiled, then looked down at Harry, opening up the blanket and spreading it over him. "I'd like to stay with him..."

Snape looked down at Harry with trepidation. "I don't know... I mean sooner or later, it's going to figure out a loophole..."

She gave him a little smile. "I'll take the risk."

He sighed and rose. "Very well. I just hope you don't regret it..." He said, handing her Harry's glasses.

------------------

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" Ginny whispered.

Draco grinned, "They won't need us to start getting ready for a while..." He said softly, taking her hand and leading her down the dark passage, "Besides, that thing is _in here_ now, so outside is really safer if you think about it..." he said with a smirk.

"Shouldn't I at least change clothes? I mean this is hardly the proper attire..." She said, glancing down at her plaid skirt. It went down past her knees, being a school uniform skirt, and she managed to grab her winter cloak as he had slipped them out of the Dungeon, but overall it was hardly great winter attire. "Not to mention that there are still Aurors around..." she added worriedly.

He let out a little chuckle, pausing and pulling something out of his robe pocket. "I'll keep you warm... and don't worry, no one is going to see up your skirt... One for you..." He said, handing the little bundle of fine cloth to her, "And one for me..." He said, pulling out a second.

"Invisibility cloaks? How ever did you get _two_?" She asked, unfolding it and examining the fine material with surprise.

"Well... you could say one of them is on loan from Potter." He said with a smirk. "Come on..." He slipped the cloak over himself and she did the same. Much to her surprise, she could see him as well. He grinned. "Well that's an unexpected benefit..."

He pressed his hand to the cold stone wall and stood back as it ground open. He then grabbed up her hand and led her out. As soon as they had cleared the foliage, he mounted his broom and she slipped on in front of him, trying to get her skirt to cover as much of her legs as possible. "But it's too early for the Thestrals... the sun isn't even down yet... we won't have time to fly with them before they start wondering where we are..."

He held her tight and pushed off, launching them into the air. "Oh we'll manage to find _something_ to do..." He said mirthfully.

She giggled, leaning back against him as they flew up over the castle. She felt a trill as he swung over, heading for Gryffindor Tower. He took them up high to keep any telltale glimpses that the cloaks might reveal out of sight from the tower, then circled down once he was over it. She felt a flutter in her chest as he coasted them into the owlry. As soon as they passed the window sill, the wind cut off as warmth surrounded them, proving the Sanctuary spell was still in place.

"Why are we here?" She asked, pulling off her invisibility cloak, her cheeks warming as she remembered her first time with him.

"Why not? It's warm and it has a great view." He said nonchalantly, tossing aside his own cloak and grabbing up a couple of the blankets that the house elves had obviously recently cleaned. He unfolded them and carefully arranged them on the floor, then sat down and patted the blanket beside him. She sat, looking over at him curiously. He settled back against the column behind him, then at his urging, she leaned against him as he wrapped his arm around her.

Still not sure what this was all about, she followed his gaze as he stared out the window opposite. A smile sprang to her lips. Directly before them, the sun had started to set, filling the sky with a breathtaking array of colors. She snuggled up against him happily. Watching the sunset together wasn't something she had expected from him. It just seemed too... _passive_ for him... but for some reason at the moment it seemed perfect.

As the sun sank lower, the skyline became exquisitely beautiful. She had seen the sunset before, but she couldn't help thinking that it had never been so amazing.

"It's gorgeous..." She breathed, cuddling closer.

He grinned, "It's nothing compared to you..." he said softly.

She looked up and smiled at him, the sincerity in his multi-colored eyes making her blush.

"There... something I've been meaning to ask you..." He said a bit hesitantly.

She blinked in surprise, "Really? What?" He wasn't the type that held back his questions, and she couldn't imagine what would make him look so... well almost _timid_.

She shifted off him when he indicated he needed up. He moved over, pulling back the blanket a bit and pressing his palm to the very center stone. "This has been a very, _very_ long time in coming..." He said as she stared at the stone. It was shimmering and melting away. He reached in and pulled out a little wooden box. He took a deep breath and opened it. Her eyes went round as he reached out and took her hand, slipping the most astounding ring she had ever seen on her finger. She stared at it wide-eyed as it glittered and seemed to almost glow in the last rays of light.

"Ginevra Weasley... will you marry me?" he asked her softly.

She was having a hard time breathing as she looked from the ring to him and back again, her head spinning. When she got over her initial shock, she let out a laugh, launching herself at him and knocking him flat. She held him, kissing him passionately for several long moments before he was able to break for air.

"Can I take that as a yes?" He asked mirthfully between gasps.

She laughed again, "YES! Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes Yes..." She said, punctuating each with another kiss. She glanced over in surprise and shifted up, staring as her ring suddenly glowed, then her eyes were drawn over, seeing a matching band glimmer into being on Draco's ring finger. She beamed down at him. She couldn't remember ever being so happy. She let out a laugh of pure joy, feeling absolutely giddy, "Was there really ever any doubt?"

"About us? Never in _my_ mind... or... minds rather..." He said with a smirk.

She beamed, then gave a little laugh. "If you told me a couple of weeks ago that I would be a Malfoy someday..." She said, shaking her head.

He chuckled. "Hey, if my bloody father hadn't made numerous explicit clauses in my inheritance barring it, I'd change the name in a heartbeat..." He smirked, "Hmm... Draco Weasley..." he said with mock consideration.

He laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes, "Doesn't exactly have the same ring to it..."

He grinned, "Father would spontaneously combust!" He thought about that for a moment. "Hmm... that might just be worth it..." He said, grinning wickedly.

She giggled, then draped herself down on top of him again, nuzzling up to him. "We'll stick to Malfoy... I don't think I could think of you any other way..." Her eyes glinted mischievously, "Unless of course you wanted to change your name to _Ferret_..."

He laughed and rolled them over, pinning her down, "Who you calling ferret, weasel girl?"

She giggled and tried to wriggle free, bucking up against him to try to dislodge him. He shivered and shut his eyes. "Do that again..." he said in a low voice.

She grinned and pushed her hips up against him again, feeling something firm press against her through his clothing.

He let out a little groan, settling down on top of her and kissing her passionately. When he broke the kiss he smirked, "I don't see any stuffy old healers around..." He said, nuzzling up to her and making her shiver.

She ran her fingers through his hair, "We should really get back before anyone notices us missing..."

He let out a little sigh of frustration.

She giggled, "So I guess it was a good thing I wore the skirt after all..."

He grinned, shifting up and quickly working her knickers off. She shifted up while he was unfastening his pants. He let her take over with a smirk, watching as she slipped them and his boxers down, freeing him from their confines. She smirked, feeling him shiver when she caressed him.

"Lay down." She said with a mischievous smirk.

A brilliant smile slipped across his lips as he complied, settling back down on the blankets. She grinned, crawling over and straddling him, carefully keeping her skirt out of the way. She didn't waste time teasing him. She shifted into position and immediately thrust down, impaling herself with a groan. He seized her hips, thrusting up to try to bury himself deeper, making her let out a cry of pleasure. She started moving and they quickly fell into a rhythm, her dropping down onto him just as he thrust up. Their bodies seemed to instinctively fall into perfect sync, as if they were of one mind.

After a few minutes, Draco slipped one hand off her hip and reached down, pulling her skirt out of the way. His wildly swirling eyes stared in fascination, watching their bodies merging in the fading light. Ginny watched him, his rapt expression sending a twinge through her body. He felt it and groaned, speeding up as he let his head drift back. Then their eyes locked. They just stared into eachothers eyes as their bodies clashed. Just a few moments of that and they both cried out, peaking in perfect unison.

After a moment, Ginny shifted forward, bracing herself with her hands as her body trembled, still feeling fluttering echoes of pleasure shuddering through her. He reached up, pulling her down to rest on top of him. "I love you..." She sighed.

He reached up, shifting her head around to face him. He smiled at her, and it was a warm, sincere smile. "I love you too... always have and always will..." He stroked his hand down her cheek. "You may not be my first... but you'll be the last." he said softly, then leaned over and kissed her deeply.

-------------------

A/N - Yes, I did mean Crouch in the last note. They both start with "Cr", so give me a break. I _did_ mention I was really tired ;) At any rate, I know the spell Kulia used is probably not genetically sound, but it's _MAGIC_, so who cares? ;) If it isn't readily apparent, Harry is being kept in a room in the Siege tunnel that had been altered with magic to give every appearance of being in the middle of the forest... much like Firenze (the centaur that saved Harry from Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest in his first year, and became the Divination teacher that took over for Trelawney in OOTP) did for his classroom. I imagine his room took a bit more time though, and Fred & George have such keen spells it just made more sense that it was them who did the little 'makeover'.

I trust the mention of Snape spending time at Hermione's side was enough update on those two... cause frankly, actually writting abouthim just sit there at her side (cause she ain't goin nowhere at the moment) struck me as rather boring. As for the ring, no Draco didn't go out shopping. It was the one Darien had gotten for Ginevra over a hundred years before. Where else would he have put it but in their owlry?

As for the delay... my son got sick... like worshipping to porcelain god sick... and then, as soon as he was getting better the inevitable happened and _I_ got wretchedly sick... I even had to miss Thanksgiving because I didn't want to get everyone _else_ sick! Had to send my boy along with my sister so he didn't have to miss out... Spent the holiday just being miserable, not feeling like doing much of anything... and I'm _still_ not feeling entirely back to rights, so chill! It's not like I can write you all a little note to tell you why I'm not posting... they were very clear on that being a no no in the rules. And then of course when I DID try to post there was that block on posting! So hey, don't blame me for THAT part!!! :P


	46. Chapter 46

A/N - Adult stuff. Like _now_. If you want to skip it, just drop down after the first break (----).

Chapter 46

Delse came awake as she felt something tug at her ankle. She propped herself up, blinking and trying to get oriented in the darkness. Night had fallen in the 'forest' and nothing but pale slivers of moonlight fell through the breaks in the foliage. She could see Harry tossing something aside and she suddenly realized she was all but unclothed. The tugging she had felt had been her knickers, and her shirt lay wide open in front.

"What are you...?" She started.

He quickly moved up, putting his finger on her lips. "Shh... I'm sure they have someone outside..." He said settling down at her side and caressing her breast, then letting his hand slide down her warm flesh. "We might never get another chance..." he said softly, shifting over and kissing and licking her breast as his hand slipped between her legs.

She settled back down, letting out an involuntary moan as he slid a finger into her. He switched to the other breast, caressing it gently with his tongue as his fingers sent tremors of pleasure through her. After another minute of that he let up, shifting up and slipping off his skivvies, which were the only garment he had left.

She looked over, gazing longingly at his obvious arousal, but slid her legs together. He saw the movement, then looked down at her, looking hurt. He lay down next to her, cuddling up to her. "Don't you want me?" he asked softly, looking at her imploringly as he moved his hand back down, slipping his fingers between her legs again and gently rubbing her, trying to coax her legs apart.

She sighed, reaching over and running her fingers down his chest. "I can't deny you have the flesh I desire... but... you don't have the soul..."

He sighed and rolled his eyes, "Does it matter?" He said, a bit exasperated, giving up his pretenses and starting to rub her so expertly it made her shudder with pleasure almost immediately. "Leave Harry alone... he needs his sleep..." He said, smiling wickedly. "Besides, I can make you feel so much better than he _ever_ could..."

He pried her legs apart and darted down between them before she could even protest, his tongue immediately making any objections she might have made inarticulate. She arched her back and peaked within seconds, but he didn't let up, settling down on her and taking a firm hold on her hips to keep her from escaping as she thrashed under him.

She couldn't help herself, reaching down and twining her fingers in his hair, pushing his head down as her hips thrust up against him. Minute after minute dragged by, and yet he refused to relent. Tears streamed from her eyes and her breath was a strained panting as he tortured her with exquisite pleasure unlike anything she'd ever felt before.

Finally she felt as if she'd go insane if it didn't end. "Stop!" She managed to gasp. "Please... no more..."

He finally relented, looking up and grinning at her as she went completely limp with relief, just panting and trying to stay conscious. "Think your precious little Potter could do that to you?" He asked mirthfully.

She made no more than a little inarticulate sound.

He chuckled evilly, a triumphant smirk on his face as he slid up her body.

Her hand whipped up, surprising him as she slapped him hard. A flash of fury crossed his face, but then he blinked, looking stunned. He looked around, his eyes going wide. "Wha...?" He said, seeing where he was and quickly realizing what he was just about to do.

Delse chuckled and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him down on top of her. "Welcome back Harry..." She sighed, slowly regaining control of her breathing.

His eyes widened as the demon let the memory of what he'd been doing flood into his mind, chuckling evilly. He let out a pained sound, closing his eyes and resting his head on the soft grass beside hers. "I'm so sorry..." He sighed miserably.

She chuckled. "It's ok Harry... I should have realized it would try something like that... I made it swear an oath to put your soul back in your body and leave you in control... but I didn't specify that it wasn't allowed to use your body when _you_ weren't using it..."

"I nearly raped you..." He said achingly.

"_You_ could never rape me Harry... you can't rape the willing... the demon... well..." She sighed, then shivered as he shifted and she realized how close it had gotten to having it's way with her. Despite the change in who was in charge, his body was still very aroused. "Look at me Harry..."

He sighed and lifted his head, gazing reluctantly down into her eyes. She grinned and tapped his forehead. "Hey demon... I know you're listening... I told you before, I don't shag demons! Harry on the other hand..." She said with a smirk, trailing her fingers down the side of his face, making him smile, "Him I'll shag... but I know his touch... you lay one talon on me again and I'll cast an impotence spell on him until we get you two separated. Understand?"

Harry smirked ruefully. "It's pretty pissed off... but it wants me to tell you something..." He looked as if he were listening to something, then blushed and cleared his throat uneasily, "Um..." He sighed and rolled his eyes, the demon obviously prodding him, "Ok, ok... It says 'get on with the shagging then'..." He said, obviously mortified.

She giggled and leaned up, kissing him. He sighed, settling down on top of her and kissing her back passionately. He hadn't really expected to survive being possessed... and never being with her again was one of the things he had regretted most when he had made the decision. He didn't really want the demon in his head while he was with her, but what it had told her before rang true, despite who had said it... this might truly be their last chance... not to mention he was already laying on top of her, naked and achingly aroused...

She shifted her legs up and he felt himself slide into position. He groaned, plunging into her. Her body was extremely hot and _very_ well lubricated after the demon's earlier attentions. She clutched him to her as he started thrusting into her. As many times as the demon had made her peak already, the feel of him moving inside her sent nearly unbearable pleasure flooding through her. She bit her lip, thrusting up to meet him.

After a minute, he let out a frustrated sigh. "Will you shut up already? I don't need pointers!" He muttered.

She giggled.

After another moment, he slowed. "Really?" He said, looking down at her speculatively. He paused, shifting down a bit, grabbing one of her legs and pulling it up some. He thrust back into her and she cried out, arching up against him. He grinned and started moving again, making her cry out in pleasure with every thrust. He let out a groan and closed his eyes, driving into her.

In no time at all she let out a cry so loud he could hear it echoing back from the corridor outside the arch, her body clamping down on him and bucking up against him. He moaned, thrusting into her hard a couple more times before ramming himself in as deep as he could, shuddering as he came with a deep grunt.

As they started to come back down he settled down on her, kissing her neck. She panted for breath, her arms holding him to her tightly as she nuzzled up against him.

He lifted his head some and sighed, rolling his eyes, "Yes, yes... we're both very impressed..." He muttered, "Now bottle it!"

------------------------

Blaise let out a sigh, stroking his hand down Ron's back lovingly. He had finally given in to exhaustion and fallen asleep. Blaise leaned over and kissed his cheek, making him smile in his sleep. He grabbed up one of the blankets, carefully draping it over Ron to keep him warm. He glanced over at Pansy. She was still asleep.

He crawled down to the foot of the bed and settled down, gazing over them as they slept. The mere sight of them made his heart sing and ache with longing at the same time. It was strange to think that only weeks ago he had never even really looked at Ron twice... and Pansy... well it was true, he had loved her for a while now... but they had never really seemed to click completely before. It was as if he loved her more with Ron there than he could ever have without. He knew it was odd... but then again most people would probably think their whole relationship was odd.

Try as he might, he couldn't keep his mind from wandering to what the future held for them. Even in the Wizarding community, nontraditional pairings were rather uncommon. Sure you saw the occasional mixed marriage... human witches and wizards matched up with some of the more humanoid magical beings like vampires, werewolves, Veelas and the like... but even that was rare. As for more than two people in a relationship... he didn't recall ever seeing it. At least not publicly acknowledged.

As far as same sex couples... well it was pretty commonly known that it happens, but it was mostly thought of as some kind of fleeting, eccentric distraction... not even thought of by most as a _real_ relationship. In fact, as far as the archaic Ministry was concerned, it wasn't even _infidelity_ when a married witch or wizard had such a relationship on the side. They clearly defined infidelity as a relationship with someone with whom a pregnancy could possibly occur. If someone caught their spouse engaging in such activities it was considered a domestic concern, and they could not be held legally accountable for it (such as in a divorce). Same sex couples getting _serious_, and actually letting it be known to society at large... well that was much rarer than even mixed species couples. Most witches and wizards would rather admit to shagging a mountain troll than being benders.

Blaise sighed. He couldn't imagine being without either of them... and yet he knew they were going to catch a lot of flack from 'Society'. Especially considering his family's, and therefor now _his_, wealth and social standing. It was stupid, and it was prudish... but it's just the way it was. He hated the thought of exposing his two most cherished people to such ridicule, and yet he couldn't bear the thought of trying to pretend they weren't together... and what was to happen when the babies came? Same sex marriages weren't even legal according to the Ministry of Magic, let alone three person marriages, and he couldn't bear the thought of just one of them marrying Pansy. Even if it was just on paper, it would feel too much like a barrier in their relationship.

They had discussed it some earlier... well, between the snogging and shagging of course, and had pretty much decided that they didn't need Ministry permission and a stupid piece of paper to live their lives the way they wanted to... Of course he planned on trying to use his family's political ties to get legislation pushed through, but it was unlikely to get far. He still had the hope that the _next_ Minister of Magic might not be a complete horse's arse.

He tried not to dwell on it, but it wasn't as if he had much else to do while waiting for them to come get him for the ceremony. He was nowhere near worn out, but then he hadn't really expected to be. According to Snape, he'd be lucky if he could get to sleep by the end of the week! Pansy and Ron, on the other hand, were both in great need of rest at the moment, and he found himself, surprisingly, reluctant to seek out other partners to keep himself occupied. He attributed it to the fact that he still feared for the health of anyone he tried to get intimate with right now... it meant he couldn't really do any shagging himself and, well, he didn't really want to let any other boys shag _him_. Ron was the only one he had ever been with like that, and he found he was content to keep it that way.

He was certainly going to have to find some way to work around this irritating extra strength he had... he certainly couldn't just wait until it had subsided to shag properly again, but the blankets and mattress had already been spelled back together so many times he began to worry the spells might eventually lose full effect. And he _definitely_ didn't want to risk hurting Pansy. Not that he would be ok with hurting Ron, but Pansy had the babies... and they seemed so very fragile... he gazed at her stomach, sighing happily. He never thought he would ever have children... and yet he had become enamored of the idea surprisingly fast. It was hard not to fall in love with the idea of two little lives they had created together. Those two tiny little twinkles of light that had shown through, bringing him such comfort when he was so close to death. If he had passed... it would have been in peace. Even with as guilty as he had felt over leaving them, it was balanced out by knowing he was leaving something behind... a little piece of himself to comfort and bring joy back into the lives of the loved ones he would leave behind.

He sighed contentedly, gazing at them lovingly as a great warmth suffused him. He straightened a bit, then shifted around and slipped off the end of the bed, gathering up his clothes and pulling them on.

He gave Ron and Pansy one last look, then slipped out the door.

-------------

Snape walked down the long dark passage, coming to a stop outside the archway with a chair opposite it. He peered in through the darkness and sighed, spotting Harry and Delse. They were laying there, entwined and snogging. They had a blanket over them, but it was pretty obvious they were without a stitch. It was also blatantly obvious what they'd been up to.

Of course he had already pretty much known what he would find when he arrived. He had wondered why Nicolaus had been so eager to volunteer to take up the watch position. When he had come back into the main part of the Siege tunnel, he had suggested to Snape that he might want to take the next watch. If his smirk as he made the suggestion weren't enough of a hint, the way he hurried off, grabbing a surprised fourth year boy he usually hung out with and dragging him into an unused room would have been a dead giveaway.

Snape snagged up the chair, shifting it over so it didn't have a direct view of the blissfully unaware couple, and settled down. At least there wasn't much longer before the preparations for the ceremony would be able to distract him. Draco had translated all he could for Snape so he could get everything that was needed and such, but the incantations themselves would have to remain in elvish, English being too imprecise to retain the proper power.

He sat there for a time, occupying himself by going over it all in his mind. He scoured his mind for anything else he should do that he was forgetting, or anything he could use to further safeguard his students. It would be tricky...

"You're letting her mess about with Potter while that thing is in him?!?"

Snape started, not having heard anyone approach. He glanced over and sighed as he saw Blaise standing there, no more than a few feet from him. He had obviously inherited his mother's innate stealth. Snape was a bit surprised that Blaise's voice held no surprise, just a hint of worry. He rolled his eyes, looking over towards the archway. "Not as if I could stop her. You know your mother. She has it under an oath, and besides, she's keeping it _entertained_, so I think she should be reasonable safe for now. I should have known you would know about them already..."

Blaise gave a little snort. "Ya... I mean they all but shagged right in front of me... I mean they were across the hall, but that really doesn't matter to me, now does it?"

Snape chuckled. "I suppose not... I'm just surprised you didn't have someone go stop them."

Blaise shook his head. "Na... they were both wretchedly under laid. Besides..." He said, his voice softening as he shrugged his shoulder in resignation, "They resonate..."

"They what?" Snape asked, glancing up at him. He couldn't read his expression, the only source of light in the hallway being a single torch a good twenty feet on the other side of Blaise, turning him into little more than a silhouette.

Blaise shrugged. "That's the best way I can think to describe it... essence, souls or whatever you want to call what I see... it's so hard to describe them... but... they all have their own kind of... well... feel... look... texture... vibration... and yet none of these... when I 'see' them, I'm not really actually _seeing_ them, or hearing them or using any other sense I've ever possessed before. I'm just sensing them in some way entirely different. So... you can see why this is hard to explain without a whole new set of words to describe it, but just trust me when I say that some souls just... _match_... resonate if you will."

Snape studied his silhouette for a moment, but could sense nothing but complete seriousness from him. Not something Blaise usually displayed a lot of. "So they match. Potter and your mother." he said dubiously.

Blaise gave a snort, "Believe me, I wish is was someone... well almost _anyone_ else, but ya. They do."

"Ah..." Snape said, sighing and deciding he'd rather change the subject. He was rather fond of Delse (in a strictly platonic way of course) and he didn't like the thought that she 'matched' Harry, a boy who had been a pain in his side since he set foot on the grounds. "Weasley and Parkinson still intact I hope?" He asked with a smirk.

Blaise gave a little amused sound. "Ya... just worn out."

Snape gave a snort of amusement, "I'm surprised half the House isn't 'worn out' by now."

Blaise sighed, slumping against the wall. "Me too... but then we've still got to do something about this bloody strength. You have no idea how hard it was not to hurt them."

Snape gave a little nod. "We'll work on the problem after the ceremony. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find some way to let you get back to shagging. I know it must be Hell for you." He said with a commiserating smirk.

They fell into silence for a time. Then Snape furrowed his brow, looking at Blaise, "How did you find out Potter's soul was back anyway? I asked Nicolaus not to mention it to anyone. Wouldn't want Fudge finding out and coming up with another 'bright idea' of how we could deal with the demon."

Blaise glanced back down the corridor in the direction of the main tunnel. "Na... Nicolaus didn't say anything, at least not to me. He's still busy shagging his little friend. Can't believe I didn't spot that one..." He said, shaking his head ruefully, "Nicolaus has always been glued to that boy... can't recall his name offhand, but that one I _have_ shagged... he didn't really seem all that into boys though, so I thought perhaps it was just a passing fancy... I always thought those two were just best mates... really must be losing my touch."

Snape smirked. "So how did you know then? About Harry that is." He amended quickly, not wanting to get an in depth description of him walking in on Nicolaus and his little friend or something.

"Oh that..." Blaise said, looking back towards him and dragging his mind back to the subject at hand, "That's actually what I came to talk to you about." He took out his wand and lit it, "Is this normal?"

Snape sprang to his feet, staring at shock at his blank, opalescent eyes. He took his head between his hands, moving it around to examine it in the pale light. "When did this happen?" he asked briskly.

Blaise chuckled. "I was just looking at Pansy and thinking about the babies and suddenly I could see them again." He said with a shrug, then he smirked, "Calm down Snape..."

Snape watched in shock as the opalescence cleared, revealing his dark eyes once again. "Bloody hell..." Snape muttered. "Let's get you somewhere I can look you over. I'll get someone to come stand watch for me."

"I don't know if you should just _leave_ her..." Blaise said worriedly, glancing at the wall opposite him, his eyes going opalescent again. He immediately clapped his hand over his eyes. "Agh... they can take their time... she's _entertaining_ it again..." He said, shuddering and starting quickly back down the corridor as Snape followed, smirking.

---------------

"Draco."

Draco froze, quickly making sure the invisibility cloak was completely hidden from sight in his inner pocket before turning, trying not to look guilty and hoping no one saw that they had been coming from the passage to the outside. His tension eased as he saw Dumbledore standing there, smiling at him. "Hey Alby. I wasn't expecting to see you down here so soon."

Dumbledore's smile widened more, his eyes twinkling. "Well I had some things to take care of if we wanted to get this ceremony underway on time..." He lowered his voice so he wouldn't be overheard, "But before we get to that, I would like to be the first to congratulate you both... I cannot tell you how happy I am that you will finally be together."

Draco looked over at Ginny and they shared a bashful grin. It figured that Dumbledore wouldn't need to be told. He always seemed to be a step ahead of everyone else.

"It may be a bit presumptuous of me to ask..." Dumbledore said softly, "But it would mean a great deal to me if you would consider letting me perform the ceremony..."

Draco beamed and released Ginny's hand, going over and hugging him. "It wouldn't feel right if you didn't." He said happily.

Dumbledore let out a joyful chuckle, patting him on the back. "Excellent... excellent..."

As Draco took a step back, slipping his arm around Ginny, Dumbledore took a deep breath and let it out, looking at them fondly. "Yes... well... now on to business I suppose. Someone is here I am sure you are very eager to see..."

Draco furrowed his brow, but then smirked as Dumbledore stepped aside, holding out his hand to indicate Ollivander, who was standing a bit down the tunnel near the the map table. The Twins were sitting at the table, smirking up at Draco and Ginny knowingly.

Ollivander saw he was being introduced and hurried over, looking excited. "Mr. Malfoy, I just wanted to say... in all my years of wand making, never have I taken on quite as unique a challenge... I just hope my humble efforts have paid off..." He said, holding up a long thin box of finely polished dark wood. He opened it, watching him with a look of great anticipation.

He blinked in surprise at the long wand nestled in green velvet, the wood matching the box exactly. He glanced over at Dumbledore. Dumbledore smiled encouragingly and nodded. He reached out and took the wand. As soon as he lifted it his eyes widened as the air around him seemed to glow and shimmer as a sudden rush flowed through his entire body. He blinked, taking a deep breath and letting it out to steady himself as the light faded. "Whoa... my last wand didn't do that..." He murmured in awe, inspecting the wand closer. "What's _in_ this thing?"

Ollivander looked ecstatic. "That, Mr. Malfoy, is the very first _dual_ core wand I have ever produced. When Professor Dumbledore requested it, I knew I couldn't possibly turn down the challenge. It contains a Peruvian Vipertooth fang, _and_ a Thestral talon. I must admit, I have never worked with any part of a Thestral before myself... not usually much call for it... Darien Malfoy is the only one in my records who has ever matched a Thestral wand. It was my father that made his."

Draco laughed, running his fingers over the smooth wood. "Thestral talon..." He said, shaking his head.

"I am so glad it suited. I must admit, it was made much easier by knowing what your original wands contained. I was worried about the fang matching, as I, of course, was unable to get ahold of a Romanian Longhorn fang, but the Vipertooth has similar magical endowments. A bit more vicious perhaps, but apparently close enough in this case. It's a strange match for the Thestral talon though... Thestrals being such normally docile creatures." He said grinning like a cheshire cat, "The Thestral talon was of course no problem. Dumbledore was kind enough to provide that."

Draco glanced over at Dumbledore, surprised.

Dumbledore grinned, "Wands being as thin as they are, it wasn't easy finding a talon that would fit... but you may notice that there is a certain small, somewhat striped Thestral that is currently short one talon on his right hind foot. Don't worry, it will grow back... and I must say, he was more than happy to give it."

Draco let out a laugh, "You put Tiger's talon in this?" He asked incredulously.

Dumbledore chuckled and nodded. "He was quite insistent."

Draco beamed at the wand, then glanced up at Ollivander. "How much do I owe you?"

Ollivander quickly waved it off, "Oh no... really... the challenge alone was worth it for me. It's not often that I get to do something so unique." He said, handing Draco the wand case.

Draco took it distractedly, "I insist... I mean this must have taken quite some work... I mean how long did this take you to make anyway?" Draco said, slipping the empty case in a pocket and going back to examining the delicate carved vine pattern that made up the grip of the wand.

"Oh I've been working on it ever since Dumbledore requested it a week ago, but I have all the stock of wands I'll need for a good long time, so the ones I make now are more to simply expand my experience and develop my technique..."

"A _week_?" Draco asked, darting a look over at Dumbledore. That would mean Dumbledore ordered it as soon as he found out about Darien. He grinned at the mischievous smirk on Dumbledore's face.

"A weeks a long time to work and get nothing in return..." Fred said, coming up and peering at the new wand.

"If you won't take money..." George said, coming up to stand next to him.

"How about something new to play with?"

George held up his hand before Ollivander. Ollivander's eyes went wide as he saw the gossamer strands of hair dangling from his fingertips. He slowly reached out and took the hairs, holding them reverently as he examined them closer.

"There's seven strands there..."

"We weren't sure how many you'd be able to use..."

"But we've got more if you'd like."

"I... I couldn't possibly... I mean Snow Elf hair is extremely rare as it is... but this appears to be from a female, taken during a fertility cycle no less!"

"We've got plenty."

"Honestly."

He peered up at them, then his already wide eyes positively bugged as he saw Kulia, who had come up and was leaning causally against George, her arm draped over his shoulder.

"I dare say they have a pretty reliable source..." She said with a smirk.

"Bless my soul..." He breathed, staring at her. "I thought your kind were long gone..."

She chuckled. "Not quite. And if these two have anything to say about it, I think the species will be able to tread water for a bit longer..."

Ollivander's eyes darted to the boy's, noting their smirks, then to the hairs, "You mean..."

Kulia's grin widened and she nodded. "Twins no less."

Ollivander looked like he was about to pass out. "Twins..." He said, his voice no more than a whisper. He seemed to gather himself then, grinning over at them broadly. "I'll make you a deal... I will accept these if you promise to let me make wands for your twins. Free of charge of course. It would be a great honor indeed to be the one who made the wands of two such prodigious wizards. Or witches." he quickly amended with a smirk.

The twins and Kulia exchanged glances. The twins shrugged, and Kulia looked over at him, smiling. "Deal."

Ollivander looked positively jubilant. He gently coiled up the long hairs and secreted them away very carefully. "Well... I should be off." He said, beaming. It was pretty obvious he was eager to get back to his shop with his new treasure.

"Thanks again." Draco said sincerely. "It's truly a work of art."

Ollivander bowed his head humbly and made his way out.

Ginny moved closer, looking the new wand over as Draco continued examining it avidly.

Ron passed by Ollivander as he came down the passage from the Dungeon, looking around searchingly. He spotted the twins and headed over. "Have you seen Blaise?"

The twins were just staring, looking as if they hadn't heard. Ron came to a stop next to them. "Have you seen Blaise?" He repeated a bit louder.

"He's in the Potions lab with Snape..." Fred said distractedly.

"Oh, thanks..." Ron said, turning to head for the lab. Two sets of hands grabbed him and pulled him back, turning him towards Draco.

"Draco has a new wand..." George said.

Ron furrowed his brow, looking at his brothers. They both seemed a bit... off... He glanced over at the wand. "That's great. Looks like a very nice..." Ron's eyes went round as he spotted what the twins were staring at.

Ginny tracing her fingers over the smooth wood, her ring glittering brightly in the light cast by the nearby torches.

"Bloody Hell..." Ron muttered softly.

----------------

A/N - Next chapter might take a bit, as I believe it will probably be a long one. I don't want to break up the ceremony or it's accompanying scenes if possible... but then I'm not absolutely sure how long the scenes will be so... (sighs) it's so hard to predict, because sometimes the characters decide to get chatty or throw a curve ball, and other times it's over before I know it. I guess what I'm saying is, I suspect it will be long, but in the end, your guess is as good as mine ;P

Just a couple of little notes first: 1) Delse didn't know it wasn't Harry at first or she would have stopped him sooner, so don't go thinking she just didn't mind getting fingered by a demon. 2) the twins... they saw Draco and Ginny on the map, true, but they could only guess what they were up to (granted, it was an accurate guess for the most part) but didn't know from the map alone that he had proposed. Now onto the longer notes...

Harry - First of all, when he let the demon possess him, he had no way of knowing that it would be able to defeat Fudge's men without his wand. He thought that would be enough of a disadvantage as to allow its capture or destruction. And he didn't go out to meet the demon just to save one life. He went to save the one life, yes, but also with hopes that it would force Fudge's hand and make him cure Blaise, which would not only be another life saved, but might be the only chance those who loved Blaise might have to get him back. And of course, one of those most effected by that would be his best friend... not to mention the two little unborn babies, and of course Delse, who he had developed a bit of an... erm... _attachment_ for ;) And of course he just tried to commit suicide... I doubt his sense of self worth has bounced back quite yet. Just because he had too much guilt to even consider trying to kill himself again, that doesn't mean he has completely banished the deep seated fatalistic desire to end it all. He probably figured that even if they ended up killing him, it was better him than someone else. It's just the way the thought process goes. Um... just trust me.

As for _this_ chapter, if he seems more confident around the demon, he is. He's had time to get to know it a bit better, having been left conscious during it's little rampage, and saw for himself that he can fight it. It's going to take him time to work through guilt issues still of course, but I think by this point he's finally coming to fully realize that it was indeed the demon that did those things, and the burden of guilt is lifting a bit. I don't usually give little omniscient peeks into character's melons, but I realize while reading through it that this might not be apparent to all, and I don't want people thinking he's just had a sudden attitude change for no reason. I see these changes in my characters minds, but I realize that sometimes your trusty Ligilimency skills might not be able to reach across the net and find these things out without help.

To the one who asked why Delse didn't remove Harry from the room... the demon is still very much _stuck in him_. Just because it hands over control doesn't mean it can leave with the device around his throat still intact. He's stuck with the demon for the duration. And of course it's stuck with him. Which is good, because otherwise they would have no way to hold it. Oh, and Delse is NOT like 30 years older than Harry! She's like 35! I figure arranged marriage right out of school (17) (because I figure some of the 'pureblood' families are archaic enough to do that, and can't figure out how some of those death eating bastards could have landed a wife otherwise), He would have made sure to knock her up with an heir as quick as possible, so she probably had Blaise within the first year (18) and then Blaise is nearly 17, which would make her around 35! Snape is like 37, so don't even start on Delse & Harry ;P

From _Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them_ by Newt Scamander, p13:

Peruvian Vipertooth - This is the smallest of all known dragons, and the swiftest in flight. A mere 15 ft. in length, the Peruvian Vipertooth is smooth-scaled and copper colored with black ridge markings. The horns are short and the fangs are particularly venomous. The Vipertooth will feed readily on goats and cows, but has such a liking for humans that the International Confederation of Wizards was forced to send in exterminators in the late nineteenth century to reduce Vipertooth numbers, which had been increasing with alarming rapidity.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

"Nice..." Blaise said appreciatively, inspecting the thin dark wood staff engraved with elvish runes.

"I daresay you'll be able to keep it. Those staffs are customized to the user to drawing out the individual's powers in the most efficient, most direct pathways. Kind of like a huge wand really. Kulia made that one just for you. Just finished it in fact." Draco said as he looked through the implements he would need.

Blaise let out a bark of laughter. "Wow... it really _is_ made for me, isn't it?" He said, turning one of the largest symbols to where Draco could see it.

Draco glanced up and chuckled. It was the symbol representing the elvish version of the libido. "Well, that's definitely going to have no trouble channeling _your_ energies..." He said with a smirk. "Kulia must know you pretty well." He glanced over at Blaise speculatively. "Just out of curiosity, why did you have her teach you elvish?"

Blaise gave a shrug, studiously examining the runes. "Why not? I mean you should have seen how enthusiastic Professor Oblique was when she found out... she was coming over and talking to me about it all the time last year... always stooping down so she could talk to me without all the other students hearing..." He sighed happily. "I spent more time staring down her blouse than I did looking at the blackboard! Sometimes she would have me talk to her in elvish just to hear it. Personally, I think it turns her on..." He said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively, "But of course she doesn't know the language herself... otherwise she'd probably have slapped me..." he said with an impish grin.

Draco chuckled. "I bet. But still... any old dead language would have done for that, and elvish isn't exactly easy, so why that one?"

Blaise's cheeks blushed, but he just shrugged. "No reason."

Draco eyed him. "Ok, out with it."

Blaise sighed and rolled his eyes, "I found out you knew it, ok?" he admitted with exasperation, "I heard you tell her goodbye in elvish when me and my dad got there right as you and your dad were leaving once. I asked her and she said she'd taught you, so I asked her to teach me. Father only agreed to it because he figured no ministry officials would know the language, so he could have me order if we were somewhere that wasn't secure. Paranoid bastard..."

Draco blinked. "You learned an entire language just because you found out I knew it?" He asked incredulously. Blaise nodded, his cheeks darkening slightly. "And yet you never _told_ me you knew elvish... so what was the point?" Draco asked, confused.

Blaise looked over at him, smirking, "And what would you have said if I told you? Hmm? What would you have thought?"

Draco thought about it, then shrugged, smirking, "Knowing you, I probably would have thought you had a crush on me."

"Exactly." Blaise said as if that explained everything, "Like I wanted you to find _that_ out!"

Draco blinked, staring at him. "Hold up... did you just say you have a crush on me?"

Blaise grinned ruefully, "No... I said I _had_ a crush on you. Or at least I thought I did. Give me a break... it was a confusing time for me. It was still a bit hard for me to differentiate between different kinds of affection... but don't worry, I worked it out."

Draco considered that for a minute, "But... you aren't all in love with me anymore, right?"

Blaise grinned. "Ginny can rest assured, I have no intention of stealing you away. I still love you of course..." He said blithely, giving a negligent shrug, "Just not in _that way_... it just took me a while to realize my feelings for you weren't sexual. The concept of close friendship was a bit of a foreign concept to me."

"Ah..." Draco said, eyeing him. It was interesting feeling the reactions of his two halves warring inside him. The half of him that was Draco wanted to quickly shy from the subject, being uneasy with the emotional openness. He couldn't deny, especially now, that this boy meant a great deal to him... but labeling his feelings for him was still not something he was comfortable doing. Darien, on the other hand, wanted to hug him. Draco resisted, opting for a change in subject. He'd already found himself hugging Dumbledore without even thinking twice about it today! He had still been a bit high from the engagement, so he wrote it off to misplaced euphoria and left it at that. He was just grateful not many people were there to witness it. "Um... Ron was looking for you a bit ago." he said, guiding the conversation into safer waters.

Blaise looked up, surprised. "He was? Quite frankly I'm surprised he's awake already..."

Draco quickly shrugged off the implications of the comment, trying to keep disconcerting images out of his head, "What were you and Snape doing in the lab anyway?"

"Oh, that..." Blaise said, a wicked grin sliding across his lips. "He was just making sure this was ok..."

Draco looked up, wondering what he was talking about, then stared in shock at Blaise's eyes.

"Don't worry... it is." Blaise said, shifting his eyes back to normal. "Snape thinks it's because I got so very close to changing. The potion cured me, but couldn't completely eliminate the residual effects..."

"So how long are you going to be able to do that?"

Blaise shrugged. "Since Snape couldn't find any record of it happening before, he couldn't tell me. Then again, none of the other survivors had the wraith sight for more than a few minutes before being cured. He said it might eventually fade away, but I hope not. It's absolutely bloody brilliant! I wish you could see... but then again, considering what I went through to get it, I'm glad you can't."

Draco grinned ruefully, "Just don't be peeking at me and Ginny! She's mine!"

Blaise laughed, "Don't worry... I wouldn't be looking at _her_..." He said mischievously. Draco just rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Well, I suppose I should go find Ron. Probably just worried when he woke up and I was gone, especially considering what followed the last time I left while he was asleep, but I should make sure." Blaise said, setting aside the staff. "My whole job is walking about periodically, chanting a mantra. I think I'm prepared enough." He said with a smirk.

"He's probably still with Ginny and the twins. They're discussing how to break the news to their mum without her having a coronary. They plan on waiting until they can tell her face to face during Christmas break. Two sets of twins is going to be shocking enough, but her youngest getting..." He suddenly glanced up, blushing, "Oh... um... I asked Ginny to marry me..." He said, realizing he hadn't even told him yet.

Blaise's eyes darted up, widening. "You're engaged?!?"

Draco grinned and nodded.

"Congratulations!" Blaise said grinning brilliantly and walking over to him.

Draco quickly held up his hands in a warding gesture, "Hey now, remember our discussion about hugging... I'd rather not be needing any more bone knitting spells today." He said with a smirk. Blaise came to a stop and Draco chuckled as he lowered his hands, "Actually I was afraid I was going to need one earlier when her brothers spotted the ring, but they took it surprisingly well."

Blaise let out a laugh. "They already know you're shagging their sister on a regular basis! Why would they object to you making the relationship respectable and legally binding?"

Draco looked at him thoughtfully, "You have a point." He said with a smirk.

"You're lucky you have that option." Blaise said, his voice dropping.

Draco looked over at him, surprised at the soft spoken, apparently completely serious comment. He thought he saw a fleeting hint of deep sadness in Blaise's eyes, but then it was gone again.

Blaise grinned, "Well I best go find Ron. Oh, and when I'm back to normal, I reserve the right to hug you!" he said, once again his usual chipper self.

Draco grinned, "Ok... maybe just once, but no groping." He teased.

Blaise affected a pout, "Aw... you're no fun..." Then he laughed, "Ok, fine. No groping. But, for now..." Blaise darted in, planting a kiss on Draco's cheek, then darted back away with a chuckle as Draco swatted at him.

Draco couldn't help but smirk and shake his head ruefully as he watched Blaise romp out of the room.

----------

Harry sat down beside the little waterfall, cupping some of the water in his hands. He splashed it onto his face, shivering as the frigid water hit his skin and traced icy trails down his bare chest. He scooped up some more and splashed his face one more time before settling back and peering through the semi-darkness to where Delse lay, curled up asleep in the blanket. He was tired, but he refused to let himself fall asleep, fearing what the demon might do in his absence.

It was quiet for the moment, which was a great relief. When he was with Delse, it had kept up an almost constant commentary. Apparently, it felt if he didn't make some vast improvements she might not let him continue shagging her. He had resented the implication that he wasn't good enough to keep her interested on his own... but as much as he hated to admit it, it _had_ been rather educational. Seven centuries of debauchery in human hosts had made it into a virtual compendium of sexual knowledge.

He quickly turned his thoughts from what he'd been doing earlier. The demon appeared to be sated for the moment, but if Harry let his body get aroused again, he was sure it would nag him until he went back over there and alleviated the problem. Not that he wouldn't want to, but she had more than earned a rest.

He watched her silently as she slept, once again trying to fathom why everything about her seemed to draw him so. Well, _almost_ everything. Her being Blaise's mother was weighing heavily on his mind at the moment. Blaise might have been ok with him shagging his mum when he thought he was about to die, but now that he was back to rights (and _then_ some according to Delse) he didn't need Harry to comfort her anymore. Would he tell him to leave her alone now?

He sighed. He really _should_ leave her alone now... the crises that had thrown them together had passed, and so had their excuse for being together. It was understandable to have a moment of weakness when there was so much stress and turmoil, but to keep on afterwards? He doubted many in the Wizarding community would look kindly on the relationship, and he had no doubt that it wouldn't be _him_ they were pointing their fingers at. He couldn't stand the thought of her being belittled or openly ridiculed for the kindness she had shown him.

He was brought out of his musings by the sound of cloth whispering over the lush grass. He looked over and his cheeks went red. Snape was walking towards him, his long cloak brushing the ground. He glanced over at Delse worriedly. There was really no way to explain away the fact that she was laying there naked under his blanket. He was just thankful he had thought to put his skivvies back on. It wasn't much, but it was better than being seen sitting there naked.

Snape saw the glance and smirked at him, tossing a stack of clothing down beside him. "You two have fun?"

Harry turned beet red. "You... um... know about that, do you?" He asked, embarrassed. For some reason it seemed ten times worse that it was Snape.

Snape gave a snort of laughter. "Anybody in this half of the tunnel knows about it the way you two were carrying on. Ever think to have her cast a silencing spell?"

Harry glued his eyes to the ground, absolutely mortified. The thought had never even crossed his mind. He hadn't been able to think of anything beyond Delse. He began to wonder if Snape had watched them, but quickly decided not to ask. It was creepy enough as a mere possibility, if it were confirmed he didn't know what he'd do.

"Well, get dressed then. It's about time. Unless you'd rather prance about like that." Snape said, obviously enjoying his discomfort.

Harry grabbed up the shirt and started pulling it on. It was a flannel. He tried not to let it remind him of his and Delse's first time. The color was off a bit, but it was unsettlingly similar. When he had it on, he got up and slipped into the pants. He looked around. "Shoes?"

"I took them away with the rest of your ruined clothing. I think I would prefer if you went without."

Harry looked over at him, furrowing his brow. "Why?"

"Frankly, it should make your little friend's escape more difficult if it should somehow get away from us."

Harry's eyes went wide. "But... but she said it couldn't do that! Take over I mean. Not while I'm awake at least."

Snape sighed, the mirth leaving him entirely. "I'm afraid once we are ready you're going to have to give it permission to, Harry."

Harry took an involuntary step back, "What!?!" he asked incredulously.

Snape sighed, folding his arms across his chest. The familiar gesture was less than reassuring, as Harry had noticed that he tended to do that when he was either upset or about to be unspeakably cruel. "The device around your neck..." He began hesitantly.

Harry reached up, brushing his fingertips over the thread-like mesh, "What about it?"

"Our dear Minister of Magic expected to kill whomever it attached itself to, so he deemed it unimportant that there is no known way to _remove_ it. So, since we cannot remove it from your body for the ceremony, _the demon _will have to be in control of the body in order for it to be close enough to the surface for the ceremony to work. You will give it permission to take over, and then its oath not to cause harm to befall you will keep it from trying to push your consciousness back to the surface during the ceremony. It would do us no good to bind _your_ soul to Darien..."

"But you can still kill the demon, right?" Harry asked, his concern skyrocketing.

"If we were to try to kill it, you would undoubtedly die in the process." Snape said, his voice surprisingly gentle.

Harry hugged himself, his mind whirling. He couldn't possibly live the rest of his life with a demon crawling around inside him, just waiting for him to fall asleep so it could do awful things with his body! "There's got to be a way to get this thing out of me." He said desperately.

"Well, there actually is _one_ known way, but since it involves decapitation, I didn't think you would be interested..."

Harry glared at him, but Snape just stared back neutrally. "So what are you going to do to it then?" Harry asked in exasperation.

"The bonding ceremony, if successful, will at least give us a modicum of control over it... and remove any and all control Lucius has over it, but other than that..." Snape just shook his head. "I might remind you that getting saddled with that device was your own doing."

Harry sighed miserably, despair filling him. "So... how long will I have to leave it running about free in my body?" He asked in a dejected tone.

"It isn't a very long ritual. Once it's done, it will be bonded to Darien and he will be it's master. He will then order it to return control to you. If it is any reassurance, Darien is much better versed in dealing with demons than probably anyone alive. This particular demon used to belong to his grandfather in fact. His grandfather had started teaching him about controlling them before the family got rid of their demons. Well, most of them at any rate."

So it was theMalfoy family demon. It figured. Lucius Malfoy had been almost as big a thorn in Harry's side as Voldemort. Not only had he used gold to get the pompous and utterly gullible Fudge to do anything he asked to make Harry's life more difficult, but he'd also spawned Draco. Harry wasn't sure exactly what was going on with Draco, the whole Darien thing still being rather confusing, but he still couldn't stand him. From what he could tell, the feeling was very mutual as well. He wondered if he would use the demon to force Harry to do whatever he wanted. He wouldn't put it past him.

Harry looked over at Delse. If this demon was stuck in him for good, he definitely had to break it off with her. Even without popular opinion to worry about, subjecting someone to a demon's influence on a daily basis was just wrong. The demon had already gotten him to do things with her he never would have even _imagined_ on his own... and he was sure it was just the tip of the iceberg. What if its influence started filtering into other areas? It could corrupt his entire soul and leave him just as bad as the demon itself, making anyone around him at risk.

"If you'll be so kind as to wake Delse, I'll wait outside while she dresses..."

Harry looked over at him. "Does she _have_ to be there?"

Snape looked at him curiously. "No. She isn't required. Why?"

Harry looked back over at her sadly. "I would prefer it if she weren't there... if something goes wrong... I don't want her seeing it if you have to take me down to contain it."

Snape eyed him for a long moment, then gave a curt nod, leading him towards the door.

-----------

The largest gathering room in the Siege tunnel had been cleared of the tables and chairs that had occupied it, the floor, surprisingly, was now covered in a thick moss. Harry had wandered in here once before, and he was certain it hadn't been there then. He figured it must be another precaution like keeping him in that wooded room. He felt a little trickle of disgust inside and knew it had probably been a good idea. The demon had been disconcertingly quiet, not having said a word since Delse fell asleep. With the way its calculating mind worked, it was probably trying to lull him into a false sense of security. He had to keep reminding himself of it's presence to keep its ploy from working. It really was all too easy to forget it was there when it was quiet.

In the center of the room, he could see a large, perfectly drawn circle marring the blanketing moss, the floor rising slightly right in the middle, where a second circle had been drawn around a tiny hill. Draco was sitting tailor fashion on the 'hill', surrounded by strange implements and supplies, a small cauldron before him already steaming slightly. Blaise was there as well, standing just inside the outer circle leaning casually against a thin staff wearing a close fitting black outfit with far more shiny silver clasps than should have been necessary. It was oddly cut, but seemed to suit him for some reason. Now that he was paying closer attention, Harry realized Draco was wearing an outfit that was of the exact same cut and construction, but in a dark forest green.

Dumbledore and several other teachers were present as well. Hagrid was nearly level in height to the others, though he was sitting on the floor, effectively blocking a tunnel that Harry was pretty sure linked up to the tunnel to the external exit. As the others saw Harry and Snape enter, they began moving around, taking up positions around the circle.

Harry paused uneasily. "Do they all have to be here?" It was bad enough having to let that thing take over his body, but he had hoped that there would at least be few witnesses. From past experience, he knew it would probably be it's usual nasty self and embarrass him to no end, and he wasn't sure he could face his teachers again if it were to do something particularly bad.

Snape sighed. "They are here as a backup. Once the ceremony has begun, the demon must not be allowed to step outside the circle. Blaise should be able to hold it with the containment spell, but we have to be sure. We may not have a second chance at this.

Harry sighed and nodded. "Fine, but why does _he_ have to be here?" he asked, looking past Snape.

Snape turned and let out a growl of irritation. "Mr. Weasley, I thought I made it abundantly clear that you were not to be present! Zabini is going to have a hard enough time retaining proper concentration without another distraction. Now I'm going to have to take down the ward to let you back out."

Ron stepped out of the shadowed corner where he had been standing, looking defiant. "I'm not leaving! Not while you're messing about with that thing in Harry!"

"Ron!" Blaise said, sounding just as exasperated as Snape.

Ron strode over to where Blaise stood. "Please..." He said, dropping his voice to a soft, pleading tone, "You can't send me back out. What would you do if it were Draco and they were trying to keep _you_ out?"

Blaise glanced over at Draco and let out a pained sigh, looking back at him, "Ron... what if something happens to you?"

"It won't." Ron said firmly, "And even if it does, it'll be my own bloody fault." He said with a shrug.

Blaise sighed again, reaching out and gently stroking his hand down the side of Ron's face. "Fine..." He said, unable to deny him when he was looking at him with that stubborn, determined look he loved so much.

Ron smiled brilliantly, leaning forward and kissing him passionately. Blaise quickly leaned into the kiss, deepening it, completely oblivious to the eyes on him.

Harry just stared. He'd seen Ron kiss Blaise before, but it had been almost casual then. He'd never before witnessed the absolute passion and love that seemed to radiate from them now. He had never thought he would ever completely come to terms with the thought of Ron shagging another boy... but seeing them together like this made it seem almost natural... and strangely _right_. He'd never seen Ron so absolutely content.

**_I obviously picked the wrong host..._** an irritating voice whispered in Harry's head, its amusement at the sight obvious, **_Even blind he probably got laid ten times more than you ever did!_** Harry studiously ignored it.

Snape rolled his eyes after a moment and shoved Harry into the circle. "Can we get this done while the moon is still in the proper phase please?" He asked with a smirk.

They broke apart, both of them blushing slightly as Ron backed up a bit, taking up a position similar to the ones the teachers held. The others shifted around to make them all equidistant. They all stood about two feet from the circle, about five feet between themselves and the person to either side. There were seven in all now making up the secondary line of defense. Hagrid, Dumbledore, McGonagall, Oblique, Snape, Ron and the diminutive Flitwick.

Harry looked at Ron sadly. He couldn't deny him the right to be there, but he still feared something would go wrong. "Ron..." He said softly, drawing the boy's attention.

"Ya?" Ron said guardedly, obviously afraid Harry was going to ask him to leave.

"If... if this goes wrong... and they have to... _stop it_..." He said, the implications of what that would mean to him quite clear by his tone, "Promise me you won't try to stop them. It can't be allowed to escape, no matter what."

Ron looked pained, but nodded, dropping his eyes. "I know..."

"Harry..." Snape said softly. It was the first time Harry could recall Snape ever using his first name. "It's time to begin."

Harry took a deep breath and nodded, closing his eyes. Then he opened them again, looking over at Ron hesitantly. "Actually... there was one more thing..." Harry said, reaching out towards Ron.

Blaise slammed his elbow into Harry's chest with such force he was thrown back several feet where he sprawled on his back. Ron just looked at Blaise, stunned by the sudden assault, but Blaise was paying him no attention, stabbing his staff down on the line. It was like a lit match hitting a line of gasoline. Ghostly, silvery light sprang up from the circle drawn in the moss, shooting up almost straight for nearly six feet before arching in, forming a shallow dome top that completed the enclosure. Once it was sealed at the top the light just swirled around lazily, like a thin layer of trapped, illuminated smoke surrounding them.

"If you really thought that it would be that easy..." Blaise said, crouching down beside Harry's side. "Then you really screwed yourself by cursing me..."

'Harry's' eyes widened as he saw opalescent eyes staring down at him. Then his eyes narrowed as he growled, starting to get back up.

Blaise reached out and shoved him back down. It was obvious the demon was struggling against it, but Blaise managed to push him all the way back down without too much apparent effort. "Just giving you fair warning demon. Try any more stupid stunts and I'll give you a right fine pasting! We can always patch Potter back up later."

"What the bloody Hell's gotten into you?" The demon asked angrily, rubbing his chest where Blaise's hand had been.

"Well, thanks to you, about a pint of Re'em blood. It _is_ the most prominent ingredient in the counter curse for the White Wraith, and they had to give me quite a bit... still didn't get it all apparently thought..." he said, batting his eyelashes and smirking, "Too bad for you..."

Blaise then stood, his eyes returning to normal as he walked back over to the edge of the circle. He started chanting softly in elvish as he began pacing slowly around the perimeter. Blue light crackled from the top of his staff, jumping over to the shield like static electricity, making it glow brighter.

The demon growled in irritation, glaring around at the gathered onlookers. He got back to his feet, going over to the edge of the circle and touching it, then snatching his hand back and shaking it, letting out a hiss of anger.

Next he turned his attention to Draco, walking over towards him while keeping a watchful eye on Blaise. Blaise made no move to stop him. The demon stopped dead as he spotted the second circle encompassing Draco. He approached it more cautiously, reaching out. He growled in frustration as his hand came up against another barrier. He let out a shriek of rage, slamming his fist against the barrier. Draco looked up from his work long enough to smirk at him, then paid him no further attention, swirling his wand over the cauldron and beginning to chant softly in elvish..

Blaise completed his circuit and stopped,lowering his staffand smirking over at him. "You don't really think I would leave him unguarded, do you? He was safe in his little barricade five minutes before you even got here. I'm not daft."

The demon eyed him speculatively for a moment, then obviously decided a change of tactics was in order. A grin slipped onto his lips as he strolled over to Blaise. "If you let me out of here, I can give you anything you want..." He purred temptingly.

Blaise chuckled, "You have nothing I want, demon."

"Oh really?" He said, drawing up to him. "I could show you pleasures like you've never known... You can't tell me you've never wanted to give this body a thorough shagging..."

Blaise smiled, "Actually, I _can_ tell you that. And with all honesty. I've never been attracted to Harry."

The demon furrowed his brow. "Well then it had to have been his _personality_ that was putting you off... and that won't be a problem now."

Blaise chuckled. "It wasn't just his personality."

The demon let out a snort. "Oh please. What could you possibly find fault in? If it's endowment, I guarantee that is no problem." He started undoing his pants.

Blaise laughed and clapped his hand over his eyes, "Please! There are ladies present. I believe you. That still doesn't mean I want to shag him."

The demon growled, desisting in disrobing. "What is it then?"

Blaise cautiously lowered his hand, then smirked again. "He's just not Ron, now is he?"

The demon rolled his eyes. "Oh please, like it's a key that will only fit one lock!"

Blaise laughed again. "Two actually. I am in love with the two most wonderful people this world has to offer, they are in love with _me_, I'm going to be a father, I have the best friend a bloke could ever ask for, I'm young, I'm rich, I can bloody well _see through walls,_ and my father is dead. There is absolutely nothing else in this world that I require." He said with a smirk, leaning on his staff.

The demon eyed him incredulously, then looked over at Draco. "Is he always this insufferably enthusiastic?"

"Always." Draco said without even looking up. "You get used to it." He was carefully filling what looked like a milkweed pod with a number of unidentifiable ingredients.

The demon rolled his eyes. "Bloody Pollyanna." He muttered darkly, glaring at Blaise venomously, stalking off and throwing himself down on his back on the ground before Draco.

Blaise did another circuit and all was quiet for a time. The Demon seemed utterly bored. Draco had sealed the pod and carefully painted elvish characters on the outside. The demon watched him as he finished up.

Looking bored, he raised his hand, pinching his thumb and forefinger together tightly, then easing them apart. When he drew them apart a small glowing blue sphere was floating between them. He pulled his hand away, leaving it suspended there and folding his arms behind his head. He pursed his lips and blew on it, then smirked as it drifted up. Blaise, who was on the opposite side of the circle, having just completing another circuit, turned and saw him staring up. He followed his gaze to the sphere just as it reached the top of the barrier. As it made contact there was a sudden brilliant flash of light and loud crack. When the light faded nothing more than tiny sparks fell away, winking out before even getting near the ground. The demon chuckled merrily.

"What the bloody Hell was _that_?" Blaise demanded.

The demon gave a negligent shrug. "Spare soul. Don't worry, no one you knew I'm sure... makes for a pretty little bit of fireworks though, doesn't it?"

Blaise's jaw dropped in shock. It had destroyed a soul for simple amusement!

"I've got hundreds more you know..." He said, lifting his hand again and repeating the process, flicking another soul so that it zipped up, colliding with the barrier with the same results as the last.

"Stop it!" Blaise growled threateningly.

"Senseless destruction of random souls is wasteful. You're right." The demon said solemnly. "Even though those souls long since lost their links to the mortal world. You know... it's interesting. After this long, they don't even know where to go anymore... just drift around on air currents and such if released... now fresh souls... they still have living links to the mortal world..." He said, casually drawing out another soul and examining it as he spoke, shooting a surreptitious glance over at Draco and seeing him dropping the pod into the cauldron, the spell nearly complete, "Most especially souls of those who have experienced _love_... they are drawn back to the source of their emotional attachment. It's fascinating really..."

He pulled his fingers away from the gently glowing sphere, watching it intently as it began to drift away. He sat up and smirked as it drifted over towards the side of the circle. "Hmm...." He said with a wicked smirk, "It appears to be drifting towards _you_ Snape... now who's soul would do that I wonder...?"

Snape's eyes widened as he took a step closer. The little glowing sphere had almost reached the barrier. "Hermione!" He said in a soft, fearful whisper.

Blaise's eyes went round, he looked over, seeing Draco springing to his feet and putting his hands against the barrier, but it kept him in just as surely as it kept the demon out. Blaise darted his eyes back as the soul drifted up to the barrier. He let out a growl of frustration, dropping his staff across the line of the barrier. In an instant the barrier winked out of being.

In the blink of an eye, the demon was up and diving towards the side, straight at Ron, who was the weakest wizard present. Ron's eyes widened. He knew he couldn't let it get out, but what could he do? It would be impervious to his spells even if he could get his wand out in time. As it blurred at him, he did the only thing he could think to. He stepped up to the edge of the circle and braced himself. His arm darted up, the flat of his palm striking it in the center of it's chest as it reached the edge of the circle. He was just as surprised as the demon when the strike made contact with great force, throwing the demon back and sending it sprawling. Then Blaise reached it, pouncing on it.

The demon growled, grabbing Blaise's shirt to try to lever him off, then let out a cry of pain, jerking his hands away from the material, the skin of its hands left red and raw looking. Blaise chuckled, flipping him over and pulling his arm up behind him, planting his knee in the middle of his back and effectively pinning him. "Like the clothes? Elvish living fiber cloth. Very nice."

The demon let out an inarticulate roar of rage.

Blaise looked over, relieved to see that he had taken down the barrier in time. The little blue sphere was drifting up to Snape. As he watched, it disappeared into his chest. Snape closed his eyes, clutching his hand to the place it had entered and letting out a barely disguised sob of relief. He then took a deep breath and let it out, carefully composing himself.

He opened his eyes, looking over to the center of the circle. Draco grinned at him, then looked down as the cauldron hissed. They all watched as a fine mist-like cloud emerged, gathering above the cauldron for a moment before darting purposefully towards the demon. It let out a howl of anger and thrashed, but Blaise held it down. The mist flowed over Harry's body like water, passing through Blaise's hands and knee as if they weren't even there. Then it disappeared, obviously sinking down into Harry's skin.

It's thrashing subsided and it slumped down defeatedly, letting out a sound of pure frustration.

"Don't make any attempts to escape or hurt anyone." Draco said with a smirk.

"Yes master..." it hissed, it's voice full of open hatred.

Blaise let up, standing. He watched it cautiously for a moment as it lay there, then hurried over to Ron, "You ok?" He said urgently, looking him over.

"I'm fine..." Ron said, looking a bit mystified, "How did I do that? It should have torn right through me."

"Unicorn blood..."

They both looked over. Snape was standing there with a highly amused look on his face.

"Unicorn blood?" Ron asked, puzzled.

Snape chuckled. "In your case, it was Re'em blood, but I imagine you got it in the same manner as Potter passed on the unicorn blood..."

Blaise and Ron suddenly made the connection, looking at eachother and blushing brightly. "Oh..." Ron said softly.

"So _that's_ why you woke up so quickly..." Blaise said musingly.

"You realize what this means of course..." Snape said, his amusement growing.

Blaise looked over at him, then back at Ron, comprehension dawning. A brilliant smile lit across his face.

Ron furrowed his brow. "What?"

"How about I tell you back in our room?" Blaise said, his voice dropping into a low, seductive purr.

A smile slid across Ron's face as he realized that Blaise's extra strength wouldn't be that much of an issue anymore. Then he looked over at Snape sharply. "Pansy!"

Snape looked at them thoughtfully. "It might be best if both of you refrained from intimate relations with Miss Parkinson for now... I will study the problem tomorrow... but for now I have other issues to tend to..." He looked over at Draco, who had taken down the barrier and was now staring down at the demon, who had still not bothered to rise. "I trust you have this in hand now?"

Draco looked over at him and grinned, "Go."

Snape then looked over hesitantly at Dumbledore. The aged man was looking at him contemplatively. After a moment, he nodded. "Indeed. Tend to Miss Granger. We'll meet in the morning to discuss... matters."

Snape sighed, but gave him a curt nod of agreement and left without further preamble.

----------

Snape entered the room, looking down at Hermione's peacefully resting body. He carefully closed the door behind him and crossed to the bed, sitting down beside her. He sighed. He knew once she was back she would leave his life once again, one way or another. She'd probably be crushed when she found out Harry was now interested in someone else. He had no doubt the demon was the only reason she would have ever said Harry was anything but the perfect boy for her.

... and yet her soul had come to him...

But then, Harry was currently buried deep beneath the demon's presence, so there was really no chance the soul would recognize it and try to return to it. He closed his eyes, feeling her warm presence suffusing him. He would be content to just let her remain there forever, filling the emptiness he had felt inside for as long as he could remember... but he knew he could never do that. Even if she belonged to another, she had the right to lead her own life, even if it was without him. He was sure the demon would allow Harry to return to her once she was once again awake and able to shag. He flinched away from the image of Harry groping her that instantly blossomed in his mind, shutting off all thought in that direction.

He took a deep breath and let it out. It was time. He reached over and pulled the blanket down some, then gently pulled down the neckline of the nightgown Pomfrey had put her in, placing the palm of his hand flat against the warm, bare skin over her breastbone. He gathered his will and urged her soul towards her body.

He could feel the soul reluctantly drifting towards the waiting body. As soon as the first tendrils made contact with the body, it was immediately drawn out and he felt suddenly cold and empty inside. He pulled his hand away, feeling the ache of loss, even after so brief a period of housing her soul.

She started breathing deeper, and in moments, her eyes fluttered open. He felt immense relief as her eyes darted around dazedly. "Where am I? How did I get here?" She asked in confusion, her voice soft and weary.

"This is a Siege tunnel attached to Slytherin Dungeon. As to how you got here... it is a bit of a long story..." Snape said gently.

She blinked, her eyes fastening on him the moment she heard his voice. "Snape." She said achingly, struggling to sit up. She wrapped her arms around him, her muscles protesting jerkily.

He quickly put his arms around her to support her. "Careful..." He said with soft concern.

"What's wrong with me?" She asked, her arms tightening on him as her voice became alarmed at her body's weakness.

"It's ok... it will work out. You just haven't used your body for several days... What do you remember?"

Hermione thought about it, still clinging to him. "I... I was going to see you... and... then I was in your office... we were talking... I hugged you and then... then I don't know..."

He blinked in surprise. It couldn't possibly have been her all the way up to the hug... she had asked him to take her back before that.

She straightened slightly against him. "There is something else..." She said, suddenly sounding very uncertain. "I... was drifting... and I felt a pulling... and... then I was floating in warmth... and...?" She pulled back some, looking at him in confusion.

He gave her a wane smile. "The demon took your soul. When it released it you were... drawn into me. I carried you within me for a brief period before being able to return you to your body."

"So... that was _you_ that I felt?" She asked, her warm, gentle eyes staring at him so intently it made his heart flutter in his chest. He studiously ignored it.

He inclined his head slightly. "Yes."

Her eyes suddenly got very large and she seemed to be having a hard time breathing properly, "But... when I was in you... I felt like I never wanted to leave... because... it felt like I was completely surrounded by love... but that would mean... you love me?" She asked in a small voice.

His eyes widened, then quickly darted away. He opened his mouth, but then closed it again when no words emerged. He had no clue how to answer that. He'd never considered the possibility that she would have been able to feel his emotions, let alone remember them upon awaking.

She placed her hand on his cheek, gently forcing him to face her. "I love you too..." She said softly.

He had no idea what to say, but then suddenly found words unnecessary as her lips found his. He closed his eyes, unable to contain himself as he quickly deepened the kiss, the pain of watching her lifeless body still fresh in his mind. He forgot all about propriety and maintaining his usual stony facade as he held her to him, kissing her with more passion than he had ever allowed himself to show before. Let tomorrow bring what it may... for tonight, his emotional barriers dissolved, letting her tender kisses ease the aching in his heart.

------------------

A/Ns - A long time in coming, I know. Sorry, but I'm having to work a lot of things out right now as far as plotline. As for how much longer this will run, I'm still not sure. It's not quite over, that much I _do_ know. There are some issues still to resolve, and working out how to resolve them is resulting in a bit of juggling around and revising, so just bear with me. As for a sequel, sorry, but that is not in the plans. Once I have completed the current storyline I _will_ leave it up for reviewer suggestions (Submitted in email only please) as to what I could _possibly_ do as a sequel, but I really doubt anything could possibly inspire another line in this same 'world' even half the length of this story. After a while (haven't set a time limit yet), if I do not receive a feasible sequel idea, I will cap the story, after which there will be no further additions. Sorry. All good things must come to an end. That said, here's a couple of responses to reviewers:

demonicangel - no I don't.

Jeaniy - Voldermortist can be found in the book section of mugglenet dot com under "Name origins". Fascinating what some of the names in Harry Potter mean. She must have put considerable thought into them. I think Mugglenet forgot a couple though... Here are a couple that I found in an online British slang dictionary: ;)

**Percy** Noun. A pet name for the penis. (So _that's_ why he's such a dick!!!)

**Oliver Wood** - wood Noun. An erect penis. Cf. 'woody'. (Admittedly, I think of Oliver's wood every time I watch that movie! Man I love the way he talks... ;P Too bad he graduated (pout) ok, he made a cameo in my story, but I didn't feel right working him into the story more)

**Dobby** - dobber Noun. 1. A penis. ;P ok, this is the more likely origin: dob Verb. To inform on, betray. Orig. Aust. (after all, he did betray his family to inform Harry of his immanent danger!) but the other origin is funnier!

**Winky** - winkle Noun. Affectionate name for a penis. (And hey, my son calls his a winky! He couldn't understand why they would call her that (ROTFL) He's just standing there with this innocent, puzzled look on his cute little face, completely serious while I'm laughing my arse off... these are the moments we cherish...)

Anybody else getting a heavy Freudian vibe here???


	48. Chapter 48

A/N - Some might find some comments in the beginning of this chapter disturbing. Just thought I'd warn you.

---------------

Chapter 48

"Are you certain you will be alright dealing with it alone?" Dumbledore asked worriedly, eyeing the demon. It was now curled up in the fetal position on the soft moss, staring pointedly at nothing.

"It would probably be best if few people were around before I'm done setting down the ground rules for it. It can't harm me in any way, but others are still at risk until I've gotten at least the preliminaries down." Draco said, eyeing the demon.

Dumbledore sighed and nodded. "Very well. I will advise the others to give you time alone with it then."

Draco nodded and Dumbledore motioned the others out. Hagrid gave Harry's possessed body one last worried look, but then followed them out as requested. When Draco was alone with the demon, he settled down tailor fashion beside it. "I suppose it's time to get started then..."

The demon's eyes shifted to him, glaring at him hatefully. "He'll fight you." it hissed angrily.

Draco blinked, "What?"

"He'll fight you." He repeated, the anger in his voice growing, "And I have no intention of stopping him."

Draco furrowed his brow, "What the bloody Hell are you babbling on about?"

"I can't leave this body, so there aren't exactly a lot of choices, and this one will fight it. He's strong. He's already broken my control before."

"Ok, I'm lost... what will he fight?" Draco asked in confusion.

The demon rolled his eyes. "Oh please! You expect me to believe that _Lucius_ knew more about the time honored Malfoy methods of breaking in your demons than Darien does?" He asked with bitter sarcasm.

Draco just stared at him for a long moment, Darien just as baffled as he was. "Um... ok... lets pretend I have no bloody idea what you're talking about. Spell it out for me, and stop playing word games because it's starting to piss me off."

It growled at him angrily, then sat up, glowering at him. "Breaking in a demon... testing your control over it... it has been a Malfoy tradition for the past three or four centuries to accomplish it by sending me out to possess muggles, bringing them back to my master and letting master, and often his friends as well, have a bit of fun with them before killing them in as painful a way as possible, and only then allowing me to leave the corpse. If you think Harry will let you have your way with him..."

Draco quickly held up his hand, looking utterly disgusted. "I wouldn't touch Potter if he was the last person on the planet! Ugh!"

The demon continued to glare at him, "Well I have nowhere else to go at the moment, so it's not as if there are a lot of options. And if you kill him, you'll have to either decapitate him and remove the section of his neck containing the device from the rest of his body or wait until his body rots away to see me released."

"As appealing as the idea of finishing off Potter might be, I have no intention of killing him. Nor do I have _any_ intention of shagging you no matter what body you possess!" Draco said irritably.

It eyed him warily, obviously not believing him.

Draco rolled his eyes in exasperation, "I'm engaged to be married!" He said, holding up his hand so it could see his ring, "And even if I was still inclined to shag women at random, which, admittedly I have done in the past, I wouldn't shag a possessed one. Besides, why are you looking all upset by the idea? I thought you loved shagging!"

It growled hatefully. "Let me put this so your tiny and obviously hopelessly naive mind can grasp it... Blaise's a slut, right? So do you think he would enjoy it if I used the Imperious curse on him to get him to come to me, then tied him down and shagged that cute little arse of his as hard and painfully as humanly possible, and then let all my vile friends come over and have a turn at him as well? He likes shagging right? So by your way of thinking, that would be _fun_ for him, wouldn't it? Of course the days of hanging in your father's little dungeon being tortured to death once the body had lost it's ability to scream and fight enough to appease his twisted sexual desires probably wouldn't have gone over well with him..."

Draco looked him over for a minute. It appeared to be completely serious. "My father did that to you?" He asked, his voice losing it's anger.

It rolled it's eyes at him. "Your father, Darien's grandfather, _his_ father, and so on... I assume you get the idea. I was the main source of Lucius' entertainment for the better part of two months before his bloody snake master was able to lure Harry to the Ministry. He had that loathsome bastard drag me through his demented mind to deposit me in Harry's head when he possessed him. Still, it was more than worth going through that mental cesspool to get away from Lucius. He gets rather nasty when he's bored and frustrated."

"I know..." Draco said softly, dropping his eyes. The physical and mental abuse had been bad enough... at least his father hadn't crossed the line into... _other ways_ of abusing him. "How many muggles did he make you bring back?"

It shifted uneasily. "About a dozen women... five boys."

"Boys?" Draco asked, shocked.

It shrugged. "Males between fourteen and seventeen. Boys. I _really_ didn't like those... he tended to be rougher with them... and had a thing for castrating them before killing them..." He shifted his legs up, hugging his knees to his chest in an oddly human gesture of unease. "One he picked because he looked like Harry... he even carved a scar on his forehead..." He said, reaching up and rubbing the scar. "Gave that one to Voldemort... took him over a week to die..." He said, shuddering and hugging his legs closer.

Draco felt sick inside. That his father had done such atrocities was horrible enough... that the Malfoy men had been doing it for centuries... He'd never wished so fervently that he had been born into a different family. _ANY_ other family. He'd rather be a bloody _POTTER_ than a Malfoy at that moment. He shrugged off the mental images, straightening, "Well, as I said before, I have no intention of shagging you. Ginny is the only one I have any plans of shagging, and if you try to possess _her_, I'll rip you apart with my bare hands."

With that, Draco rose, putting the disturbing thoughts out of his mind. "Up. Let's get you back to your room."

The demon rose and followed him, still eyeing him warily.

"So, ground rules... You will not in any way harm any Hogwarts students or staff, nor their friends and family unless given explicit permission to do so. You will be in your room or in my presence at all times until I decide you will behave yourself on your own."

"So I'm to be locked away then?" The demon grumbled moodily.

"No. I doubt Harry's friends would appreciate that. That's another thing, once I'm done going over the ground rules, Harry is back in charge. You will not, at ANY time take over his body unless he gives you explicit permission or it is necessary to safeguard his life or well being, or that of another that I specify... namely myself, Ginny, Blaise, Ron, Pansy, Snape, Kulia, the twins... you get the idea. I can give you a complete list later if you require it. Oh, and your little fixation with trying to kill Ginny and Ron ends now. They are right near the top of the do not touch list! You are also to follow Harry's instructions as if they come directly from me. His commands are second only to my own. And another thing..." Draco said, stopping and turning, making the demon come to a halt. "_YOU_ are not to shag, or in any other way molest _ANYONE!_ Do I make myself clear?"

The demon growled angrily. "Oh why don't you just castrate us then? It would be a very _Malfoy_ thing to do." It hissed bitterly.

Draco narrowed his eyes angrily. "Do _not_ talk to me like that! I am nothing like Lucius, and if you ever dare insinuate I am again I just may have to prove you correct!"

The demon looked angry, but dropped his eyes obediently, nodding slightly.

"Besides, I suspect Delse would do her nut if I castrated Harry." Draco said, a smirk slipping onto his lips.

The demon blinked. "But you just said..."

"I said _you_ couldn't shag anyone. I said nothing about Harry. He can shag whomever he pleases, so long as _you_ don't influence him or the other party in question to make it happen. Is that clear?"

A little grin worked it's way onto the demon's face. "Very well... but I can still help him out can't I? Because I tell you, that boy is woefully lacking in knowledge of the fairer sex..."

Draco laughed. "You can if he wants you to, but remember that you have to listen to him! I don't want to hear him whining about you nagging him."

"So basically I just have to shut up, play nice and not kill anyone. Is that it?" The demon asked, smirking.

Draco grinned. "I never said that. With the exception of Snape, you have my explicit permission to kill any Death Eater or Dark Lord you happen to come across with extreme prejudice. Have a ball."

The grin on the demon's face bloomed into a brilliant smile, then he eyed him. "What about your father? He's a Death Eater, but also your family..."

"I don't consider him family." Draco said vehemently, "Just consider Death Eaters exempt from the family clause. However, I would like to take care of my father myself. If I fail, of course, you are free to kill him, but I want to make one thing very, very clear... I want his soul _destroyed_. I want no chance of that bastard returning. Got it?"

The demon smiled again, taking a deep breath and letting out a happy sigh. "I think I could get to like having you as a master..." He chuckled.

------------------

Pansy's head spun around as she heard the door open behind her. She let out a sigh of relief, dropping her quill and getting up, hurrying over to Ron and Blaise as they walked in, wrapping her arms around both of them and hugging them. "I was so worried..." she said achingly.

They hugged her back as gently as they could. "Sorry..." Blaise said softly, "But it's over now... the demon is bonded to Darien. It's ok, honestly."

Pansy sighed, leaning against them. "Just don't wander off on me like that again... ok?"

"Ok." Blaise said softly.

"We won't." Ron agreed, then he looked over at the desk, "What were you doing anyway?"

She released them, sighing deeply. "Writing to my parents to tell them about the babies. I was worried and stressed already with you two being gone and the tunnel being warded so I had no idea what was happening... so I decided I might as well get this over with. That way I don't have to feel like that _twice_..." She said with a wane smile.

Blaise sighed and kissed her forehead. "It'll be ok... you don't have to go back there this summer. I want you both with me... I don't think I could go a whole summer without either of you anyway."

"Mum will probably want us around her this summer anyway... you'll be getting along by then, and I'm sure she'll insist on looking after you. I'll warn you now, you'll probably be getting advice nonstop. She's bad enough when it's just a friend who's sprogged up... I can only imagine how she'll be when it's her own grandbabies."

Pansy smiled, blushing.

"Well, enough talk about parents... for now, I have the definite need to shag a certain redhead..." Blaise said, smirking over at Ron.

Pansy chuckled. "Didn't you get enough before?" She said, eyeing his strange outfit and running her hands over the soft material, then starting to play with the many shiny silver fastenings.

Blaise sighed. "About that... I'm afraid I'm not supposed to shag _you_ until Snape can look into some... issues... well, neither of us are actually... it appears I've started passing on a bit of the Re'em blood essence, and therefore my considerable excess of strength as well... and we aren't sure how it might effect the babies if I get any more in you than I already might have..."

"And Ron...?" She asked, looking between them wide-eyed.

"I... um... apparently already passed quite a bit on to him... he just knocked the shite out of a demon without even hurting himself." Blaise said with a smirk over at Ron, who blushed bright red.

Pansy looked between them again, then smiled, though a bit sadly. "Ok... at least I can still watch you two, right?" She asked with a smirk.

Blaise chuckled and slipped his arms around her, "I would _love_ for you to watch us... and when I'm done shagging him... well, just because I can't _shag_ you doesn't mean that I have any intention of leaving you unsatisfied..." He said, shifting down and kissing her neck, letting his tongue trace little circles against her skin suggestively, making Pansy giggle with delight.

-------------

Delse sighed happily when she woke, feeling Harry's warm body spooned up against her back. Her eyes fluttered open as she realized some of the cloth she felt between them wasn't the blanket. She shifted up, turning to look down at him. He blinked his eyes open, woken by her movements.

"You went already?" She asked, startled as she realized it was morning already, and he was clothed.

He smiled at her and nodded. "It's done."

"Why didn't you wake me?"

His smile slipped away. "I didn't want you there in case it went wrong."

She sighed. "I'm not a child, Harry. You don't have to protect me against every possible emotional disturbance."

"Sorry..." He sighed.

She gave him a little smile, leaning closer and kissing him. She sighed happily as she felt his hand gently brush down her side, coming to rest on her hip. "You know... I don't think anyone would say anything if I hung around until the holiday break... school should be letting out any day now..."

Harry sighed and dropped his eyes. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea..." He said sadly.

She blinked in surprise. "Why not?"

"This thing..." He said, gesturing vaguely towards the device on his neck. "It doesn't come off. Unless they find a way, which from the sounds of it is _very_ unlikely, this demon will be with me the rest of my life."

"Oh Harry... that's terrible..." She said, caressing his cheek comfortingly.

He sighed and nodded. "Ya, well... that's why I... I don't think anything should continue between us... I may be stuck with it, but it's mine to deal with and I don't feel right subjecting you to it." He looked away from the obvious pain in her eyes.

She gave a belabored sigh, reaching out and running her hand down his chest. "It should really be my choice whether to subject myself to this demon or not, but if you don't want to continue I'm certainly not going to force anything on you... I know this is probably a very difficult thing for you to deal with... but... not now."

He looked at her, surprised. "Not now?"

She gave him a little smile. "Like I said, it's nearly the holidays... Blaise and Pansy usually come to the Manor for Christmas, and they will probably bring Ron, and therefore the whole Weasley family, which includes Ginny of course... which means Draco will come as well... and that means you will be there as well, since Draco will have to be around to keep an eye on your demon... so, since you'll be in my home anyway, why not just be with me and enjoy yourself for the break? When it's over you will return to school and I will... go away..."

He glanced up, seeing the hopeful look in her eyes. He was still uneasy with the idea. He could feel himself getting attached to her already... the deep longing to say yes nearly overwhelming... but being with her for the whole holiday... it would probably make it ten times worse when they finally had to part...

**_Only a heartless bastard would give a poor lonely girl the boot just before the holidays..._** a voice hissed softly in his head.

Harry scowled. "Oh bottle it. You just want someone to shag!"

She chuckled.

Harry blushed. "Um... I was talking to..."

"I know." She said mirthfully, cutting off his embarrassed explanation. She shifted over, wrapping her arms around him and resting her head on his shoulder. "Still... it has a point. If you are planning to turn yourself into a monk and swear off sex for fear of letting your little demon taint innocent souls... don't you think it would be nice to let yourself have some pleasure first? Admittedly, I could definitely use a little intimacy in my life... even if it's short lived... before you, it had been..." She trailed off thoughtfully for a moment, "Merlin... it had been nearly seven years for me..."

Harry's eyes widened, "But... you were married! You said he died less than six months ago..."

She chuckled. "Married doesn't necessarily mean you're getting laid all the time Harry. He and his other Death Eater mates didn't make for the best of husbands..."

"Then why did you marry him?" He asked, confused.

She smiled at him. "No choice. The marriage was arranged by my parents before I was even born. As soon as the healer confirmed I was going to be a female, the papers were signed and that was that. It happens a lot in the older, pure blooded families. Why do you think the Slytherins areso sexually active in school? It's the last chance for many of them to have any kind of choice in who they bed." She said sadly. "Once I produced an heir, my usefulness was over. Over the years, he lost interest in me entirely. Like many of his friends, he preferred toming around for gullible young witches to shag. Probably some muggle women as well knowing him... Hell, maybe even men! Blaise certainly didn't get his tendency towards the same sex from me... but then again women are crazy!" She said with a smirk, "But as far as my husband's reasons for neglecting me... well, I was already caught and branded. What would be the challenge in shagging me?"

"Branded?" He said, darting a glance down at her warily.

She laughed and swatted his arm lightly, "Oh please Harry! Like there's an inch of my body you haven't seen by now! Ever hear of a metaphor? I just meant we were married and I was technically his property already. Of course I did nothing to _encourage_ him to touch me... He was never exactly gentle... but luckily it usually only lasted a minute or two anyway..." She said with a chuckle.

**_Now this is a woman in desperate need of some good shagging..._**

Harry decided he was definitely going to have to have a discussion with the demon about when opinions were and were _not_ appreciated. Still, as much as he hated to admit it, he had just thought the same exact thing. Harry sighed. "Ok... for the Holidays then... but only if it's ok with Blaise."

Delse laughed, hugging him tight. "Don't worry about Blaise... I'm sure he won't care... and if he does say anything I'll just threaten to forbid him to shag his little friends over the Holidays and put them in separate rooms!"

"Well... I don't think there will be any problem then..." Harry said, smirking.

---------------

Snape looked up and sighed as Dumbledore and McGonagall entered the room, but made no move to shift Hermione away. He was fully clothed where he lay on top of the covers on the side of her bed, but the way she was laying half on top of him, her arm wrapped around him possessively, was damning enough. He looked down at her as she slept. She looked so blissful and contented. He brushed the hair back from her face, then looked up at Dumbledore sadly.

"Can I have these last few days to set my House in order?" He asked softly, trying not to wake her, "I'd rather finish sorting out Blaise's issues before I leave at the very least..."

"I was planning on letting the students go a few days early this year, but I'm sure Blaise would appreciate being 'sorted out' before the holiday." Dumbledore said, nodding in agreement. "But I believe there were some issues we need to clear up before then..."

Snape sighed again, looking away, but remained silent, waiting for what he knew would be coming next.

"Am I correct in understanding that Miss Granger and yourself are in a relationship?" Dumbledore asked gently.

Snape stared studiously at a spot on the wall. "I didn't plan it, Albus." He sighed.

"Does that mean yes?" Dumbledore gently prodded.

Snape barely stifled an exasperated sigh, "Yes. Well, we were briefly, then stopped seeing eachother... but... I think we were both fooling ourselves... I can't give her up." He sighed and looked over, staring steadily into Dumbledore's eyes, "I love her."

Dumbledore gazed at him with an unreadable look on his face for a moment. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked softly.

Snape dropped his eyes again. "I guess I hoped it would just go away... that I would stop feeling the way I did about her and just forget about it." He gave a deep sigh. "I've worked here for fifteen years now... and in all that time I swear I've never even _thought_ about so much as laying a finger on one of my students... And then this silly, stubborn little know-it-all comes along..." He said, stroking her hair gently, a rueful smirk crossing his lips as he gazed down at her.

She shifted slightly, snuggling up to him more. She cracked her eyes open, a contented smile on her lips. Then she spotted Dumbledore and McGonagall. She let out a surprised squeak, scrambling away from him and pressing back against the wall on the other side of the bed as her cheeks blazed scarlet. "I just... I mean I fell asleep... and obviously... um...."

Snape reached over and patted the hand of the nearly frantic girl. "It's ok Hermione. They already know."

She looked at him, her eyes going even rounder than they had been, then darting over to the others. Her eyes darted between them, getting watery. "What are you going to do?" She asked Dumbledore, her voice no more than a horrified whisper.

"We were just coming to that part actually... as I was saying, you really should have told me. I've always considered you a loyal and trusted friend, Severus, and we have been through quite a lot together..." Snape lowered his eyes, looking duly guilty. "And yet through it all I have seen the pain and loneliness that you harbor deep inside... Something like that can consume you if it is allowed to. I, admittedly, had begun to fear you would never allow anyone close enough to you to help ease it. I can't tell you how relieved I am that you have finally found someone. I would have preferred it not be a _student_, but I suppose that is greatly preferable to one of the dark, deeply disturbed women who follow Lord Voldemort. Hermione, at least, should be good for you. That said, I fear it does present a bit of a problem... Many will not understand, as I'm sure you realize. To head off any possible complications later, Minerva will have to review all of Hermione's Potions assignment and test scores for the entire term so no one can claim favoritism... She will also, of course have to be the one grading any further work she turns in as well... and I don't usually like to dictate people's private lives, and I realize that I am asking a great deal, but I will also have to request that you keep the relationship a secret, at least until she graduates. Otherwise the other student's parents will undoubtedly..."

Snape had straightened, sitting up, "You make it sound as if I will be staying..." He said, breaking in.

Dumbledore blinked in surprise. "Were you planning on resigning? If so, a bit more notice would be appreciated. It's not easy finding teachers midyear."

"But the school rules clearly state that..." Snape began.

McGonagall was the one who cut in this time, "That no teacher shall have any kind of relationship other than teacher-student or family relation with any child entrusted into their care for the purposes of education and guidance." She said crisply.

Snape nodded mutely.

"Well," She said with a slight smirk. "I see no children here, do you?"

Snape blinked at her blankly.

"As of September 19th, Miss Granger is seventeen years of age, and has therefore reached her legal majority as decreed by the Ministry of Magic. Not to mention that I'm sure she added at least a month or two to that by the frequent use of a time-turner to attend her classes in her third year. I assume you were well aware of this fact and took it into due consideration when entering into a relationship with her." She said, a smile definitely tugging on the sides of her normally stern mouth.

"So... you aren't going to do anything about us?" Snape asked, incredulous.

Dumbledore smiled, "Well, as I said, her assignments will have to be graded by Minerva, but since you generally grade outside class anyway, that should raise no questions. I'm afraid Hermione probably should return to Gryffindor after the Holidays. Several of your students apparently know already, but I trust you will be able to convince them to remain silent as well."

"They won't say anything." Snape replied without hesitation.

"And _you're_ ok with this?" Hermione asked McGonagall incredulously. The woman had been nothing short of prudish when dealing with any other relationships amongst the students.

McGonagall gave her a little smile, "I can't say I'm happy about you entering into a relationship this early in life, but if you must, I can find no fault in your choice. Boys your own age are much too young to be making life decisions reliably... I've seen broken hearted young women being emotionally scarred far too often to approve of getting too close at this age... but I dare say Severus is capable of making a mature decision, and not likely to change his mind in a week and run off in search of greener pastures. And more than that... despite initial impressions, he is a _good man_. I'm glad someone else was able to see that as well." She said, giving Snape a little smile.

"Well then. That's settled." Dumbledore said genially, "If either of you should have any other concerns on the subject, my door is always open. Oh, and Hermione, I have some post for you..." He said, fishing out an envelope and handing it to her. "It arrived the day before yesterday, but you were... unavailable." He said with a little smile.

She bit her lip as she saw her mother's neat script. She was so worried about what it might say that the unblemished stamp on the corner didn't even bring a smirk to her face as it usually did. She had shown her parents where to go to send her mail by owl, but they were forever putting stamps on the letters, though they weren't needed. Habit she supposed.

She opened the envelope, trying to keep her hands from shaking, and quickly read through the letter. Her jaw dropped.

"What is it?" Snape asked in concern.

"Mum says I'm to stay at Hogwarts over the holiday, and they will mail my presents... they're going to a Dentistry symposium in London and then they have been invited to stay with some friends there for Christmas..." She looked over at Snape, dropping her hands. "My school is being terrorized by a demon, it _rips out my soul_ and I'm laying here like a rug for _days_ and they're telling me not to visit for Christmas?!?" She said indignantly.

"They don't know about any of that, Hermione." Dumbledore said gently. "They don't receive any wizard newspapers, and Cornelius blocked any outgoing mail that could possibly have anything to do with the demon. I'm afraid I was never able to inform them, or I'm sure they would have been here by your side."

"Oh..." Hermione said softly. It was still hard to fully realize that her parents could possibly be so far removed from what was happening in her world. "Probably best..." She said sadly, gazing down at the letter.

"I will inform the house elves that you will be staying. Of course, I'm afraid this year is a notable exception in that there will be no other students staying to my knowledge. Not surprising given recent events I suppose. Even many of the teachers that usually stay will be going... though I'm sure I'll be able to find at least one to stay to look after you..." He said, his eyes twinkling as his gaze drifted to Snape. "See you at breakfast." He said with a little nod, turning and departing. McGonagall gave them a smile before following him out, leaving Snape and Hermione staring at eachother in shock as little smiles began creeping onto their faces.

------------

Spirits were high as they gathered in the Slytherin Common room in preparation for the trip to the Great Hall for breakfast. Hermione felt a bit nervous being surrounded by Slytherins, many of whom she had been exchanging insults with just a few weeks earlier. She leaned against the far wall and tried to make herself invisible as Snape went about rounding up his students.

"Hey..."

Hermione started slightly, then smiled in relief as she saw Ginny come to a stop beside her. "Hi."

"Listen..." Ginny said, looking uncomfortable, "I'm really sorry about not talking to you or anything after coming to Slytherin... after the... well, what happened to you, I felt simply wretched..."

Hermione gave her a little smile. "It's ok. I'm sure you had a lot to deal with."

Ginny grinned, unconsciously twisting the ring around her finger. Hermione spotted it and grabbed her hand, bringing it up to where she could see it. She looked up at Ginny with huge eyes. Ginny grinned and blushed. "Draco just gave it to me last night..." She said bashfully.

"Draco Malfoy asked you to marry him?!?" Hermione asked in shock.

Ginny beamed and nodded.

"Yep, all the girls will be crying when they find out..." Pansy chuckled as she came up, draping her arm on Ginny's shoulder in a gesture that looked so causal Hermione had to stare. "Let me see the rock..."

Ginny grinned and held her hand up so Pansy could see. Pansy let out a low whistle, examining it appreciatively. "Now you don't see craftsmanship like _that_ anymore..."

Ginny was absolutely beaming. "It was Darien's Grandmother's..."

Pansy sighed longingly, gazing at the breathtaking ring. "Doubt I'm ever going to see one of those..."

"What is the fixation with rings?" Blaise said, overhearing her as he strolled over, slipping his arms around her from behind, nuzzling up to her and kissing her neck lovingly, "You want rings, I'll give you rings. Say the word and you'll have one for every finger and every toe! Of course I'll have to get some with expanding spells on them since you're going to be blowing up like a balloon soon..." He said, smirking evilly.

Pansy elbowed him in the gut, not bothering to pull the blow. He just let out a little grunt, then chuckled, kissing her neck again. "But you're going to be the prettiest balloon around, love..." he said, tenderly caressing her stomach.

Hermione was looking back and forth between them. "Do you mean she's... pregnant?" She asked, shocked.

Blaise laughed, "And then some! Two precious, perfect little babies..." He sighed happily, nuzzling her neck. "Molly is going to lose her marbles when she finds out!"

Hermione furrowed her brow, "Molly? You mean Molly Weasley?" They nodded, "But why would she lose her marbles over your babies?"

They looked at eachother, then laughed. "I see you haven't been fully briefed yet..." Blaise said, smiling at her kindly, "You see, I got her pregnant in the first place, but that second one Ron put there."

Hermione looked slightly faint. "You're having _Ron's_ baby?"

Pansy grinned and nodded. "He should be along in a minute... he's writing his parents to invite them to Zabini Manor for the holidays. We're going to tell them then. Oh, and the twins are going to be fathers too! Of twin halfblooded Snow Elves no less! That reminds me, I have to ask Delse if she has some calming drafts around the manor for Mrs. Weasley. Otherwise we really should stop and get some from Pomfrey before leaving..." She said with a smirk, patting Blaise's arm. "We haven't had time to plan anything extravagant for the holidays of course, but it's certainly going to be interesting..." Pansy looked over, "Oh, there's Crabbe... he said he'd send off the post for us..."

Ginny looked over at him, then scanned the room, not spotting Ron. She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I best go prod Ron or he'll never get that letter finished." She grumbled. "See you later Hermione." She said quickly, giving her a smile and hurrying off in search of her brother.

Pansy pulled an envelope out of one of the inside pockets of her green trimmed robes and looked at it pensively for a moment before sighing and heading towards where Crabbe stood near the entrance.

Blaise leaned up against the wall beside Hermione, "Ron was really torn up when the demon got you... even offered himself as bait to catch it. You really mean a lot to him." He said conversationally.

Hermione looked him over, "You're the one the demon cursed, aren't you? The one they said Ron was... umm..." She blushed, trailing off.

Blaise grinned, "Shagging? Most definitely. He's bloody brilliant in bed!" He said guilelessly.

Her cheeks made a valiant attempt at crimson. "So... um... he..."

"Swings both ways. Mmhmm." Blaise said, nodding agreeably, "Thank Merlin! Don't know what we would do without him..." He said, sighing happily.

Hermione shifted, definitely uncomfortable with the conversation. She had nothing against people with... _differences_... but it was a bit unsettling to suddenly find out someone she had been so close to for _years_ was one and she hadn't even realized it. "Well... um, it looks like your eyes are fixed at least."

Blaise nodded, "When I want them to be." He smirked, making his eyes go opalescent as she watched in shock. "Wicked, eh?" He said, letting them return to normal.

"Sure..." She said, now even more uneasy with this odd boy.

He looked over, "Hey, there's Ron..." He said, smiling brilliantly and heading over towards where Ron now stood by the hallway to their room without another word.

Hermione gave a sigh of relief. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to react to all of this sudden attention. Movement caught her eye and she looked over, seeing Harry approach. The Slytherins parted like the Red Sea before him, giving him a very wide berth, but he didn't even seem to notice, his attention focused on Hermione.

"Hermione!" He said with a little smile as he came to a stop before her, "How are you feeling?"

"Better." She said with a smirk.

His eyes dropped some, the smile fading from his lips. "Well, now that I know you aren't possessed... I just wanted to tell you again how sorry I am..." He said softly.

She sighed, stepping closer to him and giving him a hug. "Don't Harry. It wasn't your doing, and I probably did a fair bit of bad things while I was possessed as well. Snape mentioned something about my having been a bit wretched to you... said you were really upset over it..."

"I'd say!" Blaise said, walking back over with his arm around Ron's waist.

Hermione couldn't help but notice that this public display of affection didn't even seem to embarrass Ron. He had always been so very uneasy with so much as accidentally brushing her in the past, and yet there he was, his arm draped over Blaise's shoulder in a thoughtlessly affectionate manner. He then slipped away from Blaise for a moment, giving her a oddly careful hug before returning to Blaise's side, their arms finding their place again as he beamed at her. Blaise's next words shocked her instantly out of her musings.

"Harry went and tried to snuff himself the next night in the Prefect's bathroom. Sliced both arms wrist to elbow and very nearly did it up right. Would have if Draco hadn't pulled him out of the tub and fixed him up."

Her eyes darted over to Harry. He was glaring at Blaise, his cheeks blazing brightly. "She didn't need to know that!" He grumbled irritably.

"Harry," Ron said softly, "She's one of your best friends. I think she has the right to know. She'd find out if she ever looked at your arms anyway, and then I'd wager she'd be twice as upset since you kept it from her. Or were you planning on wearing long sleeved shirts year round now?"

Hermione took Harry's hand and pulled it closer, lifting the edge of his sleeve and looking under. He just sighed and let her. He looked relieved as Snape opened the door, "I'm fine. Let's go to breakfast." He said quickly, using it as an excuse to pull his arm away and pull his sleeve back into place.

They queued up, following the line of Slytherins out the door. Ron and Blaise went off looking for Draco and Ginny. As Harry and Hermione started down the corridor the others left a good several meters before and after them.

Hermione looked over, "Did I really hurt you that bad?" She asked achingly, keeping her voice low as she reached over, taking his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

He glanced over at her, then dropped his eyes. "It was... a lot of things, Hermione. It wasn't just you. Listen, it's over, I failed... I have no immediate plans to try again... so can we just forget it ever happened?"

Hermione sighed. That was somewhat less than completely reassuring. "Were... were you wanting to get back together now?" She asked, trying to keep the worry out of her voice.

He gave a little laugh, then his eyes widened as he saw the surprised look on her face. He immediately sobered. "I'm sorry... were you serious?"

Hermione let go of his hand and folded her arms across her chest, staring at him as they walked, not absolutely sure she shouldn't be highly offended.

"Hermione..." He sighed, "Listen... I know if you were to go out with me it would only be out of guilt, pity or some kind of misguided loyalty. I really don't want that between us. Besides..." He said, looking decidedly uncomfortable, "I'm kind of... seeing someone else... it's temporary, but only because I don't really want a relationship right now... things are too... _complicated_ for me as it is."

She blinked, "Oh... ok." She said softly. She couldn't believe he had replaced her so quickly. She'd only been 'away' for a couple days from what Snape had told her. "Who is it?"

He looked even more uncomfortable now. He glanced over at her, "We don't exactly want to make this public knowledge..."

"Of course..." Hermione said, puzzled. He'd never shown concern about the possibility of her telling people anything, and he'd confided some very personal information in her before.

He altered his path, bringing him up right beside her, and dropped his voice so there was no chance of being overheard. "Delse Zabini."

Hermione blinked. She didn't remember any students by that name. "Zabini like the boy Ron's seeing? I think Pansy mentioned her... I didn't know he had a sister."

Harry cleared his throat uneasily, "He doesn't. It's his... um... mum." He said, the last word so whisper soft she was scarcely sure she had heard him correctly.

"His...?" He immediately cut her off with a stern glance. She couldn't help but giggle, clapping her hand over her mouth to stifle it.

He leaned closer as they came to a stop as the line was held up by the Ravenclaws, who were still filing into the Great Hall ahead of them. "I might mention," He said softly, "That she is two years younger than Snape."

Her eyes went round and darted over to him. He couldn't possibly know... but then why did he have that little smile on his face?

"So, where do you want to sit?" He asked, changing the subject deftly.

She blinked, suddenly realizing that was a valid question. "I suppose we should sit at the Gryffindor table... the others will be talking enough without us being seen at the Slytherin table. That's assuming the Slytherin's would even let us."

Harry nodded, "Let me check..."

She watched, baffled, as he got out of line and made his way back to where Draco was, talking to him briefly before returning to her side. "Ok." He said simply.

She would have questioned him about this odd behavior, but just then the line moved forward and before they knew it, they were in the Great Hall. It felt like every eye was on them as they made their way to the Gryffindor table. Even the teachers were all watching them, and this didn't pass the student's notice. Murmuring buzzed through the room. As they reached their usual spot at the Gryffindor table, the students sitting nearby quickly shifted away. He would almost think they were being helpful, but then he and Hermione alone didn't require nearly a three meter stretch of table to themselves. Harry just rolled his eyes and sat near the middle of the expansive gap, Hermione settling down beside him.

Neville got up from where he was sitting and moved down into the perhaps two meter gap that had formed opposite them. "Harry! Hermione! You're ok!" He said excitedly, grinning widely.

They smiled back at him, nodding. Harry couldn't help but notice a slight hint of bruising left under one of his eyes. From what he'd heard, the demon had struck him hard enough to break his nose, blackening both of his eyes quite completely. Luckily, the residual bruising was all the evidence that was left thanks to Madam Pomfrey.

"I'm sorry about that punch..." Harry said with a sheepish grin.

Neville smiled, "It's ok... wasn't you. Besides, I owe you."

Harry blinked at him, "Owe me?"

"They would have killed me. By taking the demon instead, you saved my life. I owe you a Wizard's debt." Neville said seriously.

Harry laughed. "Neville, it probably wouldn't have been in you in the first place if it wasn't trying to work it's way over to me..." He saw that Neville wasn't going to be talked out of this and sighed, "Fine, I saved your life, but you paid me back right away, so we're even."

"Paid you back?" Neville asked, puzzled.

Harry smiled at him warmly, "You stood down a demon single handedly while all of our oh-so-brave Housemates ran for it, probably pissing themselves as they went!" He said, finishing with a little chuckle and a glance over at some of the surrounding Gryffindors that had been surreptitiously listening in, making them shift uneasily with embarrassment.

"But... I didn't do anything! I didn't stop it! All I did was melt one of it's swords, and that wasn't even what I was _trying_ to do..." he said, his cheeks coloring.

"Whether you meant to or not, you at least stalled it, not to mention you got one of the swords away from it. If it had still had both when it faced Draco in that clearing... I think the outcome might well have been very different. You might not think it was a big deal, but I truly believe that's all that kept it from managing to kill Draco and running off with me... not to mention undoubtedly causing a whole lot more damage and deaths after that." He said sincerely.

Neville stared at him, clearly shocked that anything he did might have actually helped, his cheeks blushing brightly.

"So, as I said, we're even. Thanks Neville."

A little smile tugged at the side of Neville's mouth. He looked back up at Harry, his eyes settling on the high collar on his shirt. Harry wasn't normally one to wear high necked shirts. "Did... did it scar you? That thing that trapped it?" he asked, his tone lowered so the surrounding students couldn't hear well.

Harry shifted uneasily. It was quite obvious that the Slytherins were the only ones with any clue where the demon currently was, and he wasn't sure it was a good idea to spread the knowledge around. "Um... no..." He began uneasily, then stifled a sigh of relief as Dumbledore stood, calling their attention back to the front. Though he usually paid avid attention whenever Dumbledore spoke, Harry found himself only half listening, his mind preoccupied with questions of what was to become of him now. Would they even let him finish his studies here while carrying a demon inside him?

The students let out a sudden roar of applause and cheers as Dumbledore announced the Demon had been contained. Harry couldn't help but wonder how they would react to knowing just where they had stuck the demon... the Slytherins were even leery of him, and they knew it was being controlled by a competent demon handler.

Dumbledore went on to announce that they would be letting out for the Holiday break the next day, two days ahead of schedule, and be returning to regular classes upon their return. That definitely seemed to be a great relief to many of the students. While few were probably truly glad to be starting lessons again, it would at least be a return to normalcy.

"Furthermore," Dumbledore said once the applause had gone back down, "Though this is not a Saturday, since this last Hogsmeade visit had to be canceled, any who have permission to visit Hogsmeade will be allowed to do so today."

This met with more cheers, though the lower years were just looking glum, not having permission to go yet.

Dumbledore continued, making the students immediately quiet. "If you wish to go, meet in the Entrance Hall at ten o'clock. I must, however, request that you go only to shops on the main street. The constant threat of the demon may not be hanging over our heads anymore, but we are still, unfortunately, at war. There will be teachers around as you do your shopping. If you absolutely _must_ go to a shop off of the main street, please find one of the teachers and ask them to accompany you. Any students found wandering off on their own will have their Hogsmeade privileges revoked for their own protection."

He let them discuss this amongst themselves for a moment, then lifted his hand again. Instant silence followed. "Since this is only a treat for the upperclassmen, we have also decided to hold an informal Yule Ball tonight, open to _all_ students. Since there was little notice, dress robes will not be required. It will begin after dinner and go until ten."

That was enough to keep the conversation very lively for the remainder of the meal, and there was a great deal of moving about as the students tried to get dates for the Ball.

Hermione and Harry just ate in silence for a time, watching the other students. When Hermione had finished her food, she shifted back from the table, sighing happily, "It'll be good to get out of the castle, won't it? Where would you like to go first?"

Harry looked over at her hesitantly, lowering his glass of juice. "Um... I'm not entirely sure I'm going to Hogsmeade." He said, his cheeks coloring slightly.

She looked at him, surprise. "Why not? Your permission slip from last year is still good. I mean Professor McGonagall let you go last time."

He shifted uneasily. "I'm just not sure I _can_. I'll have to ask..."

She furrowed her brow, glancing over towards the Slytherin table. Draco and several other were covertly keeping an eye on Harry. "Ask who? Malfoy?"

Harry busied himself buttering another roll, not answering her.

She looked at him in confusion. "I thought you hated him."

"I do." He muttered darkly, stabbing the knife back into the butter with a bit more enthusiasm than necessary.

"So why does it matter what he thinks? Why do you need his permission to do anything?"

Harry looked at her for a minute, then glanced around. None of the others appeared to be paying attention to them anymore, caught up in plans for the day, even Neville having wandered off, but there was still always the chance of the wrong person hearing. "Not here, Hermione." He said softly. "Not here!" He repeated firmly when she opened her mouth to question him further.

She looked at him, shocked and obviously concerned, but let it drop.

------------

As it approached ten, the Slytherin upperclassmen made their way towards the Entrance Hall. Harry didn't much care to have to stay with Draco for the trip, but it had been a pleasant surprise when Draco had allowed it (After setting down another dozen rules or so of course). He still hadn't been able to bring himself to tell Hermione about the demon, and luckily they had been kept too preoccupied for her to pursue her previous line of questioning.

His spirits, which had just begun to raise a bit, were quickly shot down as he spotted Cornelius Fudge and a squad of his Aurors making their way down the corridor, Fudge's eyes undeniably trained on him. He sighed and rolled his eyes. Snape came to a stop, letting Harry catch up to him before Fudge reached them.

"What is the meaning of this?!?" Fudge demanded angrily.

"What are you referring to Minister?" Snape asked, his voice making no secret of how very weary he was of dealing with this man.

"This!" He said, gesturing to Harry vehemently. "Letting _this_ walk about free! I was shocked enough hearing that it was allowed to go out amongst the students during Breakfast. You can't possibly even consider letting it go into Hogsmeade! It's downright irresponsible!"

"Mr. Potter is a Hogwarts student. We will not keep him locked away just because _you_ acted rashly and with a complete lack of foresight."

Fudge turned beet red, "It was not _I_ who let him out on the grounds to foil a perfectly good plan!"

Snape rolled his eyes. "No one _let_ Potter out onto the grounds. He got there all on his own. So, what would _you_ have us do with him then?"

"I've had a nice room made up for him. He should be comfortable enough." Fudge said haughtily.

"Where?" Snape asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Azkaban of course." Fudge replied, looking as if he thought that should have been obvious.

Snape's nostrils flared. "You want us to send a student to Azkaban for _your stupidity_?!?"

Fudge glared at him, "I'll not be talked to like that from the likes of you!" He growled. "And I'll have you know, Azkaban isn't nearly so bad anymore. There are no Dementors after all."

"No, just a desolate, frozen island in the middle of the sea with nothing but gray walls and bars to stare at. I'm sure it's quite homey now. So what then? I suppose you'll keep him there until the battle with the Dark Lord gets heated, then shuffle him off to do the honors as the little prophesy foretold, then back into the cell to live out the remainder of his days in isolation."

"You're blowing it out of proportion, Snape." Fudge said, trying to disguise the anger in his voice, but failing. "Anything would sound bad if you put it like that."

"Are you a guest?" Harry asked softly.

Fudge looked over at him, startled, having nearly forgotten he was even present and able to hear them he'd been so quiet. He furrowed his brow, glaring at him. "Guest? What is this tripe?"

"Are you Dumbledore's guest here?" Harry asked again, his voice soft and completely calm, as if he hadn't heard a word Fudge had just said about him.

Fudge's face clouded with anger as he straightened importantly, "I happen to be the Minister of Magic. I don't need that old fool's permission or blessing to enter this school!" he said pompously.

"So is that a no?" Harry asked, his voice still disconcertingly neutral.

Fudge puffed up his chest a bit more. "No, I am _not_ his guest, nor do I _need_ to..."

He never got to finish his sentence, suddenly finding himself lifted off his feet and slammed against the stone wall of the corridor with a bone jarring impact.

Blaise, who had been walking not too far behind Harry, laughed, leaning up against the wall opposite and folding his arms across his chest, watching with undisguised amusement. The Aurors, far from coming to Fudge's aid, were backing off. They knew all too well that their spells would have no effect, and most of them had been among those severely injured by the Demon's last rampage with the swords. "Hey Draco! Your little friend's about to kill Fudge!" He called back down the corridor with a chuckle.

When Fudge's eyes cleared, he saw Harry's face inches from his own, his eyes suddenly glowing bright red as he crushed him against the wall with one hand wrapped around his throat in a steely grip. "Excellent..." He breathed. "Because I know you are no relation to anyone here, and you're sure as hell no one here's friend... which makes you fair game..." He smirked at him, his glowing eyes dancing with mirth, "I thought I killed you once already you slimey, obsequious publicity whore! I see now that it was a mistake not to make _very_ sure... Don't worry, I never make the same mistake twice..." He hissed, holding up his free hand where Fudge could see it. He watched with relish as Fudge's eyes bugged when he saw the long, shadowy talons slide out of his fingertips.

Fudge let out a shriek of agony as Harry plunged the talon's into his chest.

"He is a guest."

Harry's glowing eyes darted over, growling in frustration as he saw Dumbledore walking up the corridor towards him, looking as composed and unhurried as ever. He looked back at Fudge, glaring at him hatefully before letting his talons retract from Fudge's chest far more slowly than necessary.

"It was only going to rip his soul out." Draco said, making his way through the crowd. "I would have made it put it back." Somehow, that sounded unconvincing... especially given the nasty smirk he was giving Fudge, who was now shaking and clutching his chest.

"You see! That thing is dangerous! It needs to be confined!" Fudge gasped, staring fearfully at Harry, who had only backed off by about a pace, and continued to glare at him with those hateful red eyes.

"It's only dangerous if you are daft enough to talk openly of throwing it into Azkaban for the rest of Potter's natural life, and then top it off by telling it you are here uninvited!" Blaise said with a laugh.

Dumbledore's eyes alighted on Blaise for a moment, then darted over to Fudge. "I know you weren't even suggesting such a thing... Harry has done nothing to justify such treatment." He said, his eyes getting a dangerous quality that spoke of the awful power the old man could wield if angered.

Fudge glowered at him. "It is a danger to everyone! That bloody Malfoy boy should be shut up in the cell right next to him for even thinking of unleashing this thing on innocent students and townspeople!"

"Are you threatening my master?" Harry asked softly, a wicked grin sliding onto his lips.

"No!" Fudge said quickly. He straightened, tugging his rumpled clothing back into proper place and trying to regain a bit of composure. "No, of course not..." He muttered irritably.

Harry looked very disappointed.

When Fudge had recovered sufficiently, he glared over at Dumbledore. "Fine. Do as you please with the beast. When it has slaughtered half the students it will be on _your_ head, not mine!"

Dumbledore gave a little nod. "So be it." He started to turn to go back the way he had come, but then paused, glancing back at Fudge. "Oh... and just so you know, I don't believe I will be inviting you back to visit Hogwarts again. Your presence is too disruptive to the students. And... I wouldn't suggest you return uninvited..." He said, glancing over at Harry pointedly before continuing on his way.

Fudge sputtered indignantly, but fell silent as he saw the eager look on Harry's face.

"Oh, and just so you know..." Draco said, coming up next to Harry and patting him on the shoulder, "It has a _very_ long memory, and can literally hold a grudge for centuries... not to mention that I obviously can't think of every way you might find to slip yourself through loopholes inthe instructions I have given it to protect those around me... your stupidity is truly too profound for me to fathom, so how am I supposed to account for it? Not to mention that I have given it explicit permission to defend Harry and his well being... and I would say imprisonment would encroach upon that well being... So, I guess I'm just saying that I believe Dumbledore is absolutely correct in saying you should leave and not return... I also wouldn't suggest that you go wandering down any dark alleys any time soon... or into any closets... or basements... really anywhere out of easy screaming distance..." He said with an evil smirk, turning Harry and guiding him in the direction they had been heading.

Harry looked back over his shoulder, giving Fudge one last wicked grin full of the dark promise of things to come. Fudge gave an involuntary shudder and remained where he was, letting them go on without any further objections.

Draco looked over at Harry as they mounted the stairs, an amused smirk still on his lips, "I thought I told you not to take over the body unless necessary."

Harry looked over at him, "Unless necessary or given _explicit permission_..." He said, grinning evilly.

-----------------------

A/N - If you're wondering, yes, that is Hermione's correct birthday (according to mugglenet. Ron's is March 1st, and the twins of course were born on April 1st! Just in case you were wondering.), though I am admittedly unsure about if that would mean she was turning sixteen or seventeen on that date. In the States, that is past the deadline, and she would have to start school the next year, just before her _twelfth_ birthday, but I don't know what the deadline is there... but since students that are to attend Hogwarts receive their acceptance letter _ON_ their eleventh birthday, I assume the cutoff would be the day before school starts or even sooner, and therefore nearly three weeks before her birthday. So I believe I have correctly guessed her age. And if you're wondering about why Dumbledore and McGonagall were ok with him & Hermione... well if you had to work around Snape, wouldn't you prefer he be getting some? I'm sure it would do wonders for his disposition, even outside Slytherin House (giggles).

amy-felton - I like to make people use their own imaginations sometimes. I'm justevil that way ;P

Alotua - She has never called him Severus. She prefers Snape. Severus sounds too much like decapitating. _I_ would keep calling him Snape even if I was shagging him... (takes a few minutes to ponder that.... (happy sigh)) Oh, and as for wrapping this story up, I will when it's over! It will definitely surpass the 50 chapter mark, but that's all I can tell you.

Well, this was a bloody _long_ chapter and it's 3am, so I'm just gonna post this without another proofread, so sorry if there are any mistakes.


	49. Chapter 49

A/N - possibly disturbing stuff. Just so you know.

-------------

Chapter 49

Harry hurried to catch up with Hermione as she made her way out the gates and down the path towards Hogsmeade. "Hermione..." He said a bit breathlessly, slowing to match her pace as he came abreast of her.

She looked over at him, her eyes apprehensive as she altered her direction a bit to put more room between them. Harry noted it and his face fell. "Why didn't you tell me that _thing_ was still in you?" she asked, fear and anger warring in her voice.

Harry let out a pained sigh. "Well your reaction should be enough explanation why..." He said morosely.

"Harry..." She said sadly, "That thing nearly killed us both! You can't expect me to be comfortable around it!"

"But it's under control now!" He said in a soft, pleading voice.

She looked over at him sharply, "If you hadn't noticed, it just nearly killed a man!"

His expression darkened. "No one would have mourned _that one_..."

She looked over at Harry in shock. "He's still a _person_, Harry! You couldn't possible condone that thing's actions just because you don't like the man!"

Harry kept his face and voice carefully neutral. "You don't know what all that man has done, Hermione."

"What could he _possibly_ have done to deserve having his soul ripped out?" She said crossly, folding her arms over her chest.

"He was planning on trapping it in a student and then _killing them_ just to try to kill the demon! And you know what?" He said, his expression darkening, "It wouldn't have even worked! Once he had incinerated whatever poor bastard it was stuck in, it would have been free to flee again with at _most_ minor damage from the brief exposure to the sun. Not to mention he used every means at his disposal to keep them from curing Blaise!"

"Did you even _know_ Blaise?"

"I didn't have to! Ron _loves_ him Hermione! If you could have seen the pain in him when Blaise lay dying while that pompous bastard made sure they couldn't get what they needed to cure him you would understand! And then there was Delse..." His voice dropped away, his eyes dropping. "I'd rather die than see that pain in their eyes again..." he said softly.

Hermione let out a sigh of frustration, "Harry... yes that was horrible, but it still doesn't justify allowing that thing to commit murder!"

He looked back up at her, his eyes filling with anger, "Ya, well you didn't have to put up with his little _tests_ either!" He said, stopping in front of her and making her come to a stop as well, his voice dropping. "He stood there and ordered test after bloody test... knowing _full well the whole time_ there was no trace of that bloody demon in me! Do you have any idea what he _did_ to me? Let's see you get over two dozen poisons and deadly venoms inserted under your skin just because some old crackpot once theorized that if someone was brought close enough to death any demons present would flee their body. Do you know what it feels like when your heart stops beating? To feel your dying breath rattle from your chest, only to be brought back and put through it all over again? What it's like to have Vipertooth venom blazing through your veins? Feeling your entire body burning so fiercely you were sure you would burst into flame at any moment? **_I do!_** _Ninety eight_ tests he put me through! _Ninety eight_ scars etched into my body! And you know what his reply was when they told him the count in the end? He chuckled and asked if they had two more tests so it could be a nice round number! At least he thought to have an antidote around for those!"

He unbuttoned his collar angrily, pulling it open so she could see the fine filigree that appeared to be no more than a tattoo on his skin, "_This_ he didn't bother finding a counter to before using! This bloody demon is here to stay, and nothing short of my death will remove it, so if you want me to stay away from you, fine! But as far as Fudge goes, not only would I let it take out that bastard, I gave it permission!"

Hermione was just staring at him, wide eyed with shock and horror. He turned, tears streaming from his eyes as he pushed through the Slytherins who had formed a shielding circle around them unnoticed to keep the other students from witnessing the scene.

Ron gave her a pained, disappointed look, then hurried off after Harry. He had to follow the footprints in the snow as they veered off into the wooded area to one side of the road, the surrounding trees just dense enough to block direct sight. After a few minutes he came to a stop as he saw Harry ahead, sitting slumped against an old downed tree. He sighed, noting how his shoulders were shaking, and walked towards him. When he reached him he crouched beside him. "Harry..." He said softly, reaching out and putting his hand on his trembling shoulder.

Harry scrubbed his tears away angrily with his sleeve. "I'm fine." He said hoarsely.

Ron sighed. "She didn't know Harry... no one knew... I never even imagined he would do something like that! Why didn't you tell us?"

Harry gave a humorless snort of laughter. "Does it really matter?"

"Of course it does!" Ron said, shocked he would ever think it didn't.

Harry looked over at him, an aching sadness in his eyes, "I can't live like this Ron... seeing the people close to me living in fear of me... wondering if I will turn on them at any moment. And I can't even reassure them I won't! How could I ever be absolutely sure this thing is really in check? I might wake one morning and find it's slaughtered the whole lot of you! Maybe Fudge was right... maybe I do need to be confined..."

"Don't say that Harry..." Ron said, wrapping his arms around him and holding him gently, "Don't ever say that..."

Harry didn't resist, letting his head rest against Ron's shoulder as tears stung his eyes once more.

"Harry..."

Harry looked up and saw Hermione walking over. She crouched to the other side of him, reaching out and tentatively stroking her hand down his cheek. "I'm sorry Harry..." She said softly, "I was just so surprised..."

He dropped his eyes.

She let out a pained sigh and leaned forward, hugging him as well, "I'm so sorry..." She said again, pressing her cheek to his damp one. "You can kill Fudge all you want..." She said consolingly.

Harry couldn't help but let out a little laugh, slipping his arm around her and pulling her close.

------------

Ron, Pansy and Blaise strolled into Hogsmeade arm in arm, ignoring the odd glances they got from a number of people. They did have Pansy in the middle to cut down on the shock value, but otherwise didn't really care what anyone else thought. Ron had kept an eye on Harry and Hermione for the rest of the trip into town. Draco hadn't been happy with Harry running off, but didn't say anything since he returned on his own before he had to go searching for him. Hermione was walking by Harry's side again. If she still feared the demon within him, she hid it well. Ron was reluctant to let Blaise lead him off in the opposite direction as Draco's little group when they entered town, but relented after some coaxing.

Blaise led them off purposefully, obviously not just window shopping. When he turned them towards the door of the jewelry shop Pansy balked. "Blaise... I was only..."

"Oh come on..." Blaise said with a smirk, "Ever since I took that little charm away from you, you keep feeling for it whenever you're nervous or upset. It was cute when you used to fiddle with it, but now it just makes me feel guilty when you reach up and find nothing there... I insist on replacing it. Well, with a _regular_ charm that is." he said, smirking.

She grinned, blushing, "Oh... that... ok." She said, letting him lead her into the shop.

Ron looked around in awe when they had entered the shop. It was obviously a very high end jewelry shop. Ron had never dared do more than press his face against the window of such an establishment before. He felt decidedly out of place amongst such riches. The shop keeper obviously recognized Blaise and was almost tripping over himself to please Pansy, showing her a dazzling array of sparkling charms and enumerating the merits of each lavishly.

Ron wandered over to the other side of the small shop, looking down at the display case before him. There were hundreds of rings in the immaculate, well lit case, each with a price tag before it that was even more dazzling than the ring itself. Ron looked them over and shook his head ruefully. The absolute cheapest ring in the entire case, which was so tiny it had to be intended for a small child, cost more than his father made in an entire month.

"See anything you like?" Blaise said, coming up beside him and gazing down in the case as well.

Ron just chuckled, "How could anyone actually feel right wearing one of these? I mean you see the price tag on that one there?" He said, pointing to a thin banded platinum ring with a unpretentious diamond mounted in it in a very subdued, traditional style. "The big farm down the road from the Burrow sold for less than that!"

Blaise laughed. "Well the prices might not be exactly modest, but they have some of the finest jewelry in Europe."

"For that much I'd certainly hope so." He said, smirking over at Blaise.

"Seriously though, do you see anything you'd like? Christmas is coming up you know..." He asked with a smirk.

Ron's eyes went round and he straightened up. "I couldn't possibly get anything here! It's far too expensive!"

Blaise chuckled. "These are trifles, Ron." He paused, looking at him with a little smirk slipping onto his lips, "You have no idea just how much money I have, do you?"

Ron shifted uneasily, "Well you and your mum haven't had to get jobs since your dad died... so I supposed you did alright for yourselves..."

Blaise laughed, "You really don't... that's so _cute!_ And kind of refreshing actually." He slipped his arm around Ron's waist, pulling him close. "Your family owns a decent plot of land, right?"

Ron looked at him, his brow furrowed, wondering where this was leading. "Ya... all the way past the pond and quite a bit of the surrounding forest..."

Blaise nodded, "Well, not to be making comparisons, but just to give you an idea... my _house_ is about a third again the size of all the land your family owns." Blaise said with a smirk.

Ron's eyes went wide. "What would you possibly need a house that big for?"

Blaise grinned. "We don't. It was mostly to show off for father's friends. We actually pretty much stick to the smaller central portion... leave the wings for guests and such... and the grounds expand for a good few miles in every direction... then of course there is the summer house on the coast... hell, I even own a mountain! But then that was really kind of a gift." He said with a shrug. "But as far as finances... ok, Draco has me beat, but not by all that much. I have twelve large vaults in the London Gringotts, all at full capacity. Then of course there are all of the other vaults and accounts I have scattered all over the world. Father didn't believe in centralizing all of his assets. As I'm sure I've told you, he was a bit paranoid. And of course there's the businesses I own. Couldn't tell you right off hand what they all are, as the staff I have taking care of that occasionally buy and sell them depending on performance, but suffice it to say that at any given time I own at least a dozen thriving businesses. Actually, I'm really glad I was here when your brothers left last year. The minute they said they were opening a shop on Diagon Alley I had my people sell Zonko's. It's market value dropped about ten percent the minute their doors opened. Zonko's profits didn't go down over night, but it's lost a good quarter of it's business since they opened their doors. Not that the loss would have hurt me, but no sense throwing money away when you know something like that is coming."

Ron was just staring at him, thunderstruck. Blaise looked absolutely tickled by his reaction. He couldn't help but add one more little tidbit. "You know, between us, Draco and I command a bit overa third of theassets in all of Wizarding Europe. And of course after centuries of working for the most influential families in the entire Wizarding world, Kulia probably owns about ten percent of the remainder. You Weasleys certainly know how to pick 'em!" He said with a roguish grin. He stood there, watching Ron's shocked expression with amusement for a moment, then hugged him a bit closer, "Well, I've got to go over and finish up with the proprietor, but when we're done here I plan on getting you some decent clothing, so get over this whole fixation on how much everything costs, because I fully intend to spoil the hell out of you!" he said, giving him a playful swat on the butt and strolling back over to where Pansy was, leaving Ron staring after him mutely.

-----

Ron came out of the changing room, his cheeks pink with embarrassment despite the fact that this was what felt like the hundredth outfit he'd tried on. Blaise was sitting in a large overstuffed velvet chair, one of the girls who worked there offering him a tray of snacks and sweets. He waved it off, rising and walking over to Ron, a wide grin on his face. "I still can't get over how good you look in green..." He said smirkingly. "I told you you would..."

Ron shifted uncomfortably, though the clothing fit like a dream, the cloth and cut far beyond anything he had ever worn. They had measured every last inch of him it seemed, and since then everything he had tried on had fit as if it were made for him. Blaise led him over to the mirrors, slipping his arms around his waist and hugging him from behind. "You'll definitely have to wear these clothes today. And as far as dress robes for tonight..." he said, looking over at the four exquisite sets they had left hanging there for his approval, three in shades of green and one a dark midnight blue not unlike the set Harry had. He rested his chin on Ron's shoulder, peering at them contemplatively, "The darkest green set is to be delivered to Hogwarts. And the outfit with the slate trousers and that bluish sweater as well. And of course the shoes. I'd like those in green to match the dress robes, black, dark blue, dark brown and the more casual pair he liked in both light and dark natural leather."

The chipper girl nodded, her quill scratching over the pad in her hand swiftly. Ron couldn't help but notice that none of the shop workers here so much as raised an eyebrow at them, though Blaise had been showing him affection quite openly. Then again, in such a classy establishment he supposed they were used to the eccentric behavior of the wealthy.

"Oh, and there was a robe over there I had my eye on... could you show it to Pansy?" He said, pointing over towards a emerald green robe with amazingly intricate embroidery flowing around the edges that looked reminiscent of Celtic designs.

"Of course sir." She said, slipping the pad in the leather pouch hanging at her waist that was obviously intended for it, tucking the quill into place in the finely wrought golden barrette that held her dark hair up, the plume looking as if it were meant to be there... which it probably was. She hurried over and fetched the robe, carrying it gingerly across her arms as if it were a garment intended for royalty as she whisked off to the changing room Pansy was in.

"Blaise... this really isn't necessary..." Ron said uneasily when they were alone.

Blaise chuckled, "No offense, but yes it is."

Ron sighed, dropping his eyes. "Can't we at least go somewhere a bit less expensive? I mean these clothes..." He said, running his hand over the butter soft material of the shirt, "They can't be cheap... I mean how much do these things cost anyway? Nothing has price tags on it!"

Blaise laughed. "I haven't a clue. I had them remove all the tags before giving them to you to try on. Didn't want you to get all uncomfortable."

"Blaise..." Ron sighed.

Blaise sighed, resting his cheek on Ron's shoulder and looking at him in the mirror. "Ron... please... I want to buy these things... can't you just accept them and be happy? I mean I wouldn't be offended if you went into Honeydukes and bought me a chocolate frog, and I certainly wouldn't refuse it!"

"There's a big difference between a chocolate frog and these clothes! I mean this outfit alone has to cost at least twenty galleons!"

Blaise smirked, very glad he had thought to have the tags removed. He happened to have seen the tag on this particular outfit, and knew it actually cost about three times that. "It's not that significant a difference to me, Ron. I could practically buy this entire store with pocket change! Why are my presents so hard for you to accept?"

Ron took a deep breath and sighed it out. "You just... you don't need to buy me things!"

"If I _did_ have to buy you things to get your affection, I certainly wouldn't be with you! I've had to deal with more than my share of gold diggers in my life, Ron. Love is one thing I refuse to pay for. Besides, who said I was buying these things for _you_? I happen to think of it as buying _myself_ some tantalizing eye candy." Blaise said, giving him a mischievous smirk in the mirror, then nibbling on his neck playfully.

They looked over as they heard footsteps. Pansy walked out, dressing in an amazing strapless green gown of some kind of floating, shimmering material, the embroidered robe accenting it perfectly. She beamed at their hungry stares, giving them a little twirl, making the material float around her shapely legs like smoke.

Blaise gave a groan of longing, his cheek still resting on Ron's shoulder. "Perfect example..." He said wistfully. "You think that gown is for her? I'd say that's my present to _us_..." he said, letting his eyes trail down her again.

Ron chuckled. "Ok... I guess I can't refute that..."

-------

"Playing dress up again Zabini?" Draco laughed as he spotted them coming into the Three Broomsticks where they had planned to meet up.

Ron blushed bright red, but Pansy just smirked, sporting her new tailored outfit and fine winter cloak unabashedly. She slipped into one of the open seats. Ron hurried to push it in for her, then took the seat beside her.

"I'm not the only one." Blaise replied, eyeing the new green blouse peeking out of Ginny's robes. She blushed, self consciously pulling her robe closed a bit better. "Just something about redheads in green, isn't there?" He asked with a smirk, taking the last open seat.

Draco smirked. "We were beginning to wonder if you would show. You're late."

"Yes, well I had to make a couple more stops. Went by the Quidditch supply shop. They have a new broom out, did you see?" When they shook their heads, Blaise grinned, "It's called the Celestial. Jet black and the bar-none fastest and best maneuvering broom ever produced. Makes the Firebolt look like a horse and buggy. It's absolutely brilliant!"

Draco smirked. "Sounds like. How many did you get?"

"I just ordered an even dozen." Ron, Ginny, Harry and Hermione all stared at him wide eyed. He saw their shock and laughed, "What? I needed stocking stuffers!"

Draco chuckled, then knocked back the last dregs of his Butterbeer. He set it down, "Well, are we done for the day? They'll probably be rounding us up soon anyway. I think most of the other students have already left. Besides, Ginny and I have to be back soon..."

"We do?" Ginny asked, surprised. "Why?"

Draco smiled, "Well I've met _your_ mum..."

Her eyes widened, "We're going to see your _mum? Today?_"

He grinned. "Ya, well I have to tell her about us... and invite her to Christmas at Blaise's. I kind of doubt she'll come, but I have to ask, and since it's so last minute I thought it'd only be proper if I did it in person... Dumbledore has arranged for us to be able to Floo there. Hopefully we'll make it back before dinner."

"Oh..." Ginny said, blushing, "Ok... I just... meeting your mum..." She said, looking intimidated. She hadn't seen the woman since the Quidditch World Cup a couple years back, and she'd been positively frigid towards Ginny then. Well, of course she had just been another Weasley to her then, but how would she react to her marrying her only son?

Draco put his hand on hers where it rested on the table. "You'll be fine. If she gets rude we'll just leave."

Ginny bit her lip. "Is that a real possibility?"

Draco looked thoughtful. "Well, I never know what she's going to do because to be quite honest she's a bit of a lush, so I can't tell you for sure. She's likely to say just about anything when she's been hitting the bottle... which is pretty much constantly..." He said with a shrug.

"I'd say!" Blaise said with a snort of laughter.

"Gee thanks guys. That's comforting." Ginny said, downing the rest of her Butterbeer. Draco just smirked at her.

The waitress came over with a tray that had several butterbeers on it. "Butterbeer I presume?" She asked with a warm smile.

Pansy reached for one, but Blaise's hand caught her wrist before she could take it. "Not bloody likely." He said with a smirk.

Pansy rolled her eyes and sighed, "Oh come on! It has like three drops of liquor in it!"

"And that's three drops too many." Blaise said with a smirk.

The waitress was looking back and forth between them, puzzled.

Blaise smiled at her, pulling out a couple of galleons and tossing them on the tray. "Sorry, but no thanks. Looks like we're leaving."

She smirked and shook her head, walking off.

"We'll stop by the shop down the way and I'll get you one of those frothy drinks you like. We've probably missed lunch already anyway, so we can grab a bite to eat while we're at it." Blaise said, giving her knee a squeeze under the table.

"Sounds good." Draco said with a nod, rising and offering Ginny his hand. She took it with a smirk.

-----

They didn't have a lot of time, but since most of the other students had indeed cleared out, there was very little wait for their food. Hogsmeade was surprisingly quiet during the week. Less than a dozen people passed by the shop the entire time they were in there, and there were no other customers. They left the shop less than twenty minutes later, chatting happily as Pansy showed off her new charm to the girls. It was a tiny platinum dragon in flight.

"We better hurry back," Ron said, looking around at the virtually deserted town, the only signs of life he could see were the store keepers restocking their shelves through the windows in the shops they passed. "I don't even see any teachers left. They must be starting their final sweep to gather up the stragglers."

They quickened their pace, none of them eager to have to be lectured on promptness.

As they made their way towards the edge of town, Harry sped up until he was able to fall into step beside Draco. "Do you happen to have my wand on you?"

Draco eyed him. "You're not getting it until I'm sure that bloody demon will be good."

Harry gave a belabored sigh. "How could you doubt me like that master?" He asked with a smirk, his eyes beginning to glow.

Draco narrowed his eyes, "Potter telling you you can kill Fudge doesn't give you license to take over his body whenever you please! What are you doing in control again?"

Harry shrugged, "Ok, have it your way then. No wand. Just out of curiosity, which one of these people do you want to live?"

Draco's eyes widened and he came to a stop, "Was that a threat?" He growled angrily.

"No." Harry said with a grin, stopping as well, "It's just that I am but one person without it, and Harry's not that big..." He sighed, "Oh this is taking too long. You really must learn to make your decisions quicker. I'll just have to guess then, but just so you know, Potter will be _really_ pissed if you let his friends die..."

Draco grabbed for his wand as Harry darted at Ginny, wrapping his arms around her, but at that very moment he heard someone yell, "Avada Kedavra!"

Almost instantly a surge of green light darted from thin alley between two of the buildings, hitting Harry squarely in the back and sending him sprawling on top of Ginny. The warning sirens the Ministry had installed immediately wailed to life, triggered to be set off by any forbidden curses cast within the town.

They all whipped out their wands and began casting curses towards the alley. Blaise pulled Pansy around behind him, not giving her a choice in the matter. Ron tried to block Hermione, but she would have none of it, stepping around him and casting angrily, tears in her eyes as she tried to steal a glance down at Harry.

Ginny was stunned and terrified, feeling Harry's full weight on her. "Harry?" She said in a horrified whisper.

After a moment he let out a cough and drew a ragged breath. "Bloody Hell that one hurts..." He gasped in a pained voice, levering himself up and off of her shakily.

"Ginny?" Draco asked, his voice rife with concern as he glanced down.

"I'm ok." She said, shaken. She pulled out her wand, but there had been no further curses since the first and she was unsure what direction to cast.

Harry struggled to his feet, "Ya, I'm fine too... thanks so much for asking. Now hand over the bloody wand or watch them all die because there's a lot more than you have any hope of besting alone, and from the sound of it, they're circling around behind you like the little cowards they are."

Draco looked around, realizing just how much of a tactical nightmare the town was. The low roofs would make idea sniper cover, though luckily he didn't see anyone on them at the moment. There were also little breaks between the buildings every two or three shops, each little alley wide enough to let a man pass easily, and would protect him from return fire by simply taking a quick step backwards. If there were more than a couple of men the demon was right, they were in trouble. They couldn't even run into one of the shops for fear they were being herded into an ambush. He pulled out Harry's wand and tossed it to him.

The look of malicious glee that came over Harry's face as he caught it was enough to make even Draco nervous. This nervousness increased as Harry strolled over to him. Without a word, he grabbed Draco's arm and tossed him over towards the others, sending him sprawling beside Ginny. Then he grinned as he pointed the wand at the group. They watched in shock as he hissed a spell in his demonic tongue and swirled the wand in their direction. Before they could even react, a cloud of yellowish smoke course out of the tip of his wand and darted towards them. Much to their surprise, it stopped several feet shy of Draco and darted up and around, spreading out. As they watched, it flowed around them forming a dome.

They could vaguely see Harry stroll up to the murky barrier, reaching out and tapping it with the tip of his wand. It instantly went clear, virtually disappearing. "Do have the sense to stay put, and no touching..." He said, pointing to the thin line cut into the fine layer of snow on the ground, which was the only remaining evidence of the dome, "Oh, and no casting. That would be truly daft in an enclosed space. Now I'm going hunting, so be good bait and act like they actually have a chance at you." He said with a purely demonic grin. He turned and sprinted away between a couple of the buildings.

People were coming out of the shops, wands in hand and looking around. Draco quickly got to his feet. "Get back inside!" He yelled, "Death Eaters!"

That sent most of them back inside as the cry of "Death Eaters" spread down the street. Doors and windows were clapping shut all throughout Hogsmeade, shutters and bars springing up over the windows of many of the shops and the sounds of heavy bolts being locked into place.

They tensed as they heard explosions and shrieks of pain in the direction Harry had headed.

"He better be on our side..." Draco muttered darkly, settling back down on the ground and pulling Ginny into his lap. "No casting. I doubt it was joking." Ginny slipped her arm around him under his winter cloak, but kept her wand out, staring around fearfully.

Ron, Blaise and Hermione acknowledged the warning with a nod. Pansy had little chance of casting anything since Ron and Blaise were on either side of her, bodily blocking her from any possible attack.

They all tensed a few minutes later as a Death Eater ran out of one of the alleys. He spotted them, looking a bit surprised to see that they hadn't fled. He grinned and cast the Cruciatus curse towards Ron, who was closest.

Ron flinched, but the spell hit the invisible shield and rebounded, hitting the Death Eater. He let out a shriek and dropped to the ground in obvious agony. Unfortunately, that curse had to be maintained, and his wand had cut it off the second he was hit, so in moments he was struggling back to his feet, cursing angrily.

He eyed them thoughtfully for a moment, noting the line in the snow, then smirked. He looked so confident that his next spell would work that Draco quickly shifted Ginny around behind him.

The Death Eater raised his wand and opened his mouth, but only a strange, inarticulate noise emerged from his mouth. They stared in shock as the front of his black shirt tented suddenly out. He staggered forward and fell face first onto the snowy ground, about four feet of a Hogsmeade street sign protruding from the middle of his back.

Harry stood at the mouth of the alley, smirking. He walked over, completely ignoring the Death Eater who was now making soft gurgling noises as the once pristine snow beneath him rapidly changed to red. Harry had a bounce in his step as he shifted his wand back over to his right hand, another cloaked figure thrown over his left shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

He stopped at the edge of the shield, "Sorry it's taking a while..." He said merrily, his expression and attitude in sharp contrast with his burnt, ripped and thoroughly bloodied clothing. "I admit I've been having a bit of fun. I'll finish up in a minute... just wanted to drop this by..."

He leaned down, touching his wand tip to the bottom of the shield and drawing it up. The shield split open, making it look almost as if he were using a razor on clear plastic. When he had it almost to his shoulder height, he held the wand steady, shifting the body off his shoulder and tossing it unceremoniously in with them. When it landed Hermione let out a cry, recognizing the hair. She dropped to her knees, gingerly turning the limp form over. "Professor McGonagall!" She breathed in horror, quickly feeling for a pulse. She let out a little sigh of relief when she found one.

"You can thank me later." Harry said with a smirk. He pulled his wand away and the shield snapped shut, sealing once again. He grinned down at Draco. "Extreme prejudice... I love it. You have such a way with words... You should have seen it! I caught one out behind Zonko's and used a severing charm on his wand arm, and then before he could even..." he blinked, then rolled his eyes and sighed, glancing over at Hermione and noting her wide eyed, horrified stare. "Harry doesn't feel it's the proper time to discuss it..." He said with a rueful smirk, then looked back at Draco and lowered his voice, "I'll tell you about it later... it was bloody brilliant! Now _that_ is going to take a lot of scouring spells... but I've been good... avoiding property damage and not playing with the townies, just as requested." He said with a mischievous chuckle.

"Ya, that sounds great, and I'm really proud of you and all, but that one's still moving. Get over there and finish him off!" Draco said, nodding to the downed Death Eater who's hand was trying to inch towards his dropped wand.

Harry took a deep breath and let out a happy sigh. "I just have to say... you are a bloody _brilliant_ master... I would kiss you, but then Harry would evict me!" He said with a smirk. Without another word, he turned and walked back to the skewered Death Eater. He knelt, and appeared to brush his fingers over his back, but they could tell there was more to it by the little pained sound that gurgled from the man's mouth before he went completely slack.

Harry rose again, planting a foot on the man's back and yanking the post out with one hand. "Muggle deaths are just too bloody perfect for these purist bastards..." Harry chuckled, twirling the post like a baton, leaving a little arch of blood spatter on the nearby snow, then tucking it under his arm and strolling away, whistling merrily as he disappeared back down the alley.

Ron and Blaise moved Pansy down next to Hermione, shifting her around so she didn't have a good view of the corpse laying just a few meters from them. She buried her face in Blaise's shoulder, having seen quite enough of it. They sat there in silence, listening to the occasional burst of explosions which inevitably led to shrieks of pain... occasionally _extended_ shrieks... the only thing breaking it up being the healing spells Hermione was casting on McGonagall's still form.

"I think she'll be ok if we can get her back to Madam Pomfrey..." Hermione said when she had cast all the spells she could think of that would help. "They must have taken her down before. That's why we didn't see her when we left the shop. It's a good thing I suppose..."

"Good thing?" Ron asked incredulously.

"I meant the timing. They would have known the sirens would go off if they used an Unforgivable, otherwise they probably would have just hit her with Avada Kedavra and been done with it."

"Oh..." He said softly. He looked over and swallowed, feeling queasy. The Death Eater's blood had made a trail towards them since the street angled down ever so slightly in this spot. The little stream of crimson had been stopped by the shield, and was now creeping around the edge of it, looking very odd since you couldn't really see the shield itself.

After a few more minutes all was silent.

"Draco..."

Draco tensed, his blood going cold at the sound of the all too familiar voice. He looked over, spotting a shrouded figure stepping out of the shadows. He strode forwards, lowering his hood so his long white-blond hair made him unmistakable.

"Is this any way to treat your entourage?"

"Father!" Draco growled, shifting Ginny off of him and standing. "This was your doing?"

Lucius smirked. "I had a feeling you might not have thought to take measures to protect yourself yet... I had always planned on it happening at Christmas anyway... just told you your birthday so you wouldn't be expecting it yet. You were always complaining I never got you any Christmas presents... of course I gave you everything you needed every day of the year, so I really thought it was a rather ungrateful attitude, but this year I decided to make an exception. Come along now before I lose my patience."

Draco scowled at him. "I'm not going anywhere with you, and as far as your bloody _Master_ is concerned, he can _kiss my arse_, because I'm _never_ going to bow before him!"

Lucius glared at him. "I wouldn't say such things if I were you Draco. The Dark Lord doesn't take kindly to such talk."

"Fuck 'em!" Draco said stonily.

"What _have_ you done to your eyes?" Lucius asked distractedly, peering at the wildly swirling irises with interest.

Draco smirked. "Like I'm going to tell you! This isn't a social visit!"

Lucius gave a little snort. "Like it matters. As I said, it's time to come along, and bring the girl. Might as well mark her as well. Makes them easier to control."

"You aren't touching Ginny!" Draco growled.

Lucius laughed, "I didn't mean little Weasley slut! It's bad enough you've been shagging her, we're certainly not going to waste a mark on her! The little tryst between you two ends here and now. Don't make me slaughter her entire family. Those Muggle loving redheads breed like animals. It would take ages to hunt them all down!"

Hermione had to quickly grab ahold of Ginny and hold her back as her cheeks went red, a murderous look in her eyes. Blaise was likewise restraining Ron.

"You're not going to touch a hair on her head, nor that of any of her family!" Draco growled furiously, "I've had enough of doing everything you tell me to! I am in love with her and I'm going to marry her! Go ruin someone _else's_ life! You're done leading mine!"

Lucius laughed again. "A Malfoy... marry a Weasley... I've never heard of anything so ludicrous in my life. Quit being ridiculous. You can't possibly marry her. You're already betrothed."

Draco's eyes went wide, "I'm _what?_"

"Betrothed... engaged to be married... honestly, didn't those tutors teach you anything? I certainly paid enough for them!"

"I know what it means!" Draco said hotly, "I'm _betrothed_ to Ginny!" He said, showing him the ring.

Lucius smirked. "Oh please. You're rash, purely hormonal teenaged infatuations are meaningless. You've been betrothed since you were born!"

"To who?" Draco asked, curious despite himself.

"To precious little Pansy over there of course." Lucius said with a smirk.

Everyone but Pansy looked stunned. Pansy was just staring at the ground, her cheeks blazing.

Draco looked back at his father, "Well too bad! She's with Blaise and Ron now."

Lucius gave a little snort of laughter. "_Both_ of them?" He looked over at her, noting the way Ron and Blaise were holding her protectively between them, "Guess I broke you in a bit too well." He said with a malicious smirk, "Come to think of it, you didn't put up much of a struggle..."

Pansy was beet red, tears streaming down her cheeks, "I was only _twelve_ you bastard! How much of a struggled was I supposed to be able to put up?!?" She shrieked at him, Blaise's grasp the only thing keeping her from springing up and lunging at him. Blaise's other hand was still holding onto Ron, though his grasp was obviously strained. Blaise was sorely tempted to go after him himself, but he appeared to be the only one of the three with the presence of mind to remember the barrier.

"You raped a _twelve year old girl?_" Draco asked, shocked despite what he'd already learned about his father.

Lucius just smiled, "Well I couldn't go letting my only son marry a girl unless I'd tried her out and made sure she was decent in bed, now could I? Wouldn't want you getting stuck with a cold fish like your mother. She just _lies there_... Honestly, you're lucky I was able to put up with it long enough for you to be conceived! Don't worry, your little bride to be is plenty lively... of course it's been a couple of years... I could check again if you'd like." he said with a smirk.

"Keep your filthy hands off her!" Draco growled. He was fervently wishing he could get through the barrier... at that moment he truly believed himself fully capable of beating his father to death with his bare hands. Movement caught his eyed, but he quickly moved them back to his father.

His father smirked, having caught the shift in his eyes. "Tell me Draco... do you really think any of your little friends here would still be breathing if I didn't know there was a barrier between us?" He looked down significantly at the thin stream of blood that now outlined over a quarter of the shield. "And of course I know what it means... though how it was accomplished escapes me for the moment..." He leaned forward, dropping his voice to a stage whisper and smirking, "I also am well aware it's right behind me... so why hasn't it attacked yet I wonder?" He said with obvious amusement. "Go on... tell it to..."

Draco didn't like this one bit. Harry was less than a meter behind Lucius, grasping his wand tightly, but doing nothing. He fervently hoped it was because he had told it he wanted the first try. "Go on. Kill him." He said.

Harry just stood there, his eyes locked on Lucius' back, his breath panting in his chest. He was looking even worse than before. His cloak was gone, one sleeve nearly torn off and the rest of his clothes ripped, singed and liberally spattered with blood.

Draco let out a frustrated breath, "I give you explicit permission to kill Lucius Malfoy!"

Harry continued to stand there, trembling slightly. His eyes were staring at Lucius with bottled hatred and fury... and yet he didn't attack. Something seemed to hold him there, preventing it.

Lucius, who hadn't even bothered to turn and look, smirked. "You kept it in the family, Draco... I would have thought you would have been smart enough to bond him to a different bloodline..." He leaned forward again, his face about as close as it could get before touching the barrier. "It can't touch me. The blood bond wasn't severed, the course of it was just altered a bit... I may not command it, but it will never be able to harm me... what magnificent torture this must be for it... you telling it to do what it so desperately wants to do... and yet finding itself unable to do it... unable to lay so much as a finger on me..." He straightened. "Of course, the opposite is not true... and I was smart enough to make copies of that little book before that treacherous elvin whore stole it back. It's much easier the second time. Renewing an old bond is quick and simple, so soon it will be mine again..."

Harry's eyes widened and he immediately turned and darted away.

Lucius spun, whipping his wand around, "Avada Kedavra!" he shouted, knocking Harry to the ground with a surge of green light before he'd gotten a dozen paces. He walked over to him, smirking, and cast the spell again point blank into Harry's back.

"Harry!" Hermione and Ron cried in near perfect unison. They were all on their feet, but the shield was holding, keeping them in and preventing them from helping.

Lucius kicked Harry over. Harry was limp, barely having enough strength to take small, shallow breaths, coughing raggedly, his face a mask of pain. Lucius chuckled. "Well well... it brought me a present..." He said, obviously pleased to see who it had possessed. He glanced over at the trapped teens. "Let's have a little fun, shall we?" He said, looking down at Harry, "Crucio!" He called out, casting at him.

Harry just lay there, staring back up at him, defiant despite the obvious pain from the previous spells still apparent on his face.

Lucius stopped the spell. "Stop blocking it!" He growled, "I still owe Potter a little bit of _quality time_." He said with a malicious smirk. He cast again, but to the same effect. "Stop blocking or I guarantee your re-education will be ten times as bad!" He growled dangerously.

"No!" Harry hissed, "He's _MINE_!"

Lucius growled. "Fine. Have it your way. Just for that, you get the pleasure of accompanying Potter to have a bit of fun with my Lord. I'm sure the little practice run will be nothing in comparison!"

"No!" Harry said, his face filling with undisguised terror.

Lucius whipped his wand at Harry and a thin line of white light emerged, curling around Harry's legs like rope. Lucius then started simply walking away, the light dragging Harry along behind him with little apparent effort on Lucius' part.

"No!" Harry shrieked, jerking around and scrabbling for purchase on the road, trying desperately to escape. "Master!" He screamed, looking back at Draco, his voice and face full of terror and pleading.

Lucius stopped, smirking back at him. He moved back, planting his boot in the middle of Harry's back, "That's right... beg your _master_ for help... but he _can't_ help, can he? Not from behind that _shield_... go on... drop the shield so he can help you... look at him... look at the way he's standing there... it's obvious he wants out... implied consent. Drop it and we'll see what happens... either he'll die and you'll be free to run off and crawl back down whatever hole you came out of, or he'll kill me... which I'm sure you'd enjoy. Either way you'll be happy... you'll be _safe_... save your own hide demon..."

Harry stared back at Draco, tears crowding his eyes. He let out a piteous sound and dropped his head, his struggling ceasing as he started sobbing softly.

Lucius let out a hiss of irritation, "Fine!" He growled, then started walking again, dragging Harry behind. Harry just let himself roll onto his back, looking over at Draco tearfully as Lucius dragged him out of sight through an alleyway.

"Why didn't it drop the shield?" Hermione asked, staring at the alley they had disappeared through helplessly, "We probably could have taken him together!"

"He was protecting me..." Draco said softly, staring after them thoughtfully, "It could have set us against eachother and come out on top either way... and yet it chose not to."

"Isn't it _required_ to protect you?" She asked.

He shook his head, "Demons are known for worming their way around such rules through any loophole available... and my father just offered him just such a loop hole. What he said was true. It could have released the shield and let us battle to the death without breaking any rules. It wouldn't have even had to try to defend me since it's still bonded to father. Demon's are neutral when bonds conflict."

They all tensed as the sound of an explosion sounded in the direction they had gone. More explosions and sounds of battle followed. They turned as group of Aurors stormed into town from the other direction.

"About bloody time!" Draco yelled when they were close enough, "He's got Harry Potter!" He said, pointing to the alley they had gone through. They headed in the direction indicated, the lead Auror giving him a curt nod in passing. In a moment they could hear the Aurors join whatever battle was raging, and the shield around them suddenly collapsed with a sound not unlike a huge soap bubble popping.

They looked at eachother with surprise and fear for what the loss of the barrier might mean, then Draco instinctively took command, "You three, stay with McGonagall." He said, indicating Hermione, Pansy and Blaise. "Ron, you're with me!" He barked out, sprinting off in pursuit.

Ron followed, too worried about Harry to even think to object at being ordered around by Draco. Blaise watched them go worriedly, not wanting to be parted from Ron at a time like this, but knowing the girls were probably in greater need of protection, and this would be the perfect opportunity for some sneaky Death Eater to take them out.

As Ron and Draco came out on the other side of the buildings they could see the trailing end of the group of Aurors disappearing into the woods, shouts and flashes still sounding. Draco started after them, but Ron quickly grabbed his arm, stopping him. Draco looked over in surprise and then followed Ron's gaze. There were old packing crates stacked behind one of the buildings, half of which and been scorched or destroyed. There was a large on with it's side completely stoved in... and he could see a leg with a familiar looking sneaker protruding from it.

They hurried over and Ron quickly ripped the top and most of one side of the wooden crate off in his haste to get a better look. Harry was laying there amidst pieces of shattered wood and straw-like packing material. "Harry!" He said, dropping to his knees beside him and checking him over.

"Is he alive?" Draco asked, standing there and peering down at Harry.

Ron let out a sigh of relief. "Ya..." He said bringing his wand to bear. "Ennervate!"

Harry coughed weakly, then let out a groan.

"Harry! You alright?" Ron asked pensively.

Harry blinked his eyes open, then reached up weakly, batting some of the packing away from his face. "Just peachy." He grumbled.

"What happened?" Draco asked.

"I almost had the bastard, then he got me with a cheap shot when those bloody Aurors came running out and casting like nearsighted gimboids."

"I thought you couldn't fight my father!" Draco said, suddenly much more interested, pulling his eyes from the woods where he'd been trying to catch any glimpse of what might be happening.

Harry gave a snort. "The _demon_ can't. Bloody thing was so terrified I couldn't break it's hold until it finally got all fatalistic and gave up... now it's hiding in some little dark corner of my mind or something. Just what the bloody Hell did your father _DO_ to that thing?"

Draco eyed him for a moment. "Weren't you listening?"

Harry furrowed his brow, "When?"

"Right after I bonded it to me."

Harry blinked, "No... I went to sleep or something during the ceremony... You were there when it hand control back over when I was just outside my room." Harry said, looking puzzled.

Draco nodded. "Let's talk about it later. For now, back to the school before any more bloody Death Eaters pop up."

Harry gave a little nod and winced, then started trying to lever himself up. Ron took ahold of him and all but lifted him to his feet. As soon as he released him, however, Harry started tilting over to one side and Ron had to quickly take hold of him again. "You ok?" Ron asked, alarmed as Harry's eyes lost focus.

"Everything's gone all pear shaped..." Harry said faintly, He shook his head to clear it, but promptly desisted, staggering against Ron and looking as if he were about to pass out.

Ron noticed the blood trailing down from Harry's ear for the first time and sighed, sweeping him up into his arms without even bothering to ask. "Looks like you're ear's a right mess. There'll be no keeping you on your feet until that's put back to rights."

Harry sighed and rolled his eyes, but didn't deny it. His head was swimming every time he tried to so much as tell which way was up. Ron started slowly back the way they had come, trying not to jar Harry.

Harry looked back at Draco, letting his head dangle limply. It wouldn't improve his vision to hold it still anyway. "You owe me." He said with a smirk.

Draco furrowed his brow. "The demon did all the work."

"Ok..." Harry said agreeably. "You owe _us_..."

"Owe you what?" Draco asked carefully.

"A favor..."

Draco narrowed his eyes. "What kind of a favor?"

Harry grinned, "Enough of the camping out shite already. I want a bloody bed!"

Draco let out a bark of laughter, then smirked. "Ok, Potter. _That_ I can do."

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A/N - Well, I certainly hope I can keep posting... my computer has been going a bit wonky. It's relatively old and the fan has recently begun to periodically stop working, so I have to be real careful to keep it from overheating (and of course it refuses to act up when it's in the shop!!! They won't fix what they can't see!). That along with my ancient car acting up means that if this computer goes I don't know when I'll be able to post again. I really can't afford much of anything right now since I was so recently unemployed for such a long period, so a new or even decent used computer is out of the question. I know, I know. Cry me a river right? Just wanted to tell you so you had a heads up on the situation. So in essence, channel all your good luck wishes and charms towards my computer, cause if it dies... (cringes at the thought). Well either that or you can make donations to the get-me-a-new-computer fund! Paypal always accepted! :P jk.

Anyhow, so since I can only keep this thing on for a while at a time I hope to keep putting out chapters at a reasonable pace, but please don't complain if it takes a while. I'm frustrated enough already! Oh and in case you're wondering about why Harry couldn't keep upright near the end, your inner ear controls your equilibrium. Something damaging or otherwise messing up your inner ear can cause vertigo-like symptoms. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be fine. So on with a couple of replies to reviews:

First a note... _Harry_ is not bonded to Draco/Darien, the _demon_ is. If he is calling Draco master, it is the demon speaking. I call him Harry even when it's the demon sometimes because I get so tired of calling it _it!_

lil trindle - the time turner does not make you stop aging while you're back in time. If she, say, got a real kick arse time turner and turned time back a year and relived that year all over again, she would be physically a year older than she should be when she got back to the present time... because she lived that year twice. Her age would not stand still. In the book, hers was a tiny time turner that only moved her back one hour at a time, but those hours can add up... she appeared to be using it to turn back time for at least three or four hours a day, so I'd say over the course of the year it probably added weeks if not a month or two to her actual age. Her age might not change legally, but her body does age. And about Draco and calling off the demon, Dumbledore got there first. Draco wasn't right nearby, that's why Blaise called him over. The fact that it stopped immediately once informed that Fudge was a guest should have shown that it was under control as long as you don't say something completely stupid ;)

Amy-felton - it was implied before that they had looked into the device and the possibility of removing it. Snape told him before the binding ceremony that Fudge hadn't bothered to take into consideration that there was no way to remove it, otherwise they would have gotten it out of him as soon as they were ready to bind it to Darien. Fudge doesn't want the demon in Harry, so if he knew how to get it off he would have done it already. It wouldn't exactly make him look good if it were to get out that he had trapped a demon in the public's precious boy-who-lived, now would it?

Kitz-felton - Draco and Ginny just got engaged! Not to mention shagging right after. How is that not together anymore? Sure they aren't getting as much 'screen time' now, but as you can tell, they will be getting some more attention soon. Certain parts of the story just have to be carried by other characters for it to flow right.

Draco's girl - the demon is in Harry's body and in his _mind_... he doesn't have to speak aloud for it to hear. When Harry speaks to it aloud it's just out of habit, kind of like Draco did when first starting to talk to Darien.


	50. Chapter 50

A/N - Some smut at end. There is also a rather _long_ author's note at the end (but since the chapter part is one of my longest, I don't feel too guilty about it!) in which I answer several reviews. There were a lot of reviewer questions this time, and it's perfectly understandable if you want to skip this, but I want **_EVERYONE_** who plans on reviewing any of my chapters to at least read the last paragraph (says "**_Everybody else_**" in front of it).

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Chapter 50

"...and then you guys showed up, wands blasting and one of you very nearly got me! I would have had him if you would have stayed out of the way." Harry said a bit moodily as the Aurors stood at his bedside, one of them taking notes diligently as the other questioned him. They had been questioning him for the better part of half an hour, and their insistence on asking the same question three or four different ways to try to get him to change his answer or contradict himself before moving on to the next was really starting to piss him off.

The Auror narrowed his eyes testily at the implication that they had interfered, but went on as if he hadn't caught it. "Back to the other Death Eaters... defending yourself was of course understandable since they were attacking you and your party, and of course lawful under the Defense act... but we must question the manner of their deaths..."

Harry narrowed his eyes. "I don't recall there being any rules as to _how_ you can kill the bastards."

"Perhaps not, but never the less... six of them were killed in very... questionable manners... I mean it seems totally uncalled for that they were not only castrated using some kind of incineration spell, but also... well I don't even know what it was that you used on them that left them in that state... and the three behind Quimbly's... I mean there were three of them there, right? They were still trying to verify the number when I left... did you do that with your bare hands?" he asked, looking vaguely queasy at the memory of the scene.

Harry let out a little growl that didn't sound entirely human, actually managing to startle Pomfrey, who had been working on fixing up a wound on his arm. He glared at the Aurors, and they quickly began getting nervous as his eyes started glowing red.

"We were invited!" The Auror said quickly, taking an involuntary step back and nearly treading on his partner's foot.

"Perhaps, but Potter appears to be done answering your questions. He suggested you may wish to consult me directly." He said, glaring at them as if daring them to be as manipulative as they had tried being with Harry.

The Auror cleared his throat uneasily, "Yes... well... in that case I was just asking him..."

"I know what you asked him! I'm not deaf!" He snapped, then hissed in pain as Pomfrey pulled a splinter of wood several inches long out of his arm. "It was personal with those six." He said distractedly, watching Pomfrey working on, years of working at Hogwarts allowing her to remain completely unperturbed by the sudden demonic presence in her patient.

"Personal in what way?" The Auror asked, obviously puzzled.

The demon looked over at him, barely caged rage suddenly burning in his red eyes. "If you _must_ know, they were some of the men who got their jollies from gang raping my hosts and then torturing them to death while I was still inside them! Good enough fucking reason for you?" He spat furiously.

The Aurors' jaws dropped and they just stared at him, struck dumb by the unexpected and shocking response. Everyone else in the room had gone silent as well, now all staring at Harry.

"I think that will be enough questions for now." Draco said softly after a moment, breaking the uneasy silence.

The Aurors seemed to snap out of it. The lead Auror quickly nodded, "Yes... um... we may have more questions later though." He said, valiantly trying to regain his confident bearing.

The demon rolled it's eyes at him, "Whatever. Just don't expect it to be Potter answering. He seems quite fed up with your ceaseless blithering."

"I see... very well then, we'll be on our way..." He said, his composure slipping a bit as the demon just continued glaring at him, his glowing eyes seeming to bore into his confidence. They turned and left a bit more hastily than necessary.

When they were gone, Draco went over, taking a seat in the chair beside the bed and looking over at the demon contemplatively.

"I know, I know." The demon said wearily, "Get out... but I might point out that he did _ask_ me to take over this time." He said as Pomfrey finished and got up, going over to check on McGonagall again. She had been doing well, though she had not yet regained consciousness. From what Pomfrey could tell, she had been hit by at least three stunning spells. She wasn't hurt nearly as bad as she had been less than a year earlier, but she would still take some time recovering.

"No... I actually wanted to talk to you for a minute before you let Harry take over again..."

The demon looked over at him warily, "They really _did_ deserve what they got. I can give you a blow by blow of every single thing each of them did to me if you want. I am, unfortunately, unable to forget..." He muttered darkly.

"Once again not what I wanted to talk about." Draco replied.

The demon blinked. "What then?"

"Why didn't you drop the shield? It can't possibly be just because you liked how I let you slaughter Death Eaters."

Ginny and Hermione were listening covertly from where they sat at McGonagall's bedside, Ron, Pansy and Blaise sitting on the bed on the other side, listening to the conversation with open interest.

The demon glanced around, noting all eyes on him. He shifted uneasily. "Do we have to discuss this _now?_"

Draco smirked, "Why not? You aren't going to declare your undying love for me and make Ginny all jealous, are you?"

It rolled it's eyes. "Hardly. Don't get me wrong, you're a great master and all... but overall I prefer women. Of course that might be because of all of your male ancestors. Well, not all... actually I quite liked Angus Malfoy. That was Darien's great-grandfather. Bent as a bottle of chips, but he was expected to produce heirs, so he had me possess his body and shag his wife! His wife was quite fond of me actually... he let me out to play once or twice a month... they ended up with six kids... I might not have lent anything more than the physical act to it, but it always made me feel a bit more attached to the family... if only his descendants had share his views on how to deal with me." He said, chuckling. "I had no problem at all being used as a marital aid."

Draco couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head ruefully. "You know I think I could have lived without knowing that... and you're getting off the subject."

He sighed, his expression sobering a bit. "Something most people don't seem to understand about shadow demons is that, to an extent, we are what our masters _make us_. We aren't inherently evil, despite the connotation usually associated to the title 'demon'... but most of the people who capture us and force us to do their bidding unfortunately _are_... I mean we each have our own little personality quirks and such, as most beings do... and, granted, we have a predisposition towards being sadistic, but so do cats, and I don't see people ostracizing _them!"_

Ginny had gotten up, no longer pretending not to listen. She came over, her arms folded irritably over her chest as she stood at the foot of his bed. "I see, so you are just a poor innocent _tool!_ No choice but to follow their orders, and you really don't want to do bad things..." She said in a false commiserating tone. Then her eyes narrowed angrily and her voice lost all softness, "You expect us to believe that bullshit?" she snapped.

"It's more than orders. Certain aspects of our Master's disposition are imposed upon us. You really think I _wanted_ to kill Draco? Ok, Darien I could have done without, but that's just because he has knowledge that could obviously be used to kick my arse, and was therefor very dangerous to be leaving about, but Draco is the last Malfoy! You think I want to depend on that bastard Lucius to father another one? Like he gives the women he shags a chance to bear his children! Even if he didn't wear that contraceptive charm all the time, he tires of them too quickly and likes killing them far too much. Besides, he prefers Muggle women because they can't fight back nearly as effectively, and he certainly wouldn't let one of _those_ give birth to his heir." the demon said evenly.

"So? If the last of the Malfoys were gone you'd be free, now wouldn't you?" Ginny said hotly.

"Yes. Free. And what would I do then?" It asked softly.

She furrowed her brow. "I don't know. Whatever demons do when they aren't enslaved."

It nodded. "And what is that?"

"How should I know?"

It shrugged. "You've probably got as much of an idea as I do. I've never _not_ been enslaved. My first Malfoy master was there waiting when I came into being. For all I know, he _caused_ me to come into being. I was the first Malfoy shadow demon, and now I'm the last as well. If I should outlive the bloodline, I have no idea what will become of me."

"Why would you want to stay with the Malfoys after all they've done to you?" Draco asked curiously.

The demon dropped his eyes, "They haven't _all_ been complete bastards. I just ride out the bad ones, hoping for another good one to come along who will let me live a little... experience life through hosts... and even if I was willing to leave the bloodline, I don't know of anyone else who has had a demon around since they passed that law all those years ago. People today wouldn't have a clue what to do with me. The only binding spells for us left in existence are in a language that is all but dead. That should tell you something right there."

"This is the same thing as with the house elves!" Hermione said crossly from her seat. "Why don't you just go out and _live on your own?_ You don't need a master to enjoy life!"

It gave a snort, then glanced over at Draco, "Can you get a quill and parchment and make her a little sketch of what I really look like or something?" He looked over at her, "We get some of our power from our masters, which is why their personalities tend to creep in as well, so I'm not really sure I could take a host on my own, and I'm not exactly a treat for the eyes without one. Besides I'm ill equipped to have any kind of sexual relations at all in my native form anyway. Especially not with humans... and frankly they're all I've ever known, and therefore really the only species I find myself sexually attracted to."

"Can't you just live without shagging?" Hermione asked in exasperation.

"No!" The demon and Blaise exclaimed in unison.

Blaise chuckled and Pansy giggled, elbowing him. The demon smirked over at him. Hermione just rolled her eyes, settling back in her chair irritably and giving up.

"So basically you protected me just to keep the bloodline going so you wouldn't have to go it on your own." Draco said with a smirk.

The demon eyed him for a moment. "In part, yes. I also happen to like myself better with you as a master." He said softly, "Being a Malfoy demon, you're a lot better of a person than I've had the opportunity to be bonded to in a good long time. If I had dropped the shield, you could have died. I couldn't have actively protected you against Lucius, and he's a crafty bastard that isn't above cheating. On the other hand, if he took me I knew it would be bad... but you'd have a better chance of survival... and with luck you would either recapture me in time or Lucius would die before you and I'd revert to your control. I mean worse case scenario you'd leave me with him and he'd torture me for a couple of years or so before getting bored and finding some enchanted object to contain me in. It's what the others like him all did. I figured it was worth it to leave you alive."

"I see..." Draco said thoughtfully, eyeing him.

"Ok, then what about me? You killed me! Are you going to claim that you were only following orders and really didn't want to do that?" Ginny said, not buying the demons professions of being coerced, or the implication that it was now somehow 'good'.

"You remember that, do you? Well then you should remember that _I_ didn't kill you. The water did that." The demon said evenly.

Her cheeks colored with anger, "It wouldn't have killed me if you hadn't of taken a swipe at me!"

He nodded agreeable, "True. But _you_ were the one with the bright idea to make for the water in the first place! I _hate_ water!" He grumbled, "Shadow demons are denser than water. We _sink_."

"I wouldn't have run for the water if you hadn't been chasing me!" she retorted hotly.

He sighed, laying his head back against the pillow staring at the ceiling. "I was bored!" He said in exasperation, "They had me cooped up in a ruby the size of a thumb nail for over twenty years! You can't expect me not to stretch my legs a bit."

"Sure. You were just out for a moonlit stroll and I happened to be there." She said sarcastically.

"I didn't deny that I was sent there."

"So you were just going to toy with me a bit before killing me, is that it?"

"I didn't say that. There was no need for you to die that night. If you had simply let me retrieve what I was sent for you could have lived a full life. Master made me pay for the slip, rest assured. Not that he objected to your death, but it cast too much suspicion on the family."

Ginny furrowed her brow. "What were you sent for?"

He smirked at her, "Now you're a very bright girl, Ginevra. I'll just let you figure that out." He said, folding his hands across his stomach.

Her eyes suddenly widened, her hand going to her stomach. Draco's eyes widened at almost the same moment, darting over to the demon, "You stole my baby?" He growled, springing to his feet and glaring down at the demon dangerously.

The demon shrugged. "Not as if it had much of a chance of being born anyway. The rest of the family was holding off on hiring assassins until they saw if master's plan would work. Rogue demons weren't all that uncommon back then before the Ministry hunts wiped them out. No one could have traced me since the Malfoy family no longer owned shadow demons as far that anyone knew, and it would have been seen as an unfortunate but easily written off incident. You just couldn't go walking about at night in that part of the country then like you can now. If I had failed she would have been dead within a fortnight anyway. They didn't want some bastard having a claim on any part of the family fortune. Besides, you never married her, so it's not like she was a Malfoy. I wasn't required to protect her."

"Maybe she wasn't a Malfoy, but my baby was!"

The demon nodded, "Of course. That's the only reason I was able to take it. It was in danger in her body, so removing it would actually keep it safe."

"How is handing an innocent soul over to the Malfoy family making it safe?" Draco hissed angrily.

The demon grinned. "Never said I handed it over. They never even knew I succeeded. Luckily, they never asked, assuming I'd botched it entirely."

Ginny moved closer, taking ahold of Draco's arm as they both stared down in shock at the demon as it smirked up at them.

"You mean... you have it?" Draco asked softly.

"Well, I was going to save it for a wedding present, but since you asked..." He said, He lifted his hands, holding them folded as if in prayer then slowly opening them like a book.

There, floating just above his palms, was what looked like a bubble the size of a galleon, a tiny blue spark of light bobbing around inside it. "The shield is to keep it intact. Once removed from their bodies, souls tend to start deteriorating after a while if not protected or allowed to pass over into the beyond... especially ones this young."

Ginny moved closer, peering at it with wonder. The closer she got, the more frantically the tiny light's movements became. She reached out tentatively. The second her finger touched the shield it popped, disappearing in a wink. She pulled back, startled as the tiny light immediately darted towards her, but she was far too slow. They all watched wide-eyed as it disappeared straight into Ginny's stomach.

She wavered as a flood of pure happiness rushed through her out of nowhere, making her head spin. She let out a laugh, clutching her hand over her belly as tears of joy trickled down her cheeks. She looked up, still a bit dazed, finding Draco holding onto her to steady her, watching her with concern. She wrapped her arms around him, clinging to him. "I can feel it..." She said breathlessly.

Draco's eyes darted over to the demon, "She's pregnant?!?"

The Demon chuckled. "Not that easy. Darien and Ginevra made the soul... now you two have to give it back a body. And do try to make it relatively soon. It would be silly for me to have saved it and protected it so carefully for over a century just to have you two let it wink out."

Draco held Ginny tight, fighting back tears as Darien's joy all but overwhelmed him. Draco sighed in relief, feeling the ever-present pain in Darien's soul dissipating at last. He couldn't help but smile. It just seemed fitting somehow. Now, their first born would belong not only to them, but to Darien as well.

They all looked over as someone cleared their throat softly. Dumbledore was standing there just inside the door. "I hate to interrupt, but weren't you supposed to be going somewhere?" He asked with a genial smile.

Draco pulled away from her a bit and jerked his watch into view. He stifled a curse, then looked down at the demon. "Ok, get cleaned up, switch back and get back to your room."

The demon's face fell as it sighed.

Draco smirked. "They should have your bed in there by now. Delse was picking out the linens when I stopped by earlier. Go have Harry take it for a test drive." He said with a mischievous smirk.

A brilliant smile lit across his face and he quickly grabbed up the old cloak Ron had given him to use.

Draco smiled down at Ginny, then gave her a kiss, "Come on. We're running late." He said, releasing her and taking her hand.

She swallowed hard, suddenly remembering where he had told her they were going this afternoon. She took a deep breath and nodded, letting him lead her towards the door.

She shot a pensive look at Ron as she passed. He gave her an encouraging smile. When they were gone, he looked over at Blaise with a smirk, "If she gets knocked up soon, mum's head is gonna explode!"

------------

Ginny stepped out of the fireplace, coughing from the ash that still hung in the air from their arrival. She looked around. It wasn't nearly as intimidating as she was expecting. The room was furnished with fine, but subdued chairs and flower arrangements set about on tiny tables. The paintings on the walls were of pleasant pastoral scenery, and the lighting was warm and welcoming.

"Um... it's nice. Not quite what I expected..."

He chuckled, casting a scouring spell on her to clean the soot off her skin and clothing. "This is the Greeting Shack. We're inside the secondary defenses, but no one can Floo or apparate any closer to the Manor than this. We take a carriage from here." He said, casting scouring spells on himself as well.

"Oh..." She said softly. All this just for an arrival place for those flooing or apparating in?

He took her hand and gave it a squeeze, then led her towards the front of the buildings. "That's the meeting room." He said pointing to a door as they passed down a long hallway, then he pointed to a hallway that branched off. "That leads to the rooms for guests. Over there is the dinning room and kitchen for them. There's a ballroom for parties down this hallway..." he said, pointing to another hallway that branched off the main one.

"The guests don't stay in the Manor?" Ginny asked, confused. From the size of the dinning room, they could entertain a good several dozen guests there.

Draco chuckled. "Father trusted very few people enough to let them in through the main defenses. Paranoia is a common Death Eater trait. They are untrustworthy themselves, so they tend to assume others are dodgy as well." He paused as he came to the door at the end of the hallway, glancing down yet another hallway that branched off there. "I can show you the rest when we leave. When I owled mother I said we'd be there at four."

Ginny glanced at her watch. "It's still twenty til!"

Draco chuckled. "Yes, but we still have the ride to the Manor and getting all the way to mother's parlor room... we're going to be late as it is."

She decided to just trust his estimation of their remaining travel time since she had no idea what the grounds were like. She was finding it hard to believe it would take more than twenty minutes still though. They were on his land already, weren't they?"

As he led her outside, she saw a carriage waiting. There were two very large horses strapped into the harnesses, waiting there almost completely motionless. They looked a like Clydesdales but bigger and completely jet black.

He opened the door of the matching jet black carriage and held out his hand, helping her in. She looked around as he closed the door behind them. The inside was very spacious. Even he could stand straight upright without so much as bowing his head, and the benches to the front and back were both deep and wide enough to comfortably seat six people side by side on each.

She quickly took a seat as he looked at her to see if there was a problem, pretending she hadn't been staring around like a yokel. He smirked and sat beside her, then reached over and rapped once on the rich carved wood side of the carriage. The carriage immediately started forward.

She looked out the window as they pulled away, looking at the expansive 'Welcome shack'. It was probably the biggest house she'd ever seen, even larger than Grimmauld Place. There was a huge dome topped structure on one side that was probably the ball room he had mentioned. It was easily bigger than the Great Hall. If she'd been nervous before, it was nothing compared to what she was starting to feel now. She had known that the Malfoy's were relatively well off considering how much money Lucius had always been plying Fudge with, and how expensive everything Draco owned looked to be, but she had no idea...

She watched as the scenery began racing by the windows faster and faster as the carriage picked up speed, though she could only feel a slight swaying to indicate they were actually moving. She brushed her hair back behind her ear, "Um... so are those Muggle horses pulling the carriage?" She asked, trying to distract herself from her nervousness.

Draco smirk. "I don't think so... I have no idea what they are actually, but they haven't changed a bit the whole time I've known them... and they look suspiciously like the same ones that pulled the carriages when Darien lived here..."

Her eyes widened. "You don't even know what they are? Doesn't that make you a bit nervous?"

He shrugged negligently, "They have never been anything but completely loyal. Who cares what they are? I'm sure whichever of my ancestors first employed them in service to the family wouldn't have done it if they posed any kind of threat. Perhaps my father knows... they were the only creatures in our service that he never so much as raised his voice to... I take that as a good indicator that they should be treated with respect." He said with a smirk.

Ginny shifted uneasily, "I'd say!" She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Who's driving anyway?" She asked, not remembering seeing anyone since they arrived, let alone near the carriage.

"No one. They know the way."

She blinked, staring towards the front, but there were no windows in that direction. It was a bit unnerving to think they were just blithely riding along, completely at the mercy of two strange, unknown beasts.

He grinned at her apparent unease, then slipped his arm around her, pulling her close, his expression sobering. "Ginny... I think... maybe we should talk about the baby..." He said softly.

She sighed and shifted over, resting her head on his shoulder. "I know..."

"I hadn't really planned on us starting a family until you were at least out of school... but... well as you can imagine, Darien is absolutely ecstatic over the idea... and I must admit that propriety and my desire to see you finish school are really the only reasons I had to wait. And, come to think of it... fuck propriety, and you could still finish school. Snape's already gotten authorization to create a nursery in Slytherin House and hire someone to watch the twins while Pansy is in class next year... one more shouldn't be a problem... So I guess the question is really _are you ready for it?_"

Ginny rested against him, deep in thought for several minutes before replying. "It's... kind of scary... but... but I can't deny that I really want it..." She said softly.

He grinned, "So is that a yes?"

She lifted her head, a nervous smile on her lips, "Yes..."

He let out a blissful sigh, then reached around, pulling the ring bearing his family crest off of the ring finger of his right hand. He tossed it across the carriage, sending it skittering under the bench opposite them, then pulled her into his lap, kissing her deeply.

-------------

When they were finally approaching the Manor about fifteen minutes later, Ginny was absolutely stunned. She climbed off his lap, where she had sat while they had been enjoying a leisurely, yet intense snogging session, and stared at it through the window as they approached. It looked gargantuan from the moment it came into view. Ginny just kept staring, sure it was some kind of optical illusion. The carriage kept moving forward, but the Manor didn't seem to be getting closer at nearly the rate it should have... but it did keep growing. By the time they finally drew up in front of it, she could no longer see the top or either of the sides through her bay of windows. She let Draco help her out without taking her eyes off it. It was at least several stories high and dotted with towers and parapets, and looked to be nearly the size of Hogwarts! The most notable difference between the two buildings being that all of the intricately carved stonework of Malfoy Manor was pristine white marble that looked like it could have been carved just yesterday, though if Darien had lived here it had to be well over a hundred years old.

"More what you were expecting?" Draco asked softly, startling her out of her reverie.

She looked over at him, blushing as she saw the smirk on his face. "Um... ya... I guess so..." She said meekly, feeling completely out of sorts.

"Well, let's not keep her waiting." He said, offering her his arm. She took it, trying to keep her eyes off the imposing structure as they entered. The inside was in perfect keeping with the out. The ceilings were a good five meters up, Suits of armor and sculptures dotting the hallway before them. There were paintings about every two meters along the walls, but they were all currently covered with fine swaths of crisp white linen.

"Looks like one of the paintings insulted her again..." Draco said with a smirk, noting the linen. "She has the house elves cover them all if she gets in a snit at one of them. She figures they are more likely to keep quiet if mouthing off to her will get the other portraits mad at them for getting them all covered up. They're all Malfoy ancestors, so they don't tend to approve of her drinking and lack of interest in father. They usually stay like this until father comes home and orders the house elves to uncover them, so I suspect it will be some time before any of them see light again."

"Oh..." Ginny said. Sounded like the woman was quite temperamental. The butterflies in her stomach redoubled their efforts.

He quickly led her forward. She just stared around in wonder as they just seem to walk on and on. Everything was so very exquisite it looked as if it should be in a museum. They had far more tapestries, sculptures, and fine looking rugs than she'd seen in her whole life. And the chandeliers... she had already counted over a dozen huge, amazingly wrought crystal chandeliers, and that was just the ones she was able to notice while looking at everything else.

After what seemed forever, he came to a stop in front of a huge set of double doors. He took a deep breath, then shot her a bracing smile before opening them. The room that was revealed was even more breathtaking. She tried to keep her eyes forward, but that was very difficult. There was a crystal chandelier in the center of the ceiling that was at least two meters in diameter, not to mention a dozen or so chairs that looked so fine they had to cost a couple hundred galleons apiece at least. There wasn't a single portrait hanging in the entire very large room, the wall space taken up with carvings, sculptures and other kinds of art. There was another chair of a softer, more comfortable looking construction facing the fire. She could see a bit of white-blond hair over the back of it. As she watched, a slender hand reached over and took a half full glass from beside the open bottle of some kind of obviously fine alcohol.

"You're late." Her voice was cool, yet still unslurred. Ginny hoped this was a good sign.

Draco sighed, noting the bottle. "Mother..."

"What?" She asked flippantly, "It would be rude to start the tea without you, and I was thirsty. Stop lecturing. It makes you sound like your father."

Draco winced.

"Why are you late?"

"Ran into father actually." Draco said, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.

"Did you kill him?" she asked, her voice containing nothing more than mild curiosity.

"No."

She gave a snort. "It's not an excuse for tardiness then."

Draco glanced back at Ginny, rolling his eyes.

"What was so urgent anyway?" She asked, taking another drink from her glass.

Draco glanced at Ginny, then moved forward, going up to stand beside her chair, "Well, I had a couple of reasons... I had to come now because I wanted to ask you to come with me to the Zabini's for Christmas... Blaise invited me, and asked that I bring you along. Wouldn't do to have you sitting home alone on Christmas."

"I'll see if I'm free." She said in a dull voice. "Anything else?"

Draco shifted uneasily. "I... um..." He glanced up at Ginny pensively. His mother didn't appear to be in that great a mood, and now he was having second thoughts about introducing them, not wanting his mother to embarrass him in front of Ginny.

"Oh do spit it out. It's rude to just stand there stammering." She said, though her emotionless voice had barely managed to mustered a vague hint of irritation.

Draco took a deep breath, straightening a bit. "I'm getting married, mother."

"Do tell." She muttered, the irritation in her voice managing to rise just a bit.

"I brought her to meet you."

She set down the glass with a clang on the glass topped table, "Bloody Hell, what have I told you about warning me when you bring guests with you?!?" She said, starting to rise, trying to make her movements as graceful as possible, though it was obvious that wasn't her first glass.

Draco gave a little smirk. "I've never brought home a guest before, Mother."

She gave a little snort. "No excuse." She said, making her way around the table. She was just as tall, beautiful and elegant looking as Ginny remembered, despite the fact that she was well on her way to inebriation. Her long, flowing white gown made her look even more slender and willowy... though perhaps she had just lost weight.

As she rounded the table, she came to an abrupt stop, looking at Draco. She leaning forward a bit, peering closer,"Whatever is wrong with your eyes, Draco?"

He grinned, "Nothing's wrong with them. That's just how they are now. It's a very long story."

She blinked, pulling back some, "Well make it stop before you make me do something indecorous all over the imported rug. The house elves shant thank you for that!"

He smirked, fishing out his glasses and slipping them on.

Then she turned to Ginny. She stared at her, looking her over from head to foot in a puzzled, appraising look. Ginny was getting quite nervous as she continued looking her over for nearly a whole minute before speaking.

"Certainly doesn't look like a Parkinson. Did her mother shag the cauldron repairman or something? Wouldn't put it past her... she was quite the little tramp in school."

Draco cleared his throat, smirking as Ginny went red. "She's not a Parkinson, Mother. She's... a Weasley. Ginevra Weasley, this is my mother, Narcissa..."

"Black." His mother cut in quickly. She smirked, "Ministry said so. I'd show you the paper they sent, but I'm having it framed at the moment. So... I'm confused. Aren't the Weasleys that redheaded lot your father loathes? I thought he said he picked the Parkinson girl... what's her name? Daisy... Rose... Tulip... something like that..."

"Pansy." Draco said with a smirk, "Well, that's _his_ plan. I have no intention of marrying Pansy, and she doesn't want to marry me either. In fact, right now she's pregnant with Ginny's brother's baby."

Narcissa was staring at him, "So..." She said slowly, "What you're telling me is that you are actually going to try to defy your father's wishes and marry a girl from a family that he totally despises...?"

Draco grinned, "That's a pretty good assessment. Yes."

They were both surprised as Narcissa let out a totally unladylike squeal, wrapping her arms around Draco and giggling. When she let up on him, she grabbed his head, planting a kiss on his cheek, "Oh that's my precious baby boy!" She crowed, "Oh thank Merlin! I was so afraid you would turn out to be a little Lucius!" She laughed and released him.

"And you!" She said, twirling around towards Ginny. Ginny watched wide-eyed, trying not to flinch back as the woman wrapped her in a big bear hug. "I get a daughter!" she said, sounding a bit giddy.

"Um... step-daughter." Draco said.

Narcissa released Ginny, then reached over and swatted his arm. "Semantics! Don't be a buzz kill Draco!" She said, looking a bit unstable. Her eyes went wide. "Oh Merlin! We have so much to do... I have to arrange for the food... flowers... you can wear my old wedding dress..." Then she paused, looking thoughtful, "Scratch that. That old rag brought me nothing but grief... besides, I do believe I incinerated it already." She said with a mischievous grin, looking around quickly. "Diamond!" She called out. After a moment, she stomped her heel on the floor, "Diamond!"

Ginny looked at Draco in askance, but he just smirked at her.

"Can never find them when you want them..." Narcissa muttered, going back to the table and picking up her almost empty glass. Without preamble, she tossed it to the ground a little ways away from them, making it shatter into tiny pieces on the polished black marble floor.

In seconds, a house elf scampered up as if appearing out of nowhere, carrying a cloth and dustpan. She snapped her fingers at it, making it pause, "Yes, Mistress Black?" It squeaked. She had obviously taken the Ministry decree to heart immediately, passing the change on to the house elves.

"Go get Diamond." She ordered briskly.

It eyed the mess, but bobbed it's head, reluctantly leaving it to run off on it's new errand. Another house elf appeared almost instantly, taking up the cleaning as Narcissa turned back to Ginny. "Do you mind if we don't invite anyone from our side? I doubt you'd want any of them there anyway."

"Um.. ok..." Ginny said, taken aback by the woman's sudden enthusiasm. She watched the second elf scamper away. She suddenly realized what was odd about their elves. They were dressed. In clothes. Actual clothes that looked special made for them. "Are your elves free?" She asked, surprised.

Narcissa smirked. "Of course not. Like I could keep this monstrous place up without them! I didn't give them the clothes. Diamond makes them for practice, and if she chooses to give them to other elves when she's done, so be it. It doesn't free them unless it comes from one of their masters. Personally, I can't stand seeing half naked house elves scampering about, and Lucius isn't around to preach about tradition and beat the poor things for it anymore."

"Oh..." Ginny said, wondering who this 'Diamond' was.

Her unspoken question was quickly answered as a positively tiny house elf scampered in dressed in the cutest little dress of royal blue covered with paisleys accented with red dots and a matching hat. As she drew closer, Ginny saw that she was also wearing a necklace. She was no expert, but it looked like a real teardrop shaped diamond the size of her pinky nail dangling from the shiny gold chain. She had a large bound pad of parchment that was almost as big as she was under one arm.

"Mistress Black is wanting her Diamond?" The tiny elf squeaked.

Narcissa nodded, then took ahold of Ginny by the shoulders, shifting her around to face Diamond and pushing her forward a bit. "Wedding dress. Something simple, but elegant. White. None of that bloody fancy-named off-white. Always makes them look soiled." She said, a slight unsteadiness to her poise the only remaining hint of intoxication remaining in the obviously excited woman.

"Yes Mistress Black!" Diamond said, looking excited. She set down her pad of parchment and scampered over, pulling an odd little step stool out from under one of the tables near a full length mirror Ginny hadn't noticed before.

Draco just took a seat and watched with amusement as the tiny elf proceeded to measure every aspect of her, the stool magically expanding and contracting to whatever height Diamond needed. When she was done, she stood back, eyeing her for a moment appraisingly, then snatched up her pad of parchment and took it over out of the way, opening it and laying down on the floor. She slipped a thin case Ginny hadn't spotted before off it's hook at her belt, opening it and extracting several muggle art pencils. Then she flopped down on her belly, diligently beginning to sketch.

Ginny had to smirk. She looked like a little child coloring on the floor, her tiny feet up in the air and crossed at the ankles absently.

"What's she doing?" Ginny asked.

"Why sketching ideas for the dress of course. When she has a few we'll pick one and she'll make it." Narcissa leaned a bit closer, dropping her voice. "Very artistic, that one. Makes clothes better than the stores. Bit of an odd duck for a house elf actually..." She mused, looking down at the elf with a little smirk, "Don't worry, she's very quick. She'll probably have it finished by tomorrow. Thinking about it, forget the caterer. They always take too long and don't take orders well. I'll just have the house elves take care of the food. There probably won't be nearly as many people as at one of our parties anyway. I'll have them gather the supplies and get over to Zabini Manor so they can coordinate with the Zabini elves..."

Draco looked up, "The Zabini elves?" He asked, confused as to why they would be involved.

She looked over at him. "You did say that was where we were going, did you not?"

"For the Christmas holiday, yes."

"Well then the wedding will have to be there. What's your issue with that?" She asked, looking puzzled.

"I said we were getting married, but I didn't mean this minute!" Draco said, chuckling.

"Do you want to marry this girl?" Narcissa asked impatiently.

"Yes!" Draco said immediately.

"Well then you only have until New Year's Eve. That bloody marriage contract becomes legally binding on the first of the year in which the male will celebrate his seventeenth birthday. Didn't you even check into this Draco? Honestly... If only I had known before _I_ got married... but unfortunately I didn't find out about that little loophole until it was too late. I always wonder who I would have picked if I'd found out in time. I always had my eye on that Remus Lupin... sure he's a werewolf, but even if he bit me I think it would have been better than being married to Lucius all these years... not to mention it would have made Lucius so mad he may just have spontaneously combusted..."

Draco was on his feet by this point, "What?!?"

"Oh come now Draco. I'm only human... and he always had such a cute arse... course he still does from what I've seen..." She said, a far off look in her eyes as she smirked.

"Agh!" Draco said in disgust, "Not _that_ part! The time limit part."

Narcissa rolled her eyes, "Merlin... you aren't going to make me go repeating myself all night, are you? You have to be married before New Years or you're legally obliged to marry Pansy. In fact the ceremony will only be a technicality at that point. Catch it that time?" she said, rolling her eyes impatiently. She strode over to the desk, pulling open a drawer and rummaging through it, finally coming up with a scroll of parchment. She walked back over, handing it to him. "Feel free to read up. Your father was going to pay quite a small fortune for that girl. Not that she doesn't deserve it after what he put her through, but it's not like she would actually see any of it."

His eyes widened, "You knew what he did to her? And you didn't do anything about it?"

"Her and about five other girls he was 'interviewing', yes. He made contracts with all of their parents by the time you were one, with the marriage contingent on an elimination process to be carried out once they were at least eleven years of age. I'm sorry to say, I had no legal way of stopping him. Their parents all agreed to it in hopes of getting in on the Malfoy fortune. Amazing what greed will do, isn't it? If you find it disturbing, I don't suggest you go asking around Slytherin, because at least four of the other girls are Slytherins in your year or the one below it. He probably would have even made a contract with the Weasleys just to get the chance to shag little Ginny here before rejecting her if her parents would have allowed it."

Draco looked sick at the thought, shoving the contract into one of the inner pockets of his robe firmly. He would definitely be taking a closer look at that later. He was curious what price Pansy's parents had set on her innocence.

He quickly shook it off, trying hard not to imagine which of the other Slytherin girls his father had 'tested out'. He looked at Ginny, then walked up to her, taking her hands in his. "Are you going to be alright with getting married that quickly?" he asked worriedly.

Ginny was bright red and looking a bit faint. "I guess... I mean I want to marry you... it's a bit sudden... but..." Her eyes widened as a thought suddenly occurred, "_Can_ I marry you? I mean I'm still only fifteen!"

"No problem." Narcissa said, waving it off, "Unless of course your parents don't approve. If they both give their blessings then it would be legal."

"_Both_ of them have to agree?" Draco said a bit worriedly.

Ginny smirked. "Dad won't stop us. At least not if he ever wants to hear the end of it. Mum's nagging can have its good uses as well."

He grinned, pulling her close. "It's settled then. But when? I mean we have the whole holiday."

"No procrastinating, Draco." Narcissa said, wagging her finger at him, "No putting it off to the last minute! You know your father. If he catches wind of this..."

Draco sighed and nodded, "Ya..." He said, looking over at Ginny, "Christmas Eve? That way it wouldn't interfere with everyone's Christmas, but at the same time they wouldn't be all worn out from the festivities already."

She grinned. "Sounds wonderful to me... of course any day would..." she said, leaning up and kissing him. He kissed her back tenderly, pulling her closer.

When they finally parted, she smiled, then it fled. "Oh.. I just remembered... mum said Bill and Charlie won't be coming for Christmas this year!" She said sadly.

"Bill and Charlie?" Narcissa asked curiously.

Ginny nodded, "My two oldest brothers. Bill is a tomb curse breaker in Egypt for Gringotts... he has to work this Christmas. They just found a new tomb, and they want it opened and emptied as soon as possible so they can count it on the books for this year. And Charlie, he's a dragon keeper in Romania... they have a Antipodean Opaleye that's been gippy lately, so he has to stay with it. Normally the others could take care of it, but he's the one who knows the most about the Opaleyes and it's a brooding female... if it doesn't pull through they're likely to lose the whole lot of eggs too. Not to mention that their habitat they keep for the warmer temperature dragons has definitely seen better days, and he's the best at refreshing the warming charms. Them breaking down while he was out in the field is how it got ill in the first place."

Narcissa looked thoughtful. "Well, I want you to let me worry about the guest list. You can tell me if there is anyone in particular you'd like me to invite, but otherwise I think this will probably end up being just a close family kind of thing. Just try to relax and enjoy the holiday and let me take care of everything. I will get you some invitations to take back in case you want to invite any of your little friends."

Ginny and Draco nodded. "Most probably already have plans," Ginny said thoughtfully, "But I have to at least invite Hermione. She said she'll be staying at the school, and she's the only one signed up to stay. I haven't had time to give it much thought, but she'll probably be my maid of honor anyway."

Draco rolled his eyes, "Fine." He said with a humoring smirk.

Narcissa smirked, then clapped her hands together, "Well then... Ginny, it looks like Diamond is done... Draco, be a good boy and look away for a few moments. Don't want you peeking at her wedding dress, even in sketch form!"

--------

"Those sketches were amazing..." Ginny said as they made their way down the long corridor arm in arm. "I mean she had four of them done in just that few minutes... and they were simply gorgeous! I mean the way she put the..."

Draco quickly held up his hand to stop her, "Now now... don't want mother finding out I have any clue what you will be wearing. I know all I need to. Whatever you picked, it will be an undoubtedly breathtaking dress on an even more breathtaking woman." He said with a smirk.

She blushed and grinned. "What's with that house elf anyway? I've never heard of one who showed that much creativity... and she seemed awfully bold for a house elf... the way she argued with your mum over the placement of the trim... I've never heard such an outspoken house elf!"

Draco grinned. "Her whole line has been getting progressively more odd... I mean look at Dobby. Openly disobeying father like that... and he already knew what father's punishments were like. Diamond is lucky enough not to have met the business end of father's cane yet. She's mum's. Mum's had her since they got married, though Diamond was little more than a baby then. The whole family of house elves was included as part of Mum's wedding present from her parents. Father put the others to use, but Diamond was too young and a bit sickly, so he let mum keep her. He did think her choice of names was a bit inappropriate, but let it pass as a way to keep her quiet."

Ginny furrowed her brow. "Diamond is related to Dobby?"

Draco smirked, "Dobby's little sister."

"Oh..." She said, surprised. It had never occurred to her that Dobby might have relatives that were still owned by the Malfoys. She suddenly looked around, realizing something, "This isn't the way we came in... is it?"

"No... I wanted to show you something before we left, while mum's out of the way. Her greenhouse is huge, so she'll be distracted picking out the flowers for the wedding for a good long while."

Before she could question him further, he stopped, opening a door for her. She went in, looking around. They were in a large sitting room. There were a number of comfortable, yet elegant looking chairs placed about, the few tables between them stacked with neat piles of books. There was also a huge fireplace with snakes carved into the mantle piece with intricate detail, making them look almost alive. It looked a bit more subdued than the rest of the castle, the walls being made of a medium gray stone that did much to tone down the atmosphere, and the flickering torchlight giving the place a more familiar feel.

"Where are we?" She asked curiously.

Draco shrugged, "My rooms."

"Your rooms?" She asked, surprised.

"Yep." He said, taking her hand again and leading her over to the first door on his right. He opened it, "Bedroom," she caught a glimpse of a richly appointed bedroom much like his one at Hogwarts. He moved on to the next, beginning to make a circuit counter clockwise around the room. "Bathroom," Even bigger than the one at Hogwarts, with two others doors off it leading to the rooms on either side, "Training room," It was a room with thickly padded walls and a variety of exercise type equipment and an area towards the back that was obviously meant for the practice of magic spells, with a number of cushions and such about and a large bullseye on the wall.

He led her past the fireplace to the other side of the room and continued his tour, "Kitchenette," It looked like a full fledged kitchen from her point of view! It was bigger than her mums! "Study," It was what she would expect of a study. Lined with overfilled bookcases, everything in dark natural woods, the desk piled with papers and open books, "And lab..." He said, pausing as he opened the last door.

Her eyes widened. It was a Potions lab that looked better equipped than any other she'd ever seen! There were racks and shelving units around the walls, filled with more potion ingredients than she knew existed. "Wow..." She breathed. "You must have every potion ingredient in existence!"

He chuckled, leading her in. "No, unfortunately not. If I did, Blaise would have been cured before the curse even had a chance. I do have an awful lot though. I have about eighty percent of the ingredients listed in that 1001 Magical Potion Ingredients book Snape's always going on about. I grow quite a number of them myself in my greenhouse out back. You'd be surprised how many of the more questionable ingredients you can't buy, but _can_ manage to get the seeds for... actually I did have a couple of the ingredients for that potion in my stocks. Wrote to mother using that stupid code father always insisted we correspond in, and had mother owl what I had over to the twins since the owls going into Hogwarts were bring monitored. My letter was disguised well enough to get out, but even Fudge couldn't fail to notice potion ingredients. And they weren't exactly amongst the more legal ingredients needed." he said with a smirk.

She chuckled, walking along the rows of jars and vials. "It's amazing..."

"Mmhmm..." He said distractedly, taking out his wand. She came over and watched as he started tapping scorch marks left in the stone of one of the open stretches of wall near the back corner of the room that looked to be a testing area. As he lowered his wand, he muttered something softly in elvish, then pressed his palm against the stone. She watched, wide-eyed, as the solid stone wall seemed to melt away, leaving a large, irregular hole in the wall. "_This_ is what I wanted to show you..." He said, holding his hand out invitingly.

She stepped through. There was a single torch mounted to the far wall, which had burst to life as soon as the 'door' had opened, illuminating a smallish room that was quite out of keeping with the rest of the Mansion. The room was furnished only with a mattress laying directly on the floor, the covers laying piled haphazardly at the end of it, an old but solid looking trunk against the wall, and a number of large cushions tossed around in the corner under the torch. Clustered around the cushions, there were untidy piles of books, some laying open, lots of parchment with hastily scrawled notes, spare quills and a waste paper basket that was over full with wadded up parchment. The rest of the room was in a similar state with clothes and such scattered about. The walls, at least what she could see of them, had an oddly unfinished look to them, but much of their surfaces were now covered by pictures and posters.

Draco's pale cheeks colored slightly, "Sorry... was in a bit of a rush leaving for the train. I overslept." He said, whipping his wand around, making the clothes swirl up as if caught in a mini tornado, gliding over and dropping in a pile in the corner.

"You aren't supposed to do magic outside of school!" She said, alarmed.

He rolled his eyes. "The Ministry couldn't see onto these grounds if they wanted to. I've been using magic here since well before I started Hogwarts."

"Oh..." She said softly, then looked up again, "Um... don't the house elves clean in here?" She asked, surprised that they would have left any room in such a state.

He chuckled. "They've never been in here... no one else ever has. I made this room... well, kind of. Accidentally blasted a hole in the wall when a potion went wrong, and I discovered this architectural dead space. Apparently they are pretty common in the Manor. Boosts structural integrity... and makes the place look bigger without having to add still more finished rooms." He said with a rueful smirk. Now that she looked at it more closely, she saw that the shape was a bit irregular, and the ceiling seemed to slope down slightly towards the bed. "I think of this place as my _real_ room... the only one my father couldn't violate with impunity. He doesn't know about it. No one does."

"But then how did you get all of this stuff in here?" She asked, eyeing the large mattress.

He followed her gaze. "Oh that. I just shrunk it, then engorged it once I had it in. Simple."

"But what happened when they found your bed didn't have a mattress? Didn't they ask where it went?"

"No. House elves don't question their masters. Next day I went into my room and there was a new mattress. Simple as that. They probably assumed I used a banishment spell on it or something. Which, admittedly I have done on pieces of furniture before. Need to practice after all."

She grinned. She looked around, examining the wall coverings. Most appeared to be posters from bands, but most of them she didn't recognize. There was some pretty bizarre graphics on some of them, but very few were moving as she would expect. Her eyes came to rest on one of motionless posters. "Hey... isn't that a Muggle group?" She asked, recognizing the band name from a ratty old Muggle cap her father had brought home one time. He was so proud of that cap!

He chuckled. "Most of them are. Spent a couple days in Muggle London summer before last on a lark. Found a little music shop. Some of that Muggle music isn't too bad actually, but I don't have anything that would play it around magic, so I had to settle for posters. Got a couple of shirts too, but father got ahold of all but one of those and incinerated them after a good long bout of screaming about impropriety." He didn't mention the beating that had accompanied it as well.

"I can imagine..." She said, smirking as she spotted one of the few real photographs. It was a wizarding photo of Draco and Blaise that was obviously a couple years old. Blaise had one arm thrown around Draco's shoulders, the other waving enthusiastically. Draco had his arms folded across his chest, glaring at Blaise irritably, as if the boy was embarrassing him.

Draco stepped up behind her, slipping her robe off her shoulders, "Get on the bed. I want to show you something."

She chuckled, but kicked off her shoes and complied. He doffed his own robe and shoes, then followed her, laying down beside her. He raised his wand, pointing it at the torch. "Nox." The torch instantly winked out.

The darkness was more complete than any she'd experienced before, the entrance having sealed itself up behind them. She blinked, not sure her eyes were working correctly. There seemed to be dots of light appearing. As she watched, wide eyed, pinpoints of light began flaring to life all around them, then colors... in moments, it was as if they were out in space, the entire universe surrounding them as they appeared to float through it. There was a patch of stars amidst what looked like an aurora to her left, a whole miniature galaxy spinning slowly to the other side... it was amazing. She giggled as a comet streaked by, looking barely a few feet above her, leaving a glimmering wake that drifted down onto her, tickling slightly as it touched her skin.

"I got bored this summer..." He said softly.

"You did all of this just for fun?" She asked, amazed. The spellwork alone must have been staggering.

"Well... that and... I had the strangest dream..." He said, brushing his finger down her cheek.

She looked over at him. "A dream? About what?"

She could see a smile on his lips in the pale light of the stars, "Let me show you..." He said, leaning over and kissing her. She sighed contentedly as he moved away from her mouth, kissing his way down to the side of her neck, his hand working it's way under her shirt. She had to smile as she felt him unfasten her bra expertly (and one handedly no less!). She took a deep breath and sighed it out happily. She couldn't believe they were going to be married in just a few days! It was simply mind boggling! And then they would start their very own family. She could still feel the faint, but reassuring presence within her. It would be a baby soon... growing in her belly. She bit her lip. Things were going so fast, it was a exciting, but at the same time a bit frightening really...

Draco looked up, feeling the slight nervous tension in her. He grinned, "Just so you know... with men, the effects of contraceptive charms take a couple of days or so to wear off." He said, as if reading her mind. "But then again, that doesn't mean we can't start trying..." He said mischievously.

She giggled, glad to have one less thing to plague her thoughts for the moment. She relaxed some as he finished opening her shirt and settled down, kissing and gently teasing her breasts with his tongue. When he returned to the task of undressing her, she lifted up a bit, letting him pull her pants and knickers off. Then he broke away for a moment, quickly divest himself of the remains of his own clothing, then settling down beside her.

Ginny sighed with pleasure at the feel of his warm skin pressed up against hers. She slid her leg over his hip and he let out a groan. He sat up, sitting almost tailor fashion as he pulled her into his lap. She quickly shifted up and managed to get him inside her easily despite not being very used to the position. He groaned and pulled her tight to him, pressing her down until he was completely inside her.

Ginny shivered as he held her there, buried within her as he tenderly kissed and licked at her neck. She let out a groan of longing as she felt him throb within her. He eased his grip on her, letting her start to move as he continued to kiss and caress her. She opened her eyes and watched him. His hair almost seemed to glow in the faint light. Even in the dark, the mix of love and lust in his eyes was unmistakable. She groaned again, speeding up as she watched him, the crazy play of stars slowly swirling behind him. It gave the whole experience an almost mystical feel.

Despite the fact that this position didn't let him move much himself, the sheer novelty of the situation usher her peak on. She cried out as it crashed over her. Draco groaned, pulling her tight against him again, but wasn't quite there yet. As soon as she had relaxed a bit, he rolled them over, settling on top of her without even slipping out. She expected him to take her hard and finish quickly after that much stimulation, but when he started thrusting into her it was slow, deep and exceedingly tender.

He captured her lips, kissing her lovingly. As her breathing settled down a bit she let the kiss deepen. In no time at all, they were lost in a deep liplock, their tongues caressing eachother as he moved inside her. Their passionate union felt like it went on like that forever as time seemed to stand still, the stars wheeling overhead heedlessly. Ginny's second peak snuck up on her so subtly that it took her completely by surprise. She broke the kiss, crying out loudly as her body tensed and shook.

Draco groaned, unable to handle it. He buried himself in her as he crashed over the edge as well.

They lay there, both reeling from the incredible high for a while. When their hearts had finally slowed back down near normal Draco sighed, cuddling up closer to her. "That was just like my dream... only better..."

"You were having dreams about shagging out in the open under a surrealistic night sky?" she asked, highly amused.

He chuckled, "Not exactly... I dreamt about you... about making love to you while we drifted through the vast reaches of space... and making you mine... when I woke I felt an incredible loss... but I didn't understand it since you and I had never really been together... and... well, you were a _Weasley..._" He said with a smirk, "But the memory persisted... That's why I tried recreating the setting of my dream at least... It was comforting laying here and watching all of this... remembering the dream. Of course I realize now that the stars were just metaphorical... it's _you_ that has become my whole universe..." He said softly, gently kissing her neck.

-----------------

A/N - **BLOODY HELL!!! **I took my computer in last week for what? Jollies? They tell me my power supply is just fine... ok, then why did it **die**? Deader that a doornail!!! I was literally running the last read through on this chapter, less than fifteen minutes from posting and PING! Power gone bye bye. I seriously thought I somehow kicked the plug out of the power strip or something. Nope. Power supply just gave up. I take it in... "Looks like your power supply is dead." NO SHIT SHERLOCK!!! Boy, I didn't see that one coming! So I ended up having to pay $80 to get a new one installed, but I was so glad it didn't take the motherboard with it (like my sister's did) that I just went ahead and paid it. Not that I can afford it (Especially since I was so stressed about if it was recoverable, I skived off work to take it in!), but I guess some people will just be getting like macaroni pictures or something from me for Christmas this year! ;) And before you ask, no I have not finished my shopping, so that _is_ a possibility! How long do those take to dry? I think I have time... Guess I have to see if I can scrape together enough money for macaroni and paint... ;) I was hoping to get through Christmas in the story before our Christmas, but it doesn't look as if I'll make it. I'll give it a go of course, just don't hold your breath! I have no idea how much time I'll have to work on this, and my entire 'holiday' from work consists of Friday! (sighs) As you can probably guess, things have been a bit hectic lately. Well, if I don't have a chance to write you another A/N before then, Merry Christmas! I won't wish you a happy new year yet so that at the very least it will guilt me into posting before then! ;P

Now replies to some reviews:

**_whatever_** - Not being rude, but if I had _wanted_ the demon to have a 'bloody name' I would have _given_ it one!

**_Lil trindle_** - Ginny stayed with the others. I forgot to list one. So sue me! ;P I might note that I'm only having time for at most one proofread on these chapters now since they are so long and I have so little computer time, not to mention I posted that at like 2 in the morning when I had to get up for work at 5:30! Of course I could always put off posting and starting working on the next chapter for another day or two to give it another couple run throughs if you'd prefer... ;)

**_My Kingdom_** - Think about it... anyone currently around them would be being _very_ hypocritical if they were to hold stuff against Draco... they're all shagging Slytherins now! Ok, Harry is shagging a past Slytherin but still hates Draco, but she wasn't one of the ones they had been set against for their whole stay at Hogwarts, and besides, his hatred of Draco ran a bit deeper than anyone else's. Ron is with Blaise and Pansy (And Blaise being Draco's best friend... holding a grudge with him wouldn't fly), and Hermione is shagging _Snape_... and Snape was someone they hated almost as much as Draco! Not to mention she knows that Draco knew about their relationship and never told on them, and that _has_ to count for something. And the twins of course never had more than indirect reasons to dislike Draco, being a year above him, and of course are rather fond of Pansy and Blaise as well, not too mention I think they're too easy going to maintain a grudge if given _any_ reason to give it up. As for Ginny's parents, well you know why her mother accepts him, and as for her father... well you could tell he was less than completely comfortable with Draco, but with a wife like Molly, who has accepted them being together, he can't say too much if he wants any peace in his life now can he? ;) As for Ron & Ginny's relationship... I don't see as they have lost anything. Just because they are spending most of their time with their S/Os doesn't mean they care about eachother any less. And Ron knows Draco would protect Ginny to the death, so that's why he has been worrying more about Hermione and Pansy's safety if that's what you mean.

**_Confused!! _**- Pansy is pregnant. Even Muggles know alcohol is not good for babies. Blaise tends to be overprotective of those he cares about, and those two little ones certainly rank high up there, so you can't expect him to let her consume anything that might be detrimental to their health.

**_Virgin Vixen 666_** - Harry is still being kept in the room the twins fixed up to look like the woods. All they gave him was a couple of blankets and some soft grass. It was meant to be a temporary setup, and they just never thought to add to it for more permanent residence.

**_Soulstealer6669_** - actually, unfortunately it isn't uncommon for girls who were molested at a young age to become very sexually active when they hit their teens (or before!). It sometimes really fucks them up mentally. They get to thinking that sex is all they have to offer and it is the only way to express their feelings or that if they don't have sex with a guy the guy won't like them because that's all men are interested in or perhaps that men only want sex, so a guy will only like them if they let him do whatever he wants to them or some such rubbish. Unfortunately, I've seen it happen. Not me, just so you know, but she was chasing after boys worse than Pansy before she turned thirteen. She wasn't sleeping with them yet, but I imagine it's only a matter of time. As for myself, let's just say that I think that's the reason I write about teens so often. I'm reliving my own teens vicariously through my characters, but the way I now wish I had, not as the 'terminally shy' person I really was. I sometimes think that if I went to heaven, and it truly lived up to it's name, it would be someplace that I could actually live out the stories that run around in my head. And I'm not just talking smut, because this is one of my smuttiest stories actually, and it got that way in a large part because of you damnably persuasive reviewers! ;) Most of the stories I have written before have been just for my own enjoyment... I never really shared them with anyone... but here, it gets hard not to want to please you after a while, even if it's not what I would have normally written.

**_Petal_** - Damn it! I said **no suggestions in reviews!** Yes. I _HAVE_ been planning that the demon had her baby's soul for a long time now. Since before she had the nightmare in fact. That, and the association of the demon with their past are WHY she had the nightmare. That's why I was sure to mention at least a couple of times that it's talons struck her abdomen. I wasn't planning on it giving it back so soon, but there was really no point waiting since the surprise had already been blown. This is really screwing with my timeline, and now I'm going to have to rethink a bunch of stuff! I almost decided not to give it back at all! That would have had less of an effect on my plans than her getting it this early. Please don't get me wrong, I _do_ appreciate the rest of your review, and the seven others you have made of my story, but just understand that this is one of my biggest pet peeves as a writer. I don't mean to sound harsh, and I really hope you don't take this as a slap in the face or a personal attack or anything. You are only the _most recent_ one to do this, not the first, so this little 'rant' is **general**, and not specific to _you_. K?

**_Everybody else_** - I like reviews. Ok, I **LOVE** reviews. Sometimes I lose the 'mood' to write and reading more reviews is the only way I can get myself back into it (so if I'm taking a while to post and you haven't reviewed my last chapter yet, review! Good, thoughtful reviews longer than one line work best. It not only gives me encouragement, but also guilts me into writing if I've been putting it off!), especially reviews that give me helpful feedback on what you like about the story and such, in fact these more detailed reviews have done more to shape this story than anything else. There are characters I never meant to be more than a little mention that have grown because of your interest. For example, Kulia and Delse never existed in my original story idea, they just appeared out of necessity, and grew out of your interest. That said, I'm sorry to have to go into this, because I don't want to discourage people from reviewing (this means you too Petal! I truly hope this doesn't discourage you from reviewing my story again). But from now on, if a suggestion is made in reviews where everyone can see it, I _guarantee_ it **WILL NOT HAPPEN** even if I was _already planning it!_ Now I need all the stuff I have planned, so that would totally fuck my plans for the story and make me take extensive amounts of time rethinking everything, and I get frustrated easily, so I might just _give up _or get severe writers block (which _has_ happened before! In fact this is my longest spell without it (knock on wood) and I keep fearing it will rear it's ugly head!), so lets stick to emailing any suggestions, ok? I don't mean to rant or make anyone upset... don't mean to chew your head off Petal, especially since your past reviews, though occasionally odd ;) were some that had some detail, which I very much appreciate, and were enjoyable to read. It just really upsets me when I've already planned something, or even written it already but just hadn't posted it yet and someone suggests it in reviews, because then everyone else sits there thinking I stole someone else's idea! I can't stand the thought that people might question my integrity as a writer, even if they don't say anything to me about it. Suggestions are welcome, but ONLY when sent privately in email, and if it's something I _didn't_ have planned but I decide to use, I will acknowledge you in the Author's note after the chapter in which I use it, but I _won't_ take ANY suggestions given in reviews even if it's the most amazingly perfect suggestion of all time that would like solve ALL my plot problems or something, because if it's not going to be a surprise to anyone, it's not worth writing to me, and I can't assume that no one reads other people's reviews. If no one wanted to see other people's opinions, viewing reviews wouldn't be an option! Sorry. I just get a bit pissy on this subject if you haven't noticed yet ;) To me, it's like someone sitting next to you while you're watching a movie for the first time and telling you what's going to happen next. I hate that! I have actually not watched movies before just because someone told me what was going to happen, even thought it was a movie I _really_ wanted to see. I lost all desire to see it after they spoiled the surprise for me. Oh, and don't take this as a way of manipulating the story by suggesting stuff you _don't_ want to happen because I've had reverse psychology used on me all my life (mum used to read self help books! Argh!) and all that will do is make me stop writing while I have to take the time to look into seeing if I can somehow blacklist you. I don't think anyone wants that. Oh, and don't worry, I don't consider "Oh no! Don't let him die!" Or something of that nature a suggestion. Just when you say stuff like. "Wouldn't it be cool if..." Or "I think such and such should do this...". **Please _do_ keep reviews coming!!!** (crosses fingers hoping she hasn't scared them all off)


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter 51

When Draco and Ginny stepped back out of the fireplace, Dumbledore was there waiting for them... along with two aurors. Draco's eyes darted between Dumbledore and the Aurors. Dumbledore didn't seem pleased. That didn't bode well.

"Calm yourself." Dumbledore said, noting his furtive glances and tense posture. "They are only here to shut down the floo network."

"Shut it down?" Ginny asked, shocked.

Dumbledore nodded gravely, motioning them to follow as the Aurors went to work on the fireplace. He continued again once they were out in the hallway, lowering his voice, "I'm afraid they were able to determine that your father's escape, and very obviously his arrival as well, were made through the floo network. There was a small farmhouse not far outside Hogsmeade... a wizarding family... I'm afraid the family... didn't fair well at all. They found them in the cellar. The Death Eaters appeared to have spent some time there, undoubtedly awaiting their opportunity to attack. The father tried to resist and is currently in the Critical ward at St. Mungo's. Whether he will survive or not is still unknown. The mother, two daughters and son are being treated for... other injuries."

Draco looked away, his eyes stinging angrily. He could guess what kind of injuries he was talking about. "I want all of their medical bills paid for from my account at Gringotts. I'll owl Cullis Tirova before we return to Slytherin and have him get over there to see if there's anything he can do for the father. He was always the healer father used for himself, and therefor the best. Of course Cullis never really liked my father, which is the only reason I'd trust him. I'll give them some money for themselves to help them deal with the trauma as well. I know it's little comfort, but at least it's something."

Dumbledore nodded, "I'm sure they would appreciate it. I believe they have wiped the children's memories already. The mother may have to be wiped as well, especially if her husband doesn't pull through. Very sad. Very sad indeed. There was quite a bit of damage to their home as well. Of course most of that was from the Aurors." He said, shaking his head ruefully. "Our Minister of Magic decided that the floo network was entirely to blame for the attack and subsequent escape. He decreed that it was too dangerous a tool for Voldemort, and has closed it down almost entirely. There are only a few strategically placed connections left that the public can utilize. I was only able to keep this one open long enough for you to return because he felt it was 'only fair' seeing as you weren't notified before leaving and were scheduled to return soon..." Dumbledore said, his voice getting a half-amused, almost sarcastic tone.

Draco rolled his eyes. "He was afraid he would piss me and my mother off and ruin any chance for future contributions more like!"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "That was my assessment as well. Unfortunately it means students will not have the option of flooing home for the holidays. All the houses were informed and owls sent to all of the parents telling them that the Hogwarts Express would be delivering them to King's Cross unless they are able to make other arrangements."

Draco groaned, "What a crock! Bad enough tradition demands we ride it here for start of term, and home after... taking most of the day simply sitting in a train and traveling seems so... _wasteful! _Now we're supposed to waste a good chunk of our holiday on a train?"

Dumbledore sighed and nodded commiseratingly. "Except for the students old enough who have passed their apparition tests, I'm afraid there are few other options at this time."

Draco looked thoughtful for a moment, then a smile spread over his face, "I can think of one..."

Dumbledore smirked. "I thought you might manage to. Just be very careful, and please promise me that, should you chose to make your own way there, you will not go unprotected."

Draco smiled. "I think I have a few friends I could convince to tag along with us."

Dumbledore straightened, watching warily as the Aurors made their way towards the Entrance Hall. "So... had a good visit I hope?"

Draco brightened, "Yes... as a matter of fact I wanted to ask you if you're free Christmas Eve?"

Dumbledore smiled warmly, "I was wondering which day you would pick. I kept my schedule for the holidays flexible to make sure I'd be available when you needed me. What time should I be there?"

Draco smirked. You just couldn't get one past this man. "I'd say by two at least. Mother has the ceremony planned for five, but I'm sure she'll have a lot to go over with you."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'll be there."

-------------

"Christmas Eve?!?" Ron asked, shocked.

"Seems mighty snappy to be getting hitched..." Fred said suspiciously.

"There isn't a _reason_ you have to be married right away, now is there?" George asked shrewdly.

"Actually, there _is_..." Draco said, noting that they all stiffened slightly at this comment, "But not what you probably think." He quickly added. They visibly relaxed, but remained wary. "It's because of some bloody marriage contract my father made when I was a baby. If I don't get married this year, I'll be legally married to Pansy."

"Oh..." Ron said softly, darting a glance over at Pansy. She was bright red, staring fixedly at her hands. Blaise pulled her over onto his lap, kissing and nuzzling her comfortingly. She huddled against him.

Draco couldn't help but notice a slight movement in the group of Slytherins that had gathered around them to hear the news. He spotted a mousy little fifth year girl shifting back in the crowd, hugging herself self-consciously. He vaguely recalled her being a Flint, first cousin to Marcus, the former Slytherin Quidditch captain if he remembered correctly. She'd always been unusually withdrawn for a Slytherin, especially considering how outspoken the Flints usually were. Her gaze shifted from where it had rested on Pansy, and she realized he was looking at her. Her eyes went wide and she quickly slipped away, disappearing down one of the hallways.

Draco felt that sick feeling growing in his stomach again. He was pretty sure he'd just discovered one of the other 'contestants' in his father's sick little marriage game. He glanced around, and much to his displeasure, discovered that there were two other girls in the crowd studiously not meeting his gaze. He resolved to dig into his father's records and find out exactly who the other girls were, no matter how disturbing it might be for him. He knew he wouldn't feel right until he had made amends for what his father had done, or at least as much as was possible.

"Well, we'll have to owl mum." Ron said, still looking a bit disconcerted.

"No!" Draco said immediately.

"Why not?" The twins asked in unison, their brows furrowed.

"If father finds out about this we'll all be in danger, especially Ginny. We'll be seeing your mum tomorrow. That will have to be soon enough."

Ron sighed and nodded his agreement. He could well imagine what Lucius' reaction would be like. He didn't care to meet up with the man ever again, especially not if he was in a particularly foul mood.

"Well, now that that is settled," Ginny said briskly, not wanting to give her brothers very long to contemplate possible objections. "I think we should all be getting ready for the Ball. Dinner starts in about fifteen minutes."

"And please," Draco added quickly, "This doesn't leave Slytherin."

They all nodded in agreement without question, then most of them disbursed, excitedly discussing the marriage and the Ball.

Draco looked over at Harry, who was perched on the arm of the couch, looking rather content. "Were you planning on going to the Ball?"

Harry smirked. "No. You don't have to worry about me. Just planning on hanging about in my room... I'm sure I'll find something to occupy my time..."

Draco smirked. "Where is she anyway?"

"Taking a little nap. She's a bit worn out..." He said with a smirk.

Blaise cringed, trying to avoid getting visuals. He deflected his attention back to Draco, "I'll send your mum a pass onto the grounds and a letter to give our elves. I'll probably send it by house elf actually. They could apparate most the way once they sneak off the grounds. I doubt an owl could get it past the Ministry without it being searched. I certainly don't want those daft bastards having a key to my home!"

"So you're ok with us having the wedding at your place?"

Blaise laughed. "Are you kidding? It's bloody brilliant!"

Pansy chuckled, "You boys can discuss this later. We have to get ready!"

Ron looked over at Blaise with trepidation, "Do I really have to wear the green robes?"

"You look absolutely adorable in those robes! What's your issue with them?" Blaise asked petulantly.

"Nothing... I mean they're great and all... but... I mean I get enough stares and teasing without going out dressed in Slytherin colors..." Ron said, his cheeks coloring.

Blaise made a dismissive sound. "Come on! They're not Slytherin color... they're... Christmasy!" He said with a smirk.

Ron rolled his eyes, "Fine." He said in a resigned tone.

Blaise just smirked, slipping his arm around him, the other looping around Pansy as they headed off.

Ginny looked up at the twins, who were still looking a bit disconcerted. "So... you going to take Kulia? Since you're Hogwarts students again and all..." She asked with a smile.

"Naw..."

"It'd be great to see the old gang..."

"But we'd best not draw attention to us bein here..."

"And besides..."

"Kulia's not up to it..."

"She's laying down."

"Seems she's starting to feel a bit gippy."

Ginny's eyes widened, "Is she ok? She shouldn't start having morning sickness for at least a couple more weeks or so I thought..."

"She says it's normal."

"For Snow Elves that is."

"Seems they progress faster."

"And the stronger the magical talent of the baby,"

"The faster and harder it hits."

"We can tell she's really unhappy about having to take the train in this condition,"

"Since she can't apparate."

"But she's trying to hide it."

"Well I hope she'll be ok." Ginny said, concerned.

"I'm sure she will." Draco said with a smile, slipping his arm around Ginny, "She's withstood an amazing amount in her long life. I'd wager she'll get through this just fine. Just remember she's of a different species. I don't want her reaction to scare you off of having children!" He said with a smirk.

She grinned back. "Don't worry. I'm well familiar with what a woman goes through during pregnancy. Mum's the self appointed authority for such things, and dispenses that information freely whether you want her to or not! If she could handle it six times and still be so enthusiastic on the subject, I think I can handle it at least a couple of times!"

------------

Draco shook his head in disgust as he looked over the contract once again. He looked over, flipping through the large ledger. The more he read, the more he found he loathed Pansy's father, and he'd never even met the man! Well, maybe he had. It was so hard to tell one pompous jerk from the next at his father's parties. He usually just nodded and smiled when it seemed appropriate and overall paid as little attention as possible. It was the only way to survive those functions with your sanity intact.

He and Ginny had enjoyed the Ball well enough, even though it was a bit odd having the underclassmen there. It was disconcerting to be kissing Ginny and having a group of eleven and twelve year old Hufflepuff girls giggling at them. They had decided to call it an early night. It had been a long day anyway... and Draco had been dying with curious about the contract ever since he'd gotten ahold of it.

He had flopped down on the bed and started going over it as soon as they got back. Ginny, sensing his need to get the curiosity out of his system, had just smirked, shook her head and gone over to the desk, looking over her texts.

After seeing the stipulations in the contract, Draco had consulted his ledger, which was magically kept up to date with his financial information. When requested, the ledger would show more detailed information about any aspect of his finances. When he had asked for the information on Sulla Parkinson, it nearly fill the entire ledger.

Draco looked up as there was a tap at the door. He had been so engrossed in his reading that he hadn't even noticed when Ginny had gone off into the bathroom to take her bath. The door opened before he even had a chance to open his mouth. He rolled his eyes as Blaise walked in, completely oblivious to the impropriety of his entrance. "Hey Draco." He said, flopping onto the large bed beside him.

Draco was a bit surprised to see Ron follow him in. Ron at least had the courtesy to look properly contrite at their abrupt entrance. He came over, standing a bit away from the bed and flashing Draco a little embarrassed smile.

"While I appreciate the knock, it is traditional to wait for a _response_ before actually entering." Draco said with a little smirk, looking back down at the ledger.

Blaise sighed. "Sure. Whatever." He said, sounding almost depressed.

Draco lowered the ledger, looking over at him in concern. "What's with you?" He didn't recall ever hearing the boy so low.

"Nothing. Everything." He sighed deeply, "We were having a perfectly lovely time tonight, then we get back here and Pansy's bloody father was waiting..."

"Her father?" Draco said sharply, "Has he left?"

He shook his head. "He wanted to talk to her alone. He seemed pissed. She's upset. They went back to the room for some privacy."

"You left her ALONE with him?!? Are you daft?" Draco cried, bounding off the bed and racing out the door before Blaise could even sit up. He darted down the passages to Blaise's room. He grabbed the knob when he reached it, but it was locked. He jerked out his wand and pointed it at the door. "_Alohomora!_" He tried it again, but it hadn't worked, the door obviously having been magically sealed. He stepped back and pointed the wand again, "_Bombarda!_" He cried.

The door shattered with a percussive blast. As soon as it was gone he could hear Pansy's shrieks. He kicked the jagged remains of the door out of the way and stormed in. Sulla Parkinson was looking up with surprise and anger. He had Pansy pinned down on the floor and had obviously been trying to force the contents of a small vial down her throat.

Without a word, Draco grabbed the man by the front of his robes and jerked him off of her. Sulla jerked out of Draco's grasp angrily. It was a mistake. Ron had just entered the room. He took one look at Pansy disheveled and sobbing on the floor and strode over, grabbing the man by the throat with one hand and slamming him against the wall with a bone jarring thud. He drew his arm back to strike him, too furious to even realize that a direct punch from him with his current strength would almost certainly kill the man.

Blaise caught his wrist, stopping the blow from landing with a bit of effort.

Ron looked over at him, "Let me go! This bastard was hurting Pansy!"

"I know, Ron. I just don't want you going to Azkaban over the slimy piece of shite." Blaise said, glaring hatefully at the man. Once he saw that Ron had calmed enough not to kill the man out of hand, he hurried over to check on Pansy, who was laying curled up on the floor and sobbing.

"Besides, we need to know what he has in his hand." Draco said, glaring at the man and holding out his hand.

Sulla clutched the tiny vial convulsively, making it completely disappear in his hand. "That's none of your bloody business!" He gasped. "This is a private matter. Make this oaf release me immediately and get out!" he demanded, trying to sound authoritative.

Draco snorted. "This is your last chance. Hand it over or we'll _take_ it. That won't be pleasant for you. Trust me." He said, moving his hand under the man's and glaring at him expectantly.

Sulla puffed up a bit, "Why you insolent little..."

"Ron!" Draco snapped angrily. Ron darted his free hand over, grabbing the man's wrist. His hand tensed and Sulla let out a shriek of agony that didn't quite drown out the sickening crunch, his hand opening spasmodically, dropping the vial into Draco's waiting palm.

Draco carefully picked it up, smelling the dark blue-gray drop that had spilled out. "Bloody hell!" He growled, hurrying over to Pansy. He carefully set the vial on the bedside table, then used his wand to remove the remainder from his hand before crouching beside her. "Pansy. Pansy!" Draco said, trying to get her attention. She was sobbing into Blaise's shirt.

Blaise gently shifted her over onto her back. "Pansy, calm down. Draco needs to talk to you." He said soothingly, gently brushing away her tears.

As soon at her red-rimmed eyes had turned towards him, Draco started examining her face. There were several smudged of the dark fluid around her mouth and one smudge across her bottom lip. "Pansy, did you swallow any of this?"

"I don't know... I don't think so..." She said shakily.

Draco sighed irritably, "Pansy, this is _very important_. Did any of that potion get in your mouth?"

"I... I tasted it... it was bitter... but I spit it out..."

Draco growled in irritation, looking around. There were quite a number of Slytherins gathered watching through the shattered door, Ginny standing at the front of them wearing only her bathrobe and shoes, her hair still dripping water. "Get Snape! Quick!"

Ginny darted off without question as a couple of the other Slytherins went the other direction in case he wasn't in his room. Draco carefully cast cleansing spells to remove the potion from Pansy's face, and a few drops that had fallen on the stone floor.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Sulla tried to pull his wand, but Ron caught the movement and snatched it away before the man even had a chance to bring it to bear, snapping it with his fingers like a twig. He tightened his grip on the man's throat and glared at him for a moment, daring the man to try to do or say something about it. Sulla glared at Ron venomously.

Draco glared at the man as well, then looked back down at Pansy, putting him out of his mind, "I'm going to need you to calm down Pansy. Snape will be here in a moment and he can put this right, but you have to _be calm!"_

She gave a little nod, taking deep breaths and trying to calm down.

"You little bastards will go to Azkaban for this, mark my words!" Sulla hissed angrily, his voice full of pain as he clutched his shattered wrist to him, glaring at them imperiously.

Draco glared over at him, noting the way the man's voice made Pansy's eyes tear up again. "Ron, if he utters another word before I give him leave to, crush his throat." He growled evenly.

"It would be my pleasure." Ron said, glaring at the man with utter loathing.

Sulla swallowed eyeing Ron warily. He looked disgruntled, but remained silent.

Pansy's eyes suddenly widened and she clutched her stomach, letting out a pained groan.

"Shh..." Draco said soothingly, "Stay calm, Pansy. It's ok..." He slipped his hand onto her stomach, pushing hers aside and started murmuring softly in elvish. He tapped the back of his hand with his wand and a wash of blue light flowed over it like water, sinking into Pansy's stomach. Her face was still a bit pained as she watched him fearfully, but the tension in her had eased some as the flow of blue light continued flowing into her.

Ron's head snapped back around to face Sulla, his glare absolutely poisonous, shifting closer. "If anything happens to our babies, you _will_ die tonight." He hissed in a low, deadly promise.

The man's eyes widened, then narrowed as he looked Ron over appraisingly. Ron ignored him, looking over gratefully as Snape hurried into the room followed by Ginny. He snatched up the little vial when Blaise pointed to it, sniffing it cautiously. He set it back down with a hiss of anger, immediately dropping down beside Pansy. He pulled open his robe, searching through the many tiny pockets and pulling out bottles and vials.

"Do you have your Potions supplies?" He snapped at Blaise, not even looking up.

Blaise jerked out his wand. "_Accio satchel!_" He called out. A very heavy looking satchel flew out of one of the trunks so fast the trunk lid cracked against the stone wall behind it before slamming back down with a bang as Blaise easily caught the ponderous bag. He set it down, opening it where Snape could reach it.

Snape snatched up the mortar, quickly gathering ingredients in it while Draco continued his soft chanting, the blue light still flowing from his hand. In moments Snape had the contents ground into grayish paste. "Open." He snapped as he gathered a dollop of it with his finger, having no other utensils. Pansy opened her mouth, her eyes streaming with tears of pain. He placed the paste on her tongue, then quickly closed her mouth, pressing his hand firmly over it. She made a coughing, gagging sound as the taste registered, his hand the only thing keeping her from spitting it out reflexively. She clenched her eyes shut and forced the foul stuff down her throat.

Snape released her mouth. Pansy was panting, the pain slowly easing from her face. After a moment, Draco stopped chanting, letting the spell he had been maintaining fade away. When he took his hand from her stomach he sat back, looking thoroughly drained.

They sat there, watching Pansy in silence for a moment, then Snape looked up. "Blaise..." He said softly.

Blaise nodded, needing no further instruction as he let his eyes go opalescent. He gazed down at her stomach fearfully, then let out a sob of relief, slipping his arms around her and holding her tenderly. "They're ok..." He said, his voice aching with emotion as he cradled her, his eyes returning to normal.

Snape had finished replacing the ingredients he had taken from his robes and rose, reaching over and taking the tiny vial from the bedside table once again. He looked around, spotting the discarded lid and snatching it up off the floor, recapping the vial as he strode over to where Sulla was still pinned against the wall. He motioned Ron away. Ron glared at Sulla, pulling him forward a bit and shoving him back against the wall smartly enough to make the man's skull knock against the stone bruisingly before reluctantly releasing him, going over to see how Pansy was.

Snape glared at the man before him for a moment, then held up the vial. "You would murder your own grandchildren?" he asked with a note of disgust in his voice.

The man glared back at him, drawing himself up a bit taller, though the growing purple of bruising around his neck and his need to hold his wrist took away from the confident stance. "She's still underage, and therefor mine to deal with as I see fit! She was stupid enough to get herself _in trouble_ and jeopardize her future. I was merely doing my paternal duty to protect her from herself." he said haughtily.

Snape's eyes narrowed more as he viewed the man with open disgust, "Paternal rights don't include murder."

The man's eyes narrowed as well. "It isn't murder. Those little _mistakes_ should never have been allowed to happen! I am merely removing the taint she has allowed to soil her. She knows very well that her future is already planned. She obviously did this to purposefully try to interfere with those plans. I can't let her do that." He hissed.

"We'll see what the Ministry has to say on the subject then, shall we?"

Sulla looked daggers at him, lowering his voice so only Snape could hear. "Involve the Ministry and the Dark Lord will be very _displeased_ with you, Snape."

Snape's eyes widened marginally. He seized the man's left sleeve (which luckily for Sulla was his uninjured arm) and pulled it up, examining the unblemished skin before sliding it back down. He smirked at Sulla. "Doesn't appear as if you have any pull in that area Parkinson."

Sulla leaned forward a bit, his voice lowering still more, "He doesn't mark _all_ of his supporters, Snape. That would be _daft_, and he is anything but, as you well know. Some of his best, highest positioned and most esteemed supporters are left unmarked. It's just you insignificant _peasants_ that he brands like cattle!"

Snape's eyes narrowed to no more than slits. "Well, seeing as this 'peasant' has not been informed that you hold any esteem _whatsoever_, I feel no compunction against making sure you pay for this cowardly attack. _He_ has granted me full authority over the students of Hogwarts, and since I was uninformed of your little visit here, it means you are here without authorization, and uninvited..." He said, smirking as a thought occurred. "Of course, if you would rather I not inform the Ministry officials we have stationed at the gates, I could always just hold you in the cell we are keeping Lucius' demon in until I am able to verify that you are, indeed, in favor. I'm sure it would enjoy the company. It's rather fond of playing with _uninvited guests_."

Sulla paled, obviously having heard about the incident with Fudge. He tried to cover his slip in composure, straightening. "Fine. Go get the Ministry men. If they even bother to take me in, I'll be released with a full apology by morning, mark my words!"

"We'll see." Snape said, then turned back to his students, many of whom had filtered in from the hall, looking Pansy over with concern. "This man is not to leave Slytherin Dungeon before I return. Do whatever is necessary to keep him here." He announced to the gathered Slytherins.

They all nodded grimly, glaring at her father.

After Snape swept out of the room, Sulla seemed to regain a bit more confidence. If Snape was going to get the Ministry, they would know he was there, and soon they would know about the injuries and indignities inflicted on him by these children. Feeling much more his usual, arrogant self, he glared down at his daughter. "Are you happy now you little whore?" He hissed. "All this bother just because you couldn't keep your bloody legs together! You really are your mother's daughter, aren't you? Fucking a _Weasley_ for Merlin's sake! I'd rather you have gotten knocked up by a bloody troll! Bunch of filthy, dirt poor Muggle-lovers that breed like rabbits! Is that why you aren't planning on getting married? He can't _afford_ it? I can see it now, in no time at all you'll be a penniless beggar living in a lean-to with a dozen little redheaded bastards running around your ankles! Sound nice to you, does it?" he growled.

Ron got to his feet with a growl of rage, but Ginny beat him there, smashing the man's nose with a single well aimed blow, making him crumple to the floor. She nailed him between the legs with an angry (and from the reaction, _very_ hard) kick, making him shriek like a woman before Draco was able to wrap his arms around her, pulling her away as she tried to drop down on the man to continue the beating. Sulla lay there in obvious agony, clutching his family jewels with his good hand as his nose bled profusely, his eyes watering with pain.

"This is a very unwise place to insult Weasleys." Draco growled, still holding the struggling Ginny, though he seemed more than a bit reluctant to restrain her.

The man lay there gasping and trying to disguise his sobs for a moment before regaining a measure of control. He glared up at Ginny through watery eyes, "I'll see you in Azkaban for this!" He hissed, "Your bloody brother too! When I'm done with you and your ilk there will be a whole bloody family reunion in there! They can set aside a Weasley cell block!"

"I think not!" Draco growled. He moved Ginny aside, releasing her. Seeing the anger in his eyes, she refrained from going after the man again. "Ron, if you would be so kind as to bring Mr. Parkinson along, I'd like some witnesses for this."

The man's eyes widened as Ron went over to him. He flinched back as Ron's arm darted down, seizing the back of the man's robes at the scruff of his neck. As Draco made his way out of the room, Ron dragged Sulla after him, not bothering to clear the shards of shattered wood from their path. Blaise gently swept Pansy up into his arms, following as well.

When they reached the Common room Draco went to the mantle, tapping it with his wand. "Counsel." He said, and they could vaguely hear his voice echoing down the halls, the message repeating in every room in Slytherin Dungeon.

In moments, it looked as if every single Slytherin was crowded around the Common room, all looking at the bloodied man at Ron's feet curiously. Anger was working it's way through the crowd as those who had witnessed the scene in the bedroom told the others what was happening.

Draco surveyed the crowd. When he determined that the audience was pretty much complete, he started, raising his voice as the others went silent. "This man is Sulla Parkinson." He said, indicating the man, "He's Pansy's father. He came here tonight to murder her unborn children."

There was a roar of anger from the gathered Slytherins, especially those to whom the news hadn't yet had a chance to reach. They had all become very much attached to the idea of the babies, those in the sixth year and below quite looking forward to having them in the dormitories next year.

"He didn't succeed," He reassured them, "But not for lack of trying. If you should see this man anywhere near Pansy again, feel free to curse him at will." Many of the students looked ready to do that without any further provocation.

"You have no authority to keep me from my daughter! She is scheduled to be married in February, and I'll not let her fuck that up! Lucius Malfoy will not authorize a marriage between her and his only heir if she's knocked up already!" He growled.

Draco walked up to him, then dropped down onto one knee before him, folding his arms on top of his raised knee and looking at the man with a bemused smirk. "Take a good look at me. Do I remind you of anyone?" He asked as if talking to a particularly slow child.

The man blinked, his eyes widening, "Malfoy?"

Draco chuckled, reaching out and patting him on the top of his head, "There's a good boy. Quick on the uptake too. Very good." he said in a thoroughly condescending tone.

The man glared at him, "Well then why did you stop me? You don't want a couple of redheaded bastards to be your first born, do you?"

Draco struck him soundly on the side of his face that remained unbloodied, leaving a brilliant red handprint. "Couple points here." Draco then said lightly, as if he hadn't just struck the man, "I fully expect that my first born _will_ be a redhead, as _all_ of my children probably will be. I know this because the future mother of my first born and any that follow will be a redhead, with red hair running quite dominant in her family." He shifted around a bit to give him a clear view, holding his hand out to indicate Ginny, "That beautiful and vivacious redhead right there as a matter of fact. She's my fiancée, a _Weasley_, and the only woman I would ever even _consider_ marrying. I have no intention whatsoever of marrying Pansy. I'm quite content leaving her to pursue her own love life, and look quite forward to seeing her children, and with any luck, our children will be able to play together growing up. I couldn't be happier for her."

Sulla narrowed his eyes. "I have a contract!"

Draco smirked. "I plan on fixing that, and soon."

Sulla growled angrily, "I'll sue you for breach of contract!"

Draco laughed, "Give it a try. My representatives will tear you apart and leave you a social and political corpse."

Sulla growled. "Fine. If you don't want her, there are others who do! I had offers from other families. They might not have offered quite as much, but at least I'll not be handling her off to the first pauper who managed to knock her up!" He tensed, realizing he'd just spoken ill of the Weasleys again, but Draco didn't strike him this time. Instead he smirked at him. Sulla found that even more unsettling.

"What other families?" He asked, only mild curiosity in his voice.

The man straightened some, glaring at him at the implication that he might be lying about other offers. "There were a number of them who came to me with offers... Warrington, Crabbe, Pucey, and Goyle. To my knowledge, none of them have yet made other arrangements for their sons."

Draco smirked. "All Death Eater who have been disavowed by the Ministry and have no current authority to force their sons to marry. That would leave the decision up to the boys themselves, now wouldn't it?"

"So? _You_ might not care about your family name, but many of them would probably jump at the chance to marry a Parkinson! We have a very long and prestigious history!" He growled angrily.

"Oh really? Well let's just see about that, shall we?" Draco said, rising. He looked around at the gathered Slytherins. "This man wants to make a marriage contract for Pansy against her will, and kill her children to do so. He has had offers for her hand. How do the offers stand? Warrington?"

"Rescinded." Warrington said, crossing his arms across his chest and smirking down at the battered man.

"Crabbe?"

Crabbe gave an amused chuckle, "Rescinded."

"Pucey?"

Pucey looked at Pansy, who was now curled up on Blaise's lap in one of the chairs. "She's a brilliant shag, no doubt about that... but her heart's already taken, so what would be the point? I'm going to have to rescind the offer as well." He said, sighing dramatically.

"Goyle?"

Goyle snorted in amusement. He was only half dressed, an attractive seventh year girl on each side of him in a similar state of undress. He reached over, slipping an arm around each of their waists and drew them up to him, "I'm afraid I'm a little too attached to being a bachelor. I'll have to rescind as well." the girls giggled, cuddling up to him, then sticking their tongues out at Sulla.

Draco smirked, then looked down at Sulla. "Afraid your backup plans are out the window. Wouldn't this make for an amusing little article... a father's attempts to sell off his unwilling daughter to any man who'll pay for her. I'm no expert, but that sounds like prostitution to me."

"I hope I'm there when your father gets ahold of you, you insolent little prat!" Sulla hissed angrily at Draco.

"I hope so too." Draco said, his voice lowering dangerously, "Because when I'm done killing that bastard I would be more than happy to finish off your miserable arse!" He straightened, glaring down at him.

Sulla, seeing intimidation had no chance of working on Draco, glared over at his daughter again, "If anyone so much as breaths a word of this to the press I swear I'll disown you! You'll be cut off and left to raise pigs or some such thing to survive!"

Draco brightened, smiling in a way that made Sulla nervous. "Brilliant idea. Never would have thought you capable of it! Do be a good boy and wait here." He said, turning without another word and making his way through the crowd towards his room.

Sulla had no choice but to wait, gathering from the looks on the students surrounding him that they would like nothing better than for him to try to get away.

It was a good couple of minutes before Draco returned. He was carrying his ledger along with a scrolled of parchment and a jet black quill. When he reached the middle, he planted his foot on a coffee table and shoved it over to Sulla, making him pull back a bit to keep from being hit by it. Then Draco moved around to crouch near Sulla, setting aside the quill and scroll, then plunking the ledger down before him. "You are familiar with this type of ledger?" Draco asked lightly.

Sulla glared up at him, then glancing around at the others, uneasy as he was getting an inkling of where this was going. "Of course I am. I have one of my own."

"Good. Then you know they cannot lie." He said, flipping it open. The pages now displayed balance sheets, all of the balance entries of which were written in red. "Anything here look familiar?" He asked, starting to flip through page after page, the total quickly escalating.

"Pansy Dear," Draco said, not taking his eyes off of Sulla. "I regret having to be the one to tell you this, but all you would inherit from this man is _debts_. The Parkinson fortune that he inherited was pissed away on bad investments and a lifestyle that far exceeded his means within ten years after his father died. For nearly twenty years now, he has been borrowing from the Malfoy family just to maintain his appearance of affluence. At this moment, he owes me, as Malfoy heir, the equivalent of three times the value of all his assets combined. What my father offered him for you was forgiving his debt at the time the contract was signed, which is a relatively small portion of this _current_ debt, and an expanded credit line."

Pansy had sat up and was staring at her father, her mouth open and her cheeks coloring with anger. "You bastard! How many times have you lorded that bloody inheritance over me? Threatened to cut me out of your will if I didn't obey! You let that bastard do that to me just for the chance to drive our family even _further into debt?!?_" She was practically screaming by this point, Blaise's hold on her now the only thing keeping her from going after the man. "Well you can keep your bloody inheritance, and your bloody name! I don't want either! The way you go on about how poor the Weasleys are when they're bloody well rich compared to you, now aren't they? I've never heard of them building up debts to leave to their children! They may not have much money, but at least what they have is theirs!"

Sulla's face clouded with anger, but a sharp look from Draco made him hold his tongue. "Your actions against your own daughter show you to be a conniving, duplicitous person, and I no longer wish to have any kind of commerce with you." Draco said in a soft, utterly calm voice, "As of this moment, your credit has been rescinded. All debts are now due. Your assets, including your home, house elves, beasts of burden, livestock, pets, properties, potions, enchanted objects, etc., etc. will be confiscated to help settle your debt. The rest you'll have to somehow come up with yourself."

The man sputtered with anger and indignation for a moment before finding his voice. "You can't do that!" he growled.

Draco smirked. "Oh I _can_ and I _will_..." He looked down and addressed the ledger. "Loan. Sulla Parkinson. Display father's loophole." The balances flowed off the pages as the text of what was obviously an extensive contract scrolled up, then it paused on a tiny paragraph, highlighting it in gold. Draco pushed it closer to the shocked man so he could read it over. "Father never makes a contract without a loophole. When you sign a contract with him, you never know what you're getting yourself into. According to this contract, that you signed in _blood_, I even have the right to take you as my servant until such a time as you have worked off you debt doing whatever I deem fitting at whatever pay rate I choose. I could _own_ you."

Sulla's face gone pale as he read and reread the short paragraph, wondering how he could have possibly missed it before. Sure, the contract had been thirty seven pages long and in minuscule script, but still...

"Or..." Draco said leadingly, a mischievous smirk on his face.

"Or?" Sulla asked quickly.

"Or I could let you keep your clothing and some other family items like portraits and such that have little market value, and one property. Then I could absolve the remainder of your debt and leave you to fend for yourself, a free man."

Sulla's eyes narrowed. "And what would I have to do for you to do this?" He asked shrewdly.

"Just sign a couple of things." Draco said, grabbing up the scroll. As he unrolled it, it came apart into two sheets of parchment. He flattened them out on top of the ledger. One was already filled in, the second he tapped with his wand. The deal he had just proposed pouring from the tip and flowing into place in neat script on the parchment. "They aren't as complicated as my father's contracts, but they should do. Since you are the legal head of household, your signature alone should be sufficient. You can explain it to your wife while you pack under the watchful eyes of the group of Gringotts Goblins that are dedicated to the Malfoy account. Just don't touch anything of Pansy's, and I wouldn't suggest trying to sneak out anything valuable. Trust me, they have _no_ sense of humor."

Sulla looked over the first parchment. It was a somewhat worn legal document to dissolve all parental rights. As Draco tapped it, Pansy's name filled itself in in the space marked Minor, and the date followed. "I've been carrying that about since I was nine, hoping to find father blitzed enough to sign it." He said with a rueful smirk.

Sulla glared up at him, then dropped the parchment irritably, snatching up the second. He growled as he read it. "The house just outside London? It's a wreck! Haven't been in it in years! Only bought it as an investment, and then the neighborhood went to pot! Not to mention it's only one floor with less room than my dinning room! It's little better than a Muggle flat! You can't expect us to _live_ there!"

"Yes, I can. It's for your own benefit actually. It's the only property you own that you could possibly maintain on your own without any house elves, and it's within easy commuting distance of Diagon Alley, so you should be able to find yourself a job..."

"A JOB?!?" He said as if Draco had said something utterly reproachful. "No Parkinson has held a _job_ in the last six generations!"

Draco laughed, "Well then, I think I see your financial problem. Look, I'll make this simple for you. Either you sign these and deal with real life, or I take everything and make you my little house elf... in fact I think I'll make you the _servant_ of my house elves! And in the summer I believe I'll have you weeding and de-gnoming Molly Weasley's garden... you know, given some time I think I could find a good many things for you to do as my indentured servant. Don't worry, I'll pay you a galleon a day for your efforts. Or rather mark a galleon off what you owe me. You can even eat and sleep in with my other house elves free of charge."

Sulla's eyes were wide as saucers as he stared at Draco. "You bastard!" He breathed.

Draco's smirk grew. "You better believe it!"

"You really are Lucius' son." He growled hatefully.

Draco's smirk disappeared, his eyes narrowing angrily. "Sign quick before I change my mind." He growled dangerously.

Sulla glared back, but his confidence seemed to be wavering. He glared down at the parchments angrily. "This one here," He said, pointing at the first, "I have to sign her over to someone else or it isn't legal. I don't see anyone here of legal age who'd want the little tramp!"

"Then you aren't looking very hard."

He turned quickly, noting Snape for the first time. He was standing just inside the Dungeon door, glaring at him coldly. He strode over to the coffee table, snatching up the quill and signing his name to the bottom of it in bright red, not even flinching as his signature was sliced into the back of his hand, then faded away. He dropped the quill in front of Sulla, straightening and folding his arms across his chest. "Hurry up and sign. I don't appreciate you bleeding all over my Dungeon." He said, glaring down at the man.

Sulla stared at the signature in shock, then looked around at the gathered group. Many, including Pansy, looked surprised (well Pansy was closer to downright stunned), but most were just looking angry and impatient.

He looked at the parchments again, then slowly took up the quill. He started to pull over the second parchment, but Draco quickly shook his head, "Ah ah ah! Second one isn't legal until the first is signed. See the second line?"

Sulla looked at it, then glared at Draco hatefully before pulling over the parchment Snape had already signed. He hesitantly scrawled his large, rather ostentatious signature across the proper line. He gasped and dropped the quill as his signature was sliced into his skin, covering nearly his whole hand.

"Next." Draco said with a smirk.

Sulla glared up at him, but then took up the quill again. The signature on that one was quite noticeably smaller and had less unnecessary flourishes.

When he dropped the quill again, he glared up at Pansy. "I hope you're happy. You've ruined us! Enjoy your pig farm!" he spat.

Pansy just smirked happily. "I _am_ happy, and it's _you_ who ruined your name. Luckily it's no longer mine!"

Blaise smirked, "And I very much doubt she'll be doing any pig farming unless she wants to as a hobby. I'll be taking very good care of her, don't worry. Your name might be dirt now, but Zabini still demands a bit of respect."

Sulla's jaw dropped. "But... but that Weasley said they were _his_ babies!"

Blaise laughed, "No, he said they were _ours_. One's his, one's mine. Oddly enough, Pansy now forms a link between the Zabini and Malfoy fortunes, since Draco will be marrying Ron's sister, so I'm very glad you signed that parchment. Now she'll be under absolutely no obligation to share even a knut of her money with you. And trust me, she'll have much more than she could ever possibly want or need. And incidentally, if you ever try to hurt Pansy or the children, or utter so much as a expletive at a Weasley again and you'll see what happens to those who cross the Zabinis and Malfoys." he said, his voice still light, but with a threatening edge.

"Now if you will be so kind, I believe _my daughter_ is done with you, so get out." Snape said with a smirk, "Your entourage is waiting."

"Entourage?" Sulla asked, still stunned.

"Of Aurors. You tried to murder_** my**_ grandchildren if you don't recall, not to mention endangering Pansy's life by using a highly illegal potion. As her legal guardian, I have every intention of pressing charges. They are very interested in talking to you." He said, his smirk widening as his eyes glinted with sadistic glee.

Draco gathered the parchments and ledger from in front of the utterly stunned man, then smirked down at him. "Goodbye, Mr. Parkinson."

----------------

A/N - Sorry I haven't made it to Christmas here yet. Once again, I will not wish you a happy new year, because I have every intention of posting again before that. Let's see if I can get to Christmasthis year! or at the very least Christmas Eve! :) I think the spell 'Bombarda' was only used in the movie (POA), so forgive me if I spelled it wrong :) I'm also not entirely sure what year Warrington and Pucey were in in OOTP, so if they graduated I apologize. As for the black quill, it is like the one used by Professor Umbridge in OOTP. I figured there had to be a practical use for the things, because torturing children with horrific lines can't be the whole purpose for it. I figure signing contracts is it's most likely original purpose.

**_lil trindle_** - Sorry, I didn't elaborate on the relationship between Narcissa and Sirius because that was in the books. She's Sirius's like first cousin or something (I'm pretty sure it's first. I could look it up, but I'm tired). Black is her maiden name. That's why Kreacher was able to go to Malfoy Manor (since she was born a Black, and therefore part of the family he served), and help bring about the little trip into the Department of Mysteries near the end of OOTP.

**_Aahz_** - Darien got the _original_ Ginevra pregnant. Check out Chapter 17. That's what messed Darien up the most about finding out about her death. She only broke up with him in the first place because she thought it was the only way to protect the baby from his family.

Well, I'm just gonna leave off there and post now, cause I'm tired, it's after midnight and I got work early in the morning!


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

"That must have been _bloody brilliant!_ Why didn't you have someone wake me?" Harry asked, chuckling as he walked beside Ron. As usual, Ron had his arm around Pansy, Blaise on her other side.

"Sorry mate. Heat of the moment kind of thing. The twins just about skinned me when they found out what they'd missed, believe you me! Wish I'd had one of those Muggle moving camera things dad is always going on about!" Ron said with a wide grin on his face.

Harry chuckled, "Movie cameras. Ya, that would have been ace if you could have found one that would _work_ here."

"Besides," Blaise said from Pansy's other side, lowering his voice as they approached the stairs leading up towards the Great Hall, "If we'd woken you, your 'little friend' would have had a field day on him, since he was uninvited, and we'd have a legal mess on our hands."

"Still," Pansy said, smirking widely, "Wish we would have at least had little Colin there with that blasted camera of his! Would have had a companion piece for Ginny's picture for one! Could have sold them as gift sets for the holidays!"

They all chuckled at that. Harry had long since gotten used to seeing himself being pummeled in almost every room in Slytherin Dungeon. It didn't even bother him since he knew it had been the demon at the time. In fact, only the demon seemed irritated when he looked at one of the pictures. Harry was just glad Ginny hadn't let the demon get away with hurting people without any kind of retribution, even if it _had_ been his own body that had taken the brunt of her retaliation... and even though the injured party had been _Draco_.

Ginny chuckled and gave Pansy a playful shove on the shoulder from behind. "Quiet Miss Snape!"

Pansy turned her head, sticking her tongue out at Ginny. "I'd rather be a Snape than a Parkinson!"

"Bloody hell!" Blaise said faking shock, "I'm shagging a Snape! Agh! That's_ so_ disturbing..."

Pansy slipped her arm from his waist and smacked his butt sharply.

"Ooooh!" Blaise said with a giggle, "Maybe I'll _like_ shagging a Snape... you like that _kinky_ stuff!" He said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Pansy's jaw dropped in mock indignation as she smacked him up the backside of his head.

He chuckled, sweeping her up into his arms. "Oh _stop!_" He said with a wicked grin, "You're getting me all worked up..."

She giggled and struggled half-heartedly as he started kissing her neck playfully.

"Ok, break it up!" Draco chuckled. "Let's not get the other Houses wagging their tongues even more than they already are."

Blaise chuckled, giving her a kiss on the lips before setting her back down, "Killjoy!" He said mirthfully over his shoulder as they started up the stairs.

Harry fell behind a bit as they started up the stairs since there was only enough room for three abreast with the students going back down the stairs as well. Some of the Slytherins who were being picked up by their parents had gone to breakfast early and hurried through it so they could get ready in time. They had even started serving breakfast especially early to accommodate them. The ones taking the train, on the other hand, had until eleven to get out to the carriages with whatever they would need for the holiday.

Draco looked over at him as they made their way up. "Is that Delse's necklace?" He asked, spotting the striated crystal hanging from his neck.

Harry glanced down and blushed. "Um... ya..." He said, obviously embarrassed. "She was pretty excited when she found out about the wedding. She took off so quickly this morning she left it. She was planning on apparating once she'd gotten clear of the school grounds, so I'm sure she's probably home by now. Figured this way I wouldn't lose it. Not as if I really need the protection, but..." He shrugged.

Blaise came to a stop and turned back to him, looking at the crystal in shock, "She just _forgot_ it? I don't think I've ever even seen her take that thing off!"

Harry's blush deepened slightly. "Well, I doubt she realizes it... it... um... was kind of... next to her pillow." He said dropping his voice so only they could hear.

Blaise gave a snort of amused disgust and shook his head. "Ok, I don't think I really needed to be reminded about you and my mum having wild demon sex."

Harry rolled his eyes, "You asked." He said deadpan, but a little smirk was trying to fight it's way onto his lips as they started up the steps once more, Ron and Pansy trying to stifle their chuckles.

When they reached the Great Hall, the atmosphere was as charged and cheerful as would be expected on the day the holidays began. The students in the other Houses were so preoccupied with excited talk about what they were planning on doing during the break that they barely paid the Slytherins any notice. Few even bothered to stare at Harry as he made his way over to the Gryffindor table where Hermione was already seated. There was a bit of open space around her still, but the gap was slowly narrowing, which was encouraging since she planned on returning to the Tower after the Holidays. She had gone to breakfast alone ahead of them to draw less attention and speculation. Her Housemates knew she wasn't sleeping in Gryffindor Tower, but most of them assumed she was still staying in the Hospital wing for observation. She decided it was best to foster this misconception.

They smiled at eachother and exchanged little nods of greeting as he sat, but otherwise remained quiet. They really had nothing to say to eachother that they felt free to discuss in front of the other students. It was strange to start to think of your own Housemates as outsiders...

Dumbledore's announcements that morning consisted of little more than wishing them happy holidays, reminding them of when and where to meet for their trip to Hogsmeade station, and the reassurance that they would be returning to classes as usual upon their return. Then they settled into their meals properly, the volume dropping only slightly.

The morning post came on schedule, hundreds of owls soaring through the hall and depositing letters, parcels, Quibblers and Daily Prophets. Harry and Hermione each got Daily Prophets, and Hermione got a small parcel with a letter attached as well. She pulled out the letter and opened it, then smirked. "Mum and dad are going to send my presents a bit at a time. They're afraid of overexerting the owls."

Harry grinned. "They're a lot stronger than you'd think. I once got a box of Hagrid's rock cakes by owl! I wasn't daft enough to _eat_ them of course, but it just goes to show that...." He trailed off, looking around curiously. The noise level in the hall had dropped markedly. Most of the students were now clustering around those who had copies of the Daily Prophet.

Harry took up his copy and undid the twine that bound it. One look at the article that took up almost the entire front page and his stomach dropped. Hermione saw his eyes widen and snatched up her own copy.

Horror In Hogsmeade  
By Rita Skeeter

The calm of the small, peaceful wizarding community of Hogsmeade was shattered yesterday afternoon by a violent and  
unexpected attack by Death Eaters. If they thought the sleepy little town would be an easy mark, a simple way to achieve  
enough devastation and a high enough death toll to strike terror into the populous, then they were sadly mistaken. Of the  
reported thirteen Death Eaters that struck, only one managed to evade capture. What happened to the remainder should  
make the Dark Lord think twice before striking again.

So what happened you ask? Reports so far are unconfirmed and sketchy at best, but one thing that the Ministry officials have  
confirmed as fact is that twelve Death Eaters lay dead. Though some humanitarian effort was made to recover several who's  
injuries should have been reversible, they remained inexplicably unsavable. No injuries were reported by the citizens of  
Hogsmeade who, thanks to the Ministry warning sirens, were alerted and able to take shelter the moment the attack began,  
and only superficial property damage appears to have been inflicted on the town itself.

Though the Ministry will give no official statement on the incident other than the death count, interviews with witnesses told a  
very strange and disturbing tale. It appears students from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry were allowed to visit  
Hogsmeade that day, and this reporter can exclusively report that it is believed that it was a _single student_ from the school  
who brought about the demise of _all twelve Death Eaters!_

One would think to count this as a prestigious accomplishment for the student, and indeed a great credit to the school who  
produced them, but once more details came to light, the fact that it was a mere student becomes disturbing. The Death Eaters  
were not just killed, they were _slaughtered_.

The killing of Death Eaters in defense of yourself or others has been declared legal in the July second Public Defense Act, and  
following in the footsteps of his predecessor, Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge has also legalized the use of Unforgivables  
against Death Eaters in such cases, going one step further and extending the authorization not only to Ministry Aurors, but  
also to private citizens. These deaths were not caused by such spells however. That would have looked almost _humane_  
compared to what this reporter witnessed. The conditions that the bodies that we were allowed to view were in was _horrific_.  
The injuries inflicted ranged from impalement to bludgeoning, and even severe dismemberment. One grouping took Ministry  
Officials nearly twenty minutes merely to determine how many bodies the blood soaked area actually contained. Never in all  
my years as a reporter have I ever witnessed a more macabre scene.

So who was this student? Lips are still sealed at this point, but some speculation has been made. Eye witnesses saw a small  
group of students returning to Hogwarts soon after the attack, two carrying unknown persons wrapped in cloaks to hide their  
identities. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, refused to comment other than to say that there were no lasting  
injuries reported. However, the eye witnesses confirmed that students Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger were seen in  
the group, both known close companions of none other than the Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter.

So where was Harry? Was he one of the shrouded forms being carried back to Hogwarts? Could it have been _Harry Potter  
himself_ who killed the Death Eaters with such viciousness and flagrant disregard for human life? It gives one pause,  
wondering if the boy who's life has been so tormented has finally snapped and unleashed lifetime of pent up fury on others.  
This was a blow against He Who Must Not Be Named, there is not doubt about that, but at what cost?

What could have caused such a break? Some believe that it goes far beyond his tragic childhood. Even beyond his scar, the  
remnant of the curse that nearly ended his life when he was no more than a baby, and some have speculated, might well have  
left him mentally unbalanced. They say that his brush with demonic possession, which was reported upon recently, may have  
severed his last tenuous grasp on reality and left him profoundly disturbed.

Students that wish to remain anonymous admitted to seeing a marked change in his demeanor after leaving Ministry custody.  
He reportedly became withdrawn and uncommunicative, abandoning the companionship of his friends and well-wishers in  
Gryffindor Tower and often choosing rather to lurk in the solitude of dark corners. One student went so far as to say she felt  
he might be continuing the demon's abusive behavior towards a certain student or students that remain unnamed, despite the  
demon's confirmed absence. It was also confirmed by several students that young Harry left Gryffindor Tower soon after  
said questioning for the dank recesses of Slytherin Dungeon, and has yet to return to the sanctuary of his own House.

Others have a different theory as to the cause of his current disturbed mental state. They believe it was the testing itself that  
was implemented by our own Ministry that is to blame. Many claimed to have caught glimpses of horrific scars, said to mar  
his entire body, left behind at Ministry hands.

Though records detailing the tests are required to be handed over as part of the Administrative Accountability Act,  
introduced recently into law by Albus Dumbledore during his brief tenure as Interim Minister of Magic, Ministry officials claim  
the records have somehow been _lost_, and several Ministry workers have received official disciplinary reprimands for the loss  
of the files.

Though no 'official' record appears to exist any longer, an unnamed, but reliable source in the Ministry confirmed that a 'fair  
few' invasive, outdated, _highly_ dangerous and overall rather questionable tests were performed on the boy, even though  
standard, uninvasive tests had already been performed by both Hogwarts and the Ministry, and should have more than  
sufficed. The source went so far as to say, "Not saying that he _is_ mad, mind you, but if he _is_ I'd wager it was that that's done  
it. Some of the things they did would have made _You Know Who_ proud! It made me deeply ashamed to be associated with  
an organization that would do such a thing, especially since it appeared to be merely on a sadistic whim. It was a rude  
awakening for me, and is making me rethink everything I thought I knew. All that I've wanted, all my hopes and ambitions  
have changed. It is making me completely reevaluate my work, my life and my family."

In response to this statement and the accusations of malicious misconduct in the methods used for the testing of young Harry,  
Minister of Magic Cornelius Fudge stated that no unnecessary tests were, in fact, performed. He goes on to say that this is all  
"Merely an attempt by someone planning on running for my position in the upcoming election to discredit me."

Whatever the reason for Harry Potter's disturbed mental state, one has to wonder if the actions of the Ministry were truly for  
his own good, as they claim, or something darker that will eventually drive him away from the bosom of our society. What  
will become of him as his dementia grows? Will it be his fellow Hogwarts students who will feel his wrath next? Though the  
demon has been officially declared contained, and the school is set to resume normal functioning upon the student's return  
after the holiday break, one has to wonder if the students are truly safe under the circumstances. And what of Harry? Let us  
just hope that all that has happened to him does not drive Harry Potter, our last and greatest hope in this terrible war, to cross  
over and side with He Who Must Not Be Named himself!

The article had small pictures scattered through it of damage to the town (though thankfully they hadn't been allowed to photograph the remains of the Deatheaters) and Fudge looking dodgy. The biggest picture however was on the bottom left hand side of the page, taking up a good quarter of the page. It was one of Harry himself looking rather moody and I bit unstable. He remembered when it was taken actually. Rita and her cameraman had been chasing him all over during the first few Hogsmeade visit. Near the end of the second visit that she had ruined for him, the cameraman had snapped that one while he was in the Three Broomsticks, just trying to enjoy a Butterbeer in peace with his friends. He'd been a bit less than pleased. The picture was snapped about fifteen seconds before he'd stood up and yelled at her to leave him the bloody Hell alone, storming back to Hogwarts where she wasn't allowed to follow.

"What utter bloody tripe!" Harry growled. "That bloody _COW!_ A couple of people see you and Ron with a group carrying two shrouded figures away from Hogsmeade, and suddenly I'm a raving bloody loon who's massacring people for jollies and romping off to join bloody Voldemort! No one even bloody well _saw_ me there and yet still she can manage to make most of the article about how I'm fucked in the head!"

"Harry!" Hermione hissed warningly.

He looked up and glared at the surrounding students that were now staring at him as if he might attack them at any moment. He took deep, calming breaths, trying not to let the demon's anger show. The last thing he needed right now was for people to see him with glowing eyes!

He snatched up his paper and got up, storming out of the Great Hall.

"Potter!"

Harry stopped in his tracks halfway to the stairs, growling irritably as he waited for Draco to catch up with him.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked as he came to a stop beside him.

"Oh, I don't know." Harry said with biting sarcasm, "Thought I'd just slink back to the 'dank recesses of Slytherin Dungeon' and lurk in some dark bloody corner planning my next killing spree!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Stop being such a baby! So she called you a head case. So what. It's not the first time she's said it, and I truly doubt it will be the last. Especially if you keep acting like this."

Harry glared at him. "She didn't have a shred of proof I was even there!"

"But you were." Draco said softly, glancing around to make sure they were alone. "And it _was_ you, whether you were in control or not. If I didn't know about your _little friend_, I'd think you went round the twist as well. You have to admit that what it did to those men..."

"Was bloody well justified!" Harry growled angrily.

Draco's eyes widened. He never expected Harry to agree with what it had done!

"Oh don't look at me like that!" Harry hissed, keeping his voice low, "You said it told you what they did to it! Did it sound like fun?"

"No." Draco said, glaring at him, "I never said it didn't sound like they..."

"Well it didn't _tell_ me!" Harry said, breaking in, "I saw it! Last night it had a bloody _nightmare_ about it! And therefor so did I! It has a photographic memory. Did you know that? I'm all too aware of it! I could see it, I could hear it, and I could _feel_ it! I woke up curled up under my bed around midnight and haven't slept a wink since. It was all I could do to pull myself together and get back in bed by the time Delse woke up in the morning. If those men were in front of me right now I'd probably kill them myself! With my bare hands if necessary!"

Draco was a bit taken aback. He knew how real Darien's memories could be when he shared them. To have the memory of being violently raped like that thrust into your mind would be traumatic for anyone, especially someone who wasn't on the most stable of mental footing to begin with, which would definitely include Harry. Stable people didn't try to kill themselves.

Harry let out a sigh and looked away. "Just have the house elves toss some food through my door now and then. I'll be fine."

Draco looked up sharply, "What do you mean? When we get back you'll be expected to attend classes, just like everyone else."

"When _you_ get back. I'm not going anywhere." Harry said darkly.

Draco folded his arms over his chest. "I beg to differ. I'm not going to leave you to your own devices for the entire holiday! Besides, the Weasleys will be most put out if you don't go. Even Granger will be coming Christmas Eve for the wedding and staying for Christmas."

Harry sighed, staring at the stone floor, "I can't face all of them!" He said, glancing significantly towards the doors to the Great Hall before dropping his eyes again. The conversation within it had now risen to such a high level that it sounded like a low rumble through the thick wooden doors. "Almost an entire day on a train with all of them staring and talking about me... it was bad enough before. I don't think I could handle it without snapping and yelling at them or worse. The demon's really pissed too, and containing it with the way they go on might well prove impossible."

Draco furrowed his brow, "Why would the demon be pissed?"

Harry looked up at him and blinked, looking thoughtful. "I don't know actually... it just is. Maybe it's just reflecting my emotions or something." He said with a shrug.

Draco let it slide, but made a mental note to ask the demon about it should they have a chance to talk again. He sighed. "Fine. You'll go with Ginny and I. I was kind of looking forward to the trip with just her, but I suppose I'll have to put up with you tagging along. It'll just be the three of us, and if _I_ tell you you're fucked in the head, I assure you it will have nothing to do with that bloody article, so you have no excuses left. Dumbledore asked me to take along some protection anyway. I guess you'll have to do."

Harry blinked. He wanted to object, not really feeling like being around a bunch of happy, celebrating people right now, but couldn't think of a good reason why that would be a problem. He started to ask him for more details, but just then the doors to the Great Hall opened and Dumbledore walked out. He was followed by Snape, then Ginny, Ron, Pansy and Blaise as well.

Harry sighed as Dumbledore came to a stop before him. "I'm fine." He said in a gloomy tone.

Dumbledore gave him a little smile. "No, actually you aren't, but you _will_ be." He said softly. "However," He went on, raising his voice a bit and looking over at Draco, "That is not what we are here for. It appears that Cornelius has some legal issues he wishes to discuss in regards to an event he says took place last night. He has requested an audience with us, and I have granted him temporary permission to enter the school to discuss it. He owled from the gates, so he should be here momentarily."

Draco rolled his eyes, "I knew that bloody wanker couldn't let things lie without a fight."

----------

Fudge made his way into the room followed by Sulla and Breanna Parkinson and group of Aurors. As soon as he spotted Harry leaning up against the wall he stopped so fast that Sulla ran into him. Sulla hissed with pain and irritation, rubbing his wrist which he had been cradling to him, bandages visible sticking out of the sleeve. It was obvious the bones had required removal and regrowing, and the Skelegrow hadn't completed the task quite yet.

Breanna Parkinson was just as lovely as Blaise had said she was, though she and Pansy looked little alike. She was a tall, slim woman with long, wavy sandy brown hair, blue eyes and a small, almost button nose that had a spattering of delicate freckled across it extending out across her cheekbones. When she spotted Pansy her eyes widened and she tried to go to her, but Sulla grabbed her with his good arm and shoved her back behind him irritably. She didn't look happy, but stayed put, her eyes still on Pansy.

"What is _that_ doing here?!?" Fudge demanded authoritatively, though an edge of fear was discernible in his voice.

Harry scowled at him. "Don't call me a 'that'. It's _your_ bloody fault I'm like this, so shut the bloody hell up about it!"

"If you hadn't..." Fudge began heatedly, but Dumbledore held up his hand and Fudge, for once, heeded him. Most likely for fear that lack of compliance might somehow give the demon reason to go after him again.

"Harry, perhaps you could wait in the other room with the Aurors." Dumbledore suggested gently.

Harry glanced at the Aurors and smirked as he saw them shift uneasily. "Ok." He said, pushing off from the wall suddenly and making them start, then strolling sedately over to the door and standing beside it. "After you." he said, holding his hand out to indicate the door invitingly.

"My men are staying with me!" Fudge blustered, looking worried. His men were the main source of his confidence at the moment.

"Do you really think we pose a threat to you, Cornelius?" Dumbledore asked with a genial smile.

"There are regulations..." Fudge started.

Harry rolled his eyes impatiently, "The Aurors were not _invited_ to stay in this room." he said slowly, making Fudge fall silent and glaring at the Aurors significantly.

The Aurors glanced at Fudge, but didn't wait for his leave, quickly filing out of the room.

Harry smirked over at Fudge and gave him a little wave, "Now play nice, Fudge!" He said pleasantly, but with a cold glint in his eyes. Fudge remained silent as he strolled out, closing the door behind him.

Fudge then turned back to the group, quickly regaining his composure. "Well now, what's this rubbish about you all stealing this man's daughter by forcing him to sign legal documents against his will?" he demanded.

"Balderdash!" Snape said briskly, "He signed the forms of his own free will. We have a whole House full of witnesses if you care to interview them. You seem to like doing that." he said, folding his arms across his chest.

Fudge scowled at him, "You can't go about adopting your students at random!" He growled.

"It wasn't random. I saw a girl in _desperate_ need of a father who actually had her best interests in mind, and accepted the responsibility. She only has one year left at Hogwarts and then she'll be old enough to run her own life. Until then, I will pay for her housing and schooling and such if that is your worry. The Snape bloodline might not be quite as prodigious and affluent as some, but we have done alright for ourselves. She should be no burden. I fully intend to fulfill my duties as her father for so long as she wishes."

"You're not her father!" Sulla growled angrily, his face red. "That's _my_ daughter! I'll not let you steal her from me!"

Snape gave him a wry grin, "I beg to differ. According to the paper you signed, I am, in no uncertain terms, her father."

"I don't care about what some blasted piece of paper says! Paper doesn't make blood ties. You could _never_ be her father! You need proof? Just cast a Lineage spell! Those don't care about paper and crafty little loopholes! They tell the truth!"

Snape gave a derisive snort. "Go ahead and cast one, Sulla. I very much doubt it will help your case."

Dumbledore noted the slightly panicked look in Breanna's eyes. "I don't think that will be necessary..." He said gently.

Fudge seized on it, "_I_ will be the judge of what is and is _not_ necessary, Dumbledore! I am still the Minister of Magic! Blood counts for more than paper! If this man is so deluded that he can't tell the difference, perhaps he needs to be shown!"

Snape smirked, "Fine. I tell you what. Cast your little spell. If it points to Sulla, I'll give her back."

Pansy couldn't help but notice how her mother was glaring at Snape murderously from behind her father's back. Her father was obviously completely oblivious to her reaction. He folded his arms over his chest. "Fine!" He said triumphantly.

He nodded to Fudge, who smiled, feeling this would surely win the argument. He pulled out his wand and cast a Lineage spell towards Pansy.

They all watched as a ghostly white line, thick as a mast rope, emerged from the center of Pansy's chest, twisting around like a snake as it drifted towards Sulla and Breanna, searching for a link. Sulla, still looking triumphant, took a couple of steps forward to hurry the process a bit. The rope-like lines slipped towards him... then darted around him.

Sulla's eyes went wide with shock. He turned, watching it slip towards Breanna. It glided to one side of her, then split in half, making a T intersection. One half darted forward, to connect with Breanna, and the other half hit Snape dead center. The line lost it's ghostly quality, firming up and straightening, leaving no doubt that it had completed it's determination.

A bemused smirk spread over Snape's lips as he stared down at the glowing line touching his chest. "Well, would you look at that! What are the odds?" He said, looking up at Sulla with a genuine smile gracing his lips, "I'm not a betting man, but quite honestly if I were to have wagered on it, it would not have been _myself_ that I bet on! I just knew it wasn't you!"

Sulla was just staring at him with open shock. "This... this can't be... you did something to the spell!" He finished with an accusatory growl.

"Severus is not the one who _cast_ the spell." Dumbledore said softly. "Are you suggesting that Cornelius had some reason to alter it?"

Sulla glared at him, then spun, glaring at his wife, who was now deathly pale and had half collapsed into a chair, staring at the line linking her and Snape in stunned silence. "YOU! You _whore!_" He all but screamed, "Spent a couple of days at your _mother's_ did you? Your mother talked you into _trying for a baby_ did she? You lying, cheating, conniving little..."

Her eyes darted to him and narrowed, a flush of anger colored her pale cheeks as she stood back up stiffly. "So I cheated! So I gave in and made a rash decision in a moment of weakness and had a little _fun_ for a change! _So what!_ Not like I wanted to marry your miserable arse in the first place! Keep my half of the bloody shack! Staying faithful to you was _killing me!_ Two bloody years I went without a decent shag! It's not _my_ fault you're an absolutely _wretched_ shag with barely enough stamina to go for a whole minute straight! Not to mention that you're hung like a bloody doxy! If that girl _did_ manage to kick you in the hampton, I'd like to commend her on her _exceptional_ locating skills that obviously border on _precognition!_ " She growled furiously.

Sulla looked completely thunderstruck that his wife would talk back to him like that, let alone say such things about him in front of others.

"Hey!" Blaise said in a soft, amused voice, tugging on a little line that looked like very thin yarn that had formed between him and Draco. "Cool... gotta check my family tree again..."

Draco looked down, noting that the spell had continued working, spreading lines of relation between those gathered in the room. There was a thick line between Ron and Ginny of course, as well as a line no thicker than button thread between Draco and the two since they were very distantly related on his mother's side. He leaned forward a bit, ignoring the little screaming match that had begun between Sulla and Breanna. Pansy was just staring at Snape, her eyes wide and fixed with shock. She appeared completely oblivious to the thick white line of parental relation had formed between her and Blaise, the line branching from the middle disappearing down into her stomach, and the same with Ron on the other side. In fact, looking around, Fudge and Sulla were the only ones completely unrelated to anyone else in the room.

He looked over as the shouting suddenly ceased. Breanna was staring at her daughter, her eyes wide. "What's that?" She asked faintly, vaguely indicating the lines linking her with the boys at her sides.

"That would be our grandchildren." Snape said with a smirk.

"Grandchildren...?" She asked, looking as if she might faint at any moment. It was obvious that Sulla had intercepted the letter Pansy had sent, and hadn't bothered informing his wife of the pregnancy. Breanna shoved past Sulla, going over to Pansy and staring down at the lines. She looked up at Pansy, her eyes filling with joyful tears, "Grandchildren!" She said with a happy laugh, wrapping her arms around her and holding her tight.

"Indeed." Snape said, looking back at Sulla, "The ones he tried to murder last night using a highly dangerous, highly _illegal_ potion. Which reminds me, why isn't he in Azkaban?" He asked, looking over at Fudge.

Fudge was looking completely thrown by the unexpected turn of events, but quickly tried to pull himself back together. "You didn't even sign that form until after. I'd have to look up the precedents, but I doubt that makes you eligible to press charges..."

Snape glared at him, "See this?" He said, indicating the line still leading to his chest, "This _makes_ me eligible!"

Breanna had released Pansy and was staring back at them in shock. "He did _what?_"

"Seems your dear husband was afraid Pansy's unexpected pregnancy would cost him too much money since he appears to view her as a commodity to be traded or sold... and so he tried to force a potion down her throat to get rid of the 'problem'. It very nearly worked too. If Draco hadn't stopped him the babies would have been long gone by now... possibly Pansy too. That potion has about a twenty percent chance of killing the mother as well, hence it's illegal status." Snape said, glancing over at her. It wasn't until then that he noticed the other lines that had formed. There was now a second line emerging from his chest that was about as big around as very thin rope. He followed it with his eyes, then stared in puzzled shock at the person the other end was linked to.

"Finite Incantatem." Dumbledore said softly, dispersing the spell with a wave of his wand.

Snape's attention was drawn back forward as Breanna strode over to her husband, "Is this true?" She asked in a carefully calm voice.

His eyes narrowed angrily, "You have no idea what it takes to survive today! I've taken care of you all these years, sheltered you from the real world, provided you with food, clothing and shelter, given you everything a proper lady should have, even though you quite obviously didn't deserve it..."

"I asked if it was true, not for a bloody sob story." She said evenly, breaking into his tirade before it had a chance to get going good.

He glared at her. "As far as I _knew_, she was my daughter, and therefore mine to do with as I saw fit. Her stupid mistake stood to cost us a great deal of money, so I did what I had to."

"You BASTARD!" She shriek, her fist catching him in the jaw. He staggered back but she gave him no respite, catching him hard in the gut, then in the kidney as he tried to turn to protect his soft stomach. He let out a yelp of pain as he tried to grip his side and guard his kidneys while still curled over from the stomach blow. "Those are my grandchildren!" She yelled, grabbing ahold of two handfuls of his hair and shoved his head down to meet her knee as it thrust up, smashing the nose that had been so recently repaired.

He crumpled to the ground. Everyone just stood there, watching as she started kicking the downed man hard, circling around him to get at any vulnerable spot she could. "You're the bloody mistake!" She shrieked, punctuating her words with kicks that were bringing yelps of pain from the man.

Fudge looked a bit panicked, obviously wanting to stop her, but without his Aurors it would be himself he would be putting in danger of bodily harm, and he seemed unwilling to do that for Sulla.

"I'll show you what's _necessary!_" She growled, stopping her kicking and pulling out her wand. Her head darted around, glaring as a hand caught ahold of her wrist before she could cast.

"That's enough, Breanna." Snape said softly.

She growled irritably, pulling her wrist out of his grasp, then tucked it away, glaring down at him. She leaned down, "You had better hope they put you in Azkaban for a _very_ long time you bastard!" She hissed, her voice making no secret of what she intended to do if they didn't. She then looked up at Fudge. "If you won't accept Snape's charges, you had best accept mine! I want that bastard to rot away in Azkaban for the rest of his miserable bloody life!" She darted a look down at her husband, who was moaning in pain and desperately trying to draw breath properly.

"And another thing!" She said, glaring down at him, "I want a bloody _divorce!_"

Sulla let out an indignant sound. With what was obviously considerable effort he dragged himself up to his feet, leaning against the wall for support as he tried to wipe away the blood that was coming from his nose. "No Parkinson has ever gotten a divorce!" He said, trying to sound superior, despite the amusing way his injured nose made his voice sound.

"Looks like you finally get to be the first at something!" She growled back.

He straightened as much as he could, glaring at her, "I'll have you know that the Parkinson name stands for..."

"It stands for shit!" She broke in angrily. She looked over at Fudge, "He's completely strapped, did he tell you that? He's potless! A bloody charity case! Good luck sniffing around for another handout with this one, because all he has is a pisspoor little shack in one of the worse parts of the London outskirts!"

Fudge was staring at Sulla in shocked silence. It was obvious Sulla had failed to pass that information on to him. It was also just as obvious that it made a significant difference in his viewpoint on the situation. He started looking at Sulla with a definite edge of irritation, probably having been promised some kind of payment should he get Pansy back in Sulla's custody.

"You mean _we're_ strapped." Sulla growled angrily.

She snorted. "Don't correct me unless I have misspoken! You may be a pauper, but I have the inheritance from my mother!"

His eyes widened. "You said she didn't leave us anything!"

She smirked. "She didn't. She left it to me and Pansy, with the main stipulation being that you never saw a single knut of it! It's held in trust in Gringotts until you got out of the picture. She knew a deadbeat when she saw one! Now give me a divorce and slink off to Azkaban like a good little bastard!"

"You'll not have a divorce!" He said, mustering as much resolve as he could.

She moved closer until their faces were mere inches apart, making him shift back some uneasily, "By tomorrow I will either be a divorcee... or a widow! Take your pick!" She hissed with deadly seriousness.

Fudge cleared his throat uneasily as the tense moment drew out, the couple staring at eachother murderously. "Well, since I'm sure we all want to see this situation resolved peacefully, I will be sure to have a representative visit you in your cell with the proper papers, Sulla." Fudge said briskly.

Sulla looked over at him in shock, "My _what?_"

Fudge put on his diplomatic look of being aggrieved at the situation. "I'm afraid both of the children's grandparents appear to be filing charges of attempted murder, and since you are not, in fact, Pansy's father, you had absolutely no legal grounding for your actions. I'm afraid my hands are tied. You really should have checked before taking such rash actions. You can plea your case in front of the Wizengamot of course, just like everyone else."

-----------

"Why didn't you tell me who my real father was?" Pansy asked incredulously after Fudge and the Aurors had gone, two of them 'helping' Sulla along.

Brianna sank down into one of the chairs. "I didn't _know_ who he was!" she sighed tiredly.

Pansy's eyes widened, "Just how many possibilities were there?!?"

Brianna looked thoughtful for a moment, then sighed irritably, "Oh bloody Hell! How am _I_ supposed to know?"

Pansy's jaw dropped.

Her mother saw her reaction and rolled her eyes. "Oh stop it! I was faithful to that bastard for over two years! When Lucius invited me to the Beltane party he was throwing I couldn't resist. I knew if I went there was no way I'd stay faithful... I mean we weren't so crass as to actually do the dancing naked in the moonlight, but that doesn't mean our clothes stayed on once we were out of sight of the others. People were shagging in every bedroom and closet in the entire place by the time I got there! There was a lot of alcohol and special potions... and quite frankly I don't remember a whole lot after the first couple of those I took. I remember men vaguely... from what I recall, there were... a number of them..." She said, blushing. "Admittedly, I don't remember you being one of them though..." She said looking over at Snape.

He grinned at her. "Well I remember you. I don't normally have relations with women when they are under the influence of mind altering substances... but... well I wasn't exactly a real ladies man... and you were coming on to me like a drunken nymph on the pull... you can be quite _persuasive_. Not to mention that Lucius had insisted I shag at least one woman that night. He always seemed quite put out that I didn't share his all-consuming desire to shag every woman in sight. I might add that I actually took you to a proper, _private_ room with a _bed_. Unlike Zabini. I really didn't think that was a proper use for a banquet table."

Brianna buried her face in her hands in embarrassment, the memory returning in bits and pieces. "Oh bloody Hell..." She muttered softly, then looked up at her daughter. "I guess you should be thankful it turned out to be Snape. Otherwise that might have been your half brother standing next to you!"

Pansy's eyes went wide and darted over to Blaise. They stared at eachother for a moment, then both broke into laughter.

"Bloody Hell! That was a close one!" Blaise said with great amusement, pulling her into his arms. "Good thing we aren't... otherwise we'd have gotten spankins cause we have been very very _naughty_..." He said, nuzzling up to her and nibbling her neck playfully. She giggled, swatting at him.

Breanna smiled, then sighed, "I was a bit paranoid and did a pregnancy test on myself after I woke up cuddled up with Goyle."

Pansy giggled, "You did Gregory's dad?!?"

Breanna gave a snort of laughter. "Why not? He might not be too bright, but he is big _all over..._" She said with a smirk. "After I found out I was already pregnant I decided what the Hell and let him shag me a couple more times before heading home." She said with a reminiscent smile on her face. "He's the only one I can really remember with any accuracy actually..."

"Goyle..." Pansy chuckled, still shaking her head.

Her mother looked at her with a smirk, her eyes narrowed shrewdly, "He has a boy here your age. Are you going to try to tell we you haven't so much as checked? I'd wager he takes after his father under his clothes..."

Pansy blushed bright red and looked studiously away.

"Mmhmm..." Breanna said mirthfully, then sighed. "Lucius was giving each woman who didn't have one a contraceptive charm when they got there, but mine obviously didn't work."

"Oh it worked." Snape said from where he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. "At least as much as he wanted it to. You didn't notice the unusual rash of female babies that cropped up right around when Pansy was born? Lucius planned the party for that very reason. I didn't find this out until later of course."

Her eyes were round, "Female babies...? Why would he do that?"

Snape gave Draco a rueful smirk, "Because of him." He said, nodding towards him, "Lucius found out Narcissa was with child, and it would be a boy. He wanted to have plenty of pureblooded girls to choose from for his son's wife. That party alone accounted for at least a dozen pureblood females born within a month or two of Draco. They were pureblood, but most weren't from the women's husbands. Most of the women did just what Breanna did. Pretended it was their own husbands that had gotten them pregnant. Of course he didn't count on their animosity over the incident making most of them turn down the proposed betrothals flat. Only two from that party agreed to it."

Draco sighed and rolled his eyes. "Sounds like something father would do."

Snape pulled away from the wall, walking over to stand before Pansy. "I must admit that somewhere in the back of my mind I always wondered. As I said before, I felt the odds were greatly against it, but..." He reached out, brushing her bangs back and brushing his fingers down the side of her face, "I couldn't help but notice how much you looked like the pictures of my mother as a girl..." He gave a little sad smile, "She died when I was four, but I used to look at her pictures all the time. She was a petite little blonde with an impish grin... and occasionally a wicked temper from what I'm told..." He took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I'm a father..." He said, a hint of wonder in his voice.

Pansy couldn't help herself. She wrapped her arms around him, resting her cheek against his shoulder. He held her, sighing happily.

Blaise glanced over at Draco with a smile on his face. He reached over and draped his arm on Draco's shoulder, "Isn't that something?" He asked wistfully as he watched father and daughter embracing.

Draco arched an eyebrow at him.

Blaise's smile widened as he looked back over at Draco, "Hermione's gonna be a grandmother!"

-----------

A/N - Before you ask, the Twins and Harry were staying in the Siege tunnel, which is not technically part of Slytherin Dungeon, so that's why the announcement for the conference didn't reach their rooms (in the last chapter. Just thought I'd clarify). And don't everybody go asking who else Snape was linked to. Read carefully and it should become clear.Oh and **HAPPY NEW YEAR!** I can finally say that, cause it would take like a miracle to get an entire other chapter done in time to be able to say that in the next one. Agh. I'm tired. It's two thirty in the morning and I have to get up for work in about three hours, so sorry if there are some mistakes, but I need at least a little nap!

**References - BELTANE:** A Wiccan festival celebrated on April 30th or May 1st (traditions vary). Beltane is also known as May Eve, Roodmas, Walpurgis Night, Cethsamhain. Beltane celebrates the symbolic union, mating or marriage of the Goddess and God, and links in with the approaching summer months. From : (I spelled out the dots and dashes cause otherwise you can't post web addresses) shadowwalker**_dot_**dreamscrying**_dot_**net**_slash_**bos**_slash_**sabbats**_dot_**htm

**_Tinas74_** - Yes, the wedding contract would still most likely be valid, especially if Fudge saw it as a way to throw around political weight (or use it to blackmail Draco to control the demon or something), though Pansy's father (well, her old one!) wouldn't get a dime since he was no longer her legal guardian (nor her genetic father). Best to just get hitched to be on the safe side!

**_Frogs Rok _**- Who said I could remember anything? My memory sux. Fortunately, I happen to have a copy of my fic on hand, and can simply think of a word I know is in that scene and do a find until I come across it. :)

**_NeonBlue21 _**- What does it mean when I say 'sitting tailor fashion'? Agh. That's a tough one. I guess that term dates back to before clothing was mass produced, when tailors would have to fit the garments to the individual (Which, I know _is_ still done today, but it's rare) I think it comes from the way they would sit on the floor to get low enough to do the hems/cuffs. It least that's my guess on the origins of the term. I have only heard two terms to describe it. Tailor fashion and Indian style. It is how indians (an most other people too for that matter) sit when sitting on the ground, but I thought 'indian style' sounded like a bit of an Americanization, so I went with the former choice. It's when you are sitting on the floor/ground/whatever with your legs tucked up in a somewhat pretzel-like shape, crossed at the ankles and feet generally tucked under the thigh or knee of the opposite leg. Is this making any sense?

**_SuckerForASweetTalker_** - actually, I consider myself strictly non-political in the 'real world'. I just hate Fudge in a way that is inspired by J.K.s descriptions alone. I'm not a big _fan_ of Bush, admittedly, but I have little idea what he's doing, and try to keep it that way. Real life sux. I try to ignore the 'real world' as much as possible. It's far too depressing. Some call it living in denial, I call it remaining as _sane as possible _in today's society. I don't watch the news, I don't listen to the news on the radio, never touch a newspaper unless I need to wrap something breakable in it, and I very rarely will discuss anything even remotely political. Hell, I don't even watch tv! Well, I will watch movies on video, but not 'regular tv'. The last TV series that I followed was the first season of Dark Angel. Ok, I kinda watched Joan of Arcadia its first season too, but it's too hard to remember to watch something on Fridays. I'm just so relieved to be off of work I tend to just veg in front of the computer and forget until it's too late. I have only seen Enterprise (Which you can tell, because my only other fic on here at the moment is an Enterprise one) because I have the first couple of seasons on DVD. Don't worry, I'm not some freaky purist or anti-establishment type. Fact is, I only get like three channels (And can't afford any of that cable/digital crap!), so there's very little point to it most the time, and a lot of stuff on tv is getting disturbing anyway. Hell, the cartoons meant for _little children_ are getting disturbing! Those radical church types should leave off of Harry Potter and go after those! Cause from what I've seen, they make HP look like freakin _bible stories!_ I don't let my son watch regular tv cartoons, and tend to get ticked if others (like relatives) let him. A lot of that stuff is just **_WRONG!!!_** They have given him nightmares before, and he used to go to sleep to Godzilla '98, and loved the Jurassic Park movies! Ok, enough preaching about the downfall of society ;P


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

"But... but how could you be her _father_?!?" Hermione asked, staring at Snape, her eyes wide with shock.

Snape folded his arms over his chest. "I went to school with Potter's parents, so why is it so shocking that I have a daughter of around the same age?"

"But... for her to be yours, that means that you..." She trailed off, her cheeks blushing.

He rolled his eyes, "You didn't honestly think I was a _virgin_, did you? For your information I've been with a number of women in my life, though I was smart enough to take care of protection myself after that night. I was a bit surprised you made it all the way to _seventeen_ a virgin in today's society to be quite frank."

Her blush deepened, "That's not what I meant! I had no illusions that you had never been with anyone before..." She said, sounding flustered, "But... she was a _married woman!_"

He sighed, "Well I didn't _know_ that at the time. I wasn't very active in the social circles and I certainly didn't think _married_ women would have attended such a gathering. Lucius required me to partake of the 'festivities' with at least one woman that night. She just happened to be the one I picked. Of course if I _had_ known, and had known who her _husband_ was, I might still have done it. I had met the man. There was no question in my mind that any wife of his would be in desperate need of some 'attention'. And of course I had no idea until afterwards that Lucius had mucked about with their charms."

She folded her arms over her chest. "He 'required' you to _shag_ someone?" She asked incredulously.

He smirked, "You obviously haven't spent much time around Lucius. Probably a very good thing. Yes, he required it." He sighed, the amusement leaving his face, "The more I think about it, the more I believe Lucius intended for me to father a child with Breanna all along. Probably made very sure all the other men that were with her had their own contraceptive charms. He brought her over with him when he came to talk to me that night. Then he conveniently had to go attend to 'host duties' and left her there with me. My family and hers have no previous links. Pansy is 'clean blood', while remaining a pureblood. Then of course there were no familial ties between Draco and Pansy... I truly believe he intended for them to marry from the beginning. Some of the pureblood families have started becoming quite inbred, more and more squibs being born as a result. Having his heir marry such 'clean blood' would insure the prosperity of his descendants, and the continued dominance of the Malfoy line. The contracts he made with the parents of the other girls were most likely just a way for him to get a bit of free, completely _legal_ sadistic enjoyment."

Hermione dropped her eyes thoughtfully, mulling that over. It was hard to believe anyone could be so callous and completely unconcerned with the impact of their meddling in other people's lives... let alone so blatantly sadistic! But then again, it was getting to the point where she'd believe Lucius Malfoy capable of just about anything.

Snape sighed, going over and sitting down in the armchair near the fireplace. "I know this can't be easy for you to digest. Hell, I'm still in shock and I at least had the notion it was a _possibility_. I... will understand if you wish to discontinue our relationship." he said softly, staring into the fire sadly.

Hermione sighed and rolled her eyes. She went over, crawling into the chair with him and settling on his lap, her legs straddling him. She slipped her arms around his neck and leaned forward, kissing him tenderly. When she broke the kiss, she let out a little sigh, cuddling up to him and resting her cheek against his shoulder. "I'm not letting you go that easily..." She said softly as he held her to him, the tension draining from him in relief. He stroked his hand down her back, making her smile against him and cuddle up more. She loved when he did that.

"So you'll be ok with it?"

"Guess I'll have to be, won't I? I'm sorry... I didn't mean to react like that... I think it's great that you have a daughter, and she finally has a father who will actually _care_ about her... it's just... I mean our children will be younger than your grandchildren! That just seems so..." her voice died in her throat and she turned beet red as she suddenly realized she had just made a number of rather large assumptions. "I mean... um... if we... and you wanted to... um..." She stammered, pulling back some.

Snape had a warm smile on his face, "Yes... I suppose they will." He said softly.

She grinned bashfully. He pulled her back to him, holding her tightly. They held eachother for a few minutes, content just to be together.

"You know..." He said softly after a time, "If we get married..."

Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of those words coming from his mouth.

"And of course eventually I have no doubt Blaise will find some way to make his relationship with Pansy and Ron legal... that will make you Ron's step-mother-in-law..."

Hermione let out a laugh. "Oh my God! I'd be grandma Snape!"

"And what a lovely grandmother you will make..." He said with a smirk, kissing her again.

She sighed happily, leaning into the kiss.

They suddenly broke apart as the door to his room opened.

"At it again? Well break it up. Who knows when Blaise might be looking." Draco said, going over and sitting on the end of the bed with a smirk on his face.

Snape rolled his eyes, "That's a disturbing thought." He said with a smirk, "And you forgot to knock again."

"Just bringing you your invitations..." He said, pulling out two envelopes and tossing them on the bed, "Unless of course you want to get ripped apart by the creatures the Zabini's have roaming their grounds. One should cover you both technically, but I brought two just to be on the safe side. Carry them on your person."

They looked over as there was a slight clearing of a throat at the door. Dumbledore was standing in the doorway, having followed Draco unnoticed. He closed the door behind him so no one else would see in. Hermione blushed again, slipping off of Snape and standing by his chair awkwardly.

"No need to get up on my account." Dumbledore said with a warm smile, "I just thought you might like to know that the students taking the Hogwarts Express will be leaving shortly. I thought you might wish to see your students off, Severus."

"Of course." Snape said, nodding his head and rising.

"How are you getting to Zabini Manor for the wedding?" Draco asked curiously.

"Haven't decided actually." Snape said thoughtfully, "If all else fails, we could always take the Knight bus I suppose." He looked very reluctant to even consider that, obviously having used it before.

"Why not just apparate?" Hermione asked.

Snape looked over at her, "You have a license?" he asked, surprised.

She nodded. "Dumbledore was able to pull some strings to let me take my test before start of term. They didn't owl me my license until after my birthday of course, but I have it now."

He grinned, "Well that settles that I guess."

Dumbledore nodded, smiling, "Excellent. The three of us can go together then. I trust you will be able to fend for yourselves until then?" He asked, his eyes twinkling.

"I daresay we will manage." Snape replied with a smile.

Draco gave a snort, "I bet..." He said, getting up and walking over, coming to a stop in front of Hermione and digging in his pocket. He then took ahold of Hermione's hand and placed something in it. "Pansy said you could have this. She won't be needing it."

Hermione opened her hand and stared down at the tiny flying bird charm on the thin white gold chain that lay on her palm. She blushed bright red as she realized what it was. "Oh... um... thanks..." She said faintly, quickly tucking it away in her pocket, embarrassed.

"Put it on. It does no good in your pocket." He said mirthfully. "Well, it looks like it'll be staying in the family at least." He said, smirking at her wickedly, making her blush deepen still more. Then his eyes darted over, "That reminds me... what was with that line? How are you two related?"

Snape looked at Dumbledore, "I intended to ask the same question actually. I've seen my family tree all the way back to it's magical beginnings. There were no Dumbledores in it. I even have the most recent half dozen or so generations memorized, and that line was far too thick to be further than that... in fact I would say there was no more than perhaps four or five degrees of separation... how is that possible?"

"I think perhaps this is a discussion best left for some other time, Severus." Dumbledore said softly, actually looking a bit embarrassed.

"It was Sylvia, wasn't it?"

Dumbledore let out a sigh, "Darien..." he said in exasperation.

Draco chuckled, his eyes definitely darkening, "Told you she had it bad for you, Alby!"

Snape's eyes had gone wide, "Please tell me you're not referring to Sylvia Reynolds."

Draco smirked, "None other. Sweetest little Slytherin there was. She and Alby had quite a little unrequited love going since fourth year... my guess is, it didn't stay unrequited..."

Dumbledore's eyes had dropped and he looked more uncomfortable than Snape had ever seen him. He sighed, then forced his gaze up to meet Snape's. "Sylvia was a lovely, talented and vivacious young woman. I had never met someone so full of life. I was still quite young and foolish back then... I knew she had an arranged marriage, one she fully intended to fulfill to help her family through very difficult financial times... but I still fell in love with her." He said with a sad sigh, "She was to be married shortly after graduation, and we had both come to terms with the fact that we could never be together... but her last night at Hogwarts... well, I'm sure by this point you can guess what happened. The man she married never knew the child was not his own."

Snape was holding the back of his chair, staring at Dumbledore with open shock. "But that would make you..."

"Your _real_ great great grandfather. Yes." Dumbledore said softly.

Snape abruptly sat back down, looking completely stunned.

"My first year teaching at Hogwarts I found my own son in my class. He was, of course, a Snape and a Slytherin, and therefor despised me because of the difference of political and social views of the Snape and Dumbledore families... Sylvia died the summer before his seventh year. I had to watching his pain for an entire year, unable to comfort him, and at the same time mourning her loss myself while trying to hide it from others. That was without a doubt the most difficult experience of my life."

"That's why you trusted me..." Snape said softly, "Why you wouldn't give up on trying to win me back from the Dark Lord's ranks..."

Dumbledore gave him a little smile, "Call it vanity, but I refused to believe that a descendant of mine could be completely without redeeming qualities... even if he doesn't want to admit it. Though, admittedly, your father cast quite a bit of doubt on that theory. Still, I had watched you all through your schooling. I knew your father had already begun training you in the dark arts... saw your reclusive nature and your social strife... I knew what it was that you were fighting against, what hurtles stood in your way... and I watched you, saw how you dealt with it all. Whenever I began to lose hope, you would do something when you thought no one was looking that would renew it. In fact, you were the first I had ever felt I could approach. You have no idea what it meant to me the first time you called me your friend..."

Snape looked up at him sharply, "And yet you never felt that I deserved to _know who you were?_"

Dumbledore sighed, "It was for your own protection, Severus. What would happen if Voldemort should ever find this out? You may be very talented in Occlumency, but no one is perfect. If you knew, there was always the chance that he could steal the knowledge from your mind in a moment of distraction. He may value you, but he would kill you in a heartbeat if he felt it would hurt me."

Snape sighed, his eyes dropping. Try as he might, he couldn't refute that.

"Well," Dumbledore said softly, "We should continue this discussion later. For now, I believe your students are expecting you..."

---------------

"What's with Snape?" Ginny asked, eyeing him, "He seems a bit... off."

Hermione shifted uneasily, then shrugged.

Ginny eyed her, then leaned closer. "You didn't dump him again, did you?" She asked sternly, keeping her voice carefully low enough not to carry.

Hermione's eyes went wide. "Just how many people know about that?" She whispered back exasperatedly.

"A few. Did you?" Ginny continued doggedly, her eyes narrowing.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "No!" She hissed.

Ginny's expression brightened and she smiled. "Ok then. Just checking."

Hermione stared at her in shock. "You... you're ok with... um... _us?_"

Ginny grinned. "I wasn't at first, and I found out on my _own_ by the way, but when I asked Draco about it he explained it a bit more... and seeing how Snape was when you were laying there without a soul..." She shrugged, "Guess I've just gotten used to the idea."

They fell silent as Ron walked over, dropping his bag on a nearby couch. "You sure you don't want to take the train?" He asked worriedly.

Ginny grinned. "I'm sure. Draco has the trip all planned out and I wouldn't miss it. Don't worry. Harry will be with us."

Ron sighed, "Ok... just be careful. There's too bloody many Death Eaters out there for me to be comfortable with you out of my sight."

She grinned. His overprotectiveness might have irritated her once, but now that he'd eased off a bit she found it endearing. She stood up, giving him a hug, "We'll probably be getting there about the same time as you guys do, so you'll barely even notice the difference!"

He hugged her back gently. The strength he'd gotten from Blaise hadn't increased any more, despite the fact that they had spent the whole night together, finding ways to _amuse themselves_ since they were still unable to sleep, but if it was ebbing, it was very slowly. Snape had assured them it would start to recede before too much longer. He was relieved to hear that, but at the same time felt like he was going to miss it when it was gone. It had felt rather nicer than he'd care to admit pinning Sulla Parkinson to the wall, knowing full well he could kill him in a heartbeat if he so desired.

Still... without the strength they would finally be able to shag Pansy again. The looks Blaise had been giving her had been heartbreaking. This was probably the longest he'd gone without shagging her since they started sharing a room, and it was pretty obvious that it was getting rather difficult for him to handle, despite Ron's efforts to distract him. Pansy hadn't shown any signs of increased strength from shagging Blaise before they found out it wasn't a good idea... they hoped that just meant he hadn't started passing it on yet, but the nagging worry was still there.

Blaise came up behind Ron, slipping his arms around his waist and resting his chin on Ron's shoulder. He was just the perfect height to do that, despite being slightly shorter than Ron, and had taken a liking to holding him like that. Ron grinned, hugging Blaise's arms to his stomach. He'd rather taken a liking to it as well.

"We all ready? Where's your bag Gin?"

Ginny grinned and grabbed up her bag, holding it out. Ron took it and tossed it over with his, furrowing his brow. "I'm not complaining, but why can't you take your bags yourself?"

Ginny grinned, "It's just easier this way, trust me."

"Hey Granger," Blaise said before Ron could question Ginny further, "Make sure you get there well before the ceremony. You still have to be fitted for your dress robes."

"What?" Hermione asked, surprised.

Blaise smirked, "You're the Maid of Honor. You can't expect Narcissa Malfoy to let you come up with your own outfit." Blaise flinched, barely catching a bag that was tossed at him before it could hit him in the side.

"Black." Draco said mirthfully, "How many times do I have to tell you that? You call my mum a Malfoy and she's likely to curse you. She's very proud of that little piece of paper. The bloody Ministry did something she agreed with for once."

Blaise chuckled, tossing Draco's bag over with the others. "I'll try to remember."

Draco looked over at Hermione, "And he's serious about being there early. Diamond is amazingly quick, but she's already running around like a blue arsed fly trying to get everything ready. She's insisting on making clothing for everyone attending the wedding so they'll match. Slow her up and she just may chew you out."

Hermione smirked, "This 'Diamond' another relative?"

Draco chuckled, "In a manner of speaking. Mum's house elf actually."

Hermione blinked, shocked, "A house elf would chew me out?"

Draco furrowed his brow, "Only if you're late. Not planning it are you?"

Hermione blinked again, "No... I just..." She fell silent, not knowing what else to say. She was stunned he spoke of a house elf chewing people out as if it happened every day. The Malfoy elves were a timid, tortured and abused lot, weren't they?

"That reminds me..." Blaise said, cuddling up to Ron again, "This little Diamond sounds adorable. We've really got to introduce her to Vincent. He's mine. Always wondered why he never seemed to be around... accidentally wondered into one of the unused suites last summer... apparently that's where he'd been holing up. Seems he found my grandmother's old paint set and took a liking to it. He paints. A LOT. Personally, I think he's quite good at it too. Thank Merlin father never found out." He said, grinning.

Draco smirked, "Maybe we _should_ introduce them."

Ron grinned, "Is that why we had to stop by that little paint supply shop in Hogsmeade? Never even knew that was there..."

Blaise grinned, "Grandmother tried painting as a hobby, but tired of it in about a week. She had an impressive setup but it wasn't much more than a starter set. And when Vincent ran out of canvases he started using bed sheets and tea cozies over old window frames! I can only imagine what he'll do with proper supplies that aren't cobbled together or falling apart... and I even got him some of the special potion that makes the portraits move. He's been doing the still, muggle-like paintings so far. Had it all delivered. Can't wait to see his face..."

"Time to head out." Snape said loudly to the Slytherins that were still milling about in the Common room. He then made his way over to them, "You're sure the invitations are all we'll need to get to the Manor?" He asked Blaise cautiously.

Blaise grinned, "Spelled them myself. They will get you onto the grounds, ward off all of father's little 'pets', and allow you to enter one of the coaches. The couch will take you to the Manor. I wouldn't suggest you linger about sight seeing on the way in though. The spell is limited and will probably use itself up within an hour or two of being activated by entering the grounds. We have some more stable charms there in case you should desire to wander the grounds during your stay, but those deactivate if taken off my land. Wouldn't do to have long lasting keys out where anyone could get them."

"You sent some to my parents, right?" Ginny asked.

Blaise grinned. "Your mum's already there. Your dad will be there after work, so probably a couple hours before us. Mum owled me this morning. She and Narcissa took the liberty of telling them so they could get all of the Ministry's bloody paperwork out of the way."

Ginny's eyes went round, "And they were ok with it?"

"_Both_ of them?" Draco added.

Blaise grinned. "Well, they both _signed_, and that's all that really matters, right?"

Draco sighed. Not like he expected open arms from Arthur Weasley, but he'd hoped to achieve at least grudging acceptance. Molly had most likely badgered him into signing against his will.

"Don't sweat it." Fred said, coming over and giving Draco a good-natured slap on the back.

"Dad will come around." George said, coming up on his other side.

"Eventually."

"May take some time..."

"Just give it a decade.."

"Maybe two."

Draco grinned ruefully, "I'm getting that feeling..." He said, then looked over as Kulia took a seat next to the bags. "How you doing?"

She sagged back against the back of the couch, looking a bit worse for wear. "I'm starting to figure out why Snow Elves are an endangered species..." She said miserably.

"Buck up, Snowflake. It'll probably pass in a month or two..." Draco said with a mischievous smirk.

"Bog off Little Dragon." she muttered irritably.

Draco just grinned, patting the Twins on the back, "Good luck, boys. I have a feeling you'll need it."

---------------

"I really wish I could be there." Goyle sighed sadly.

Draco grinned, "It's such short notice we didn't really expect people to come. We're thinking about having a get together this summer that will be like a delayed reception so more of our friends and family can attend."

Goyle brightened, "I'll definitely be there then."

Draco grinned and nodded, "I'll get you an invitation once things are finalized."

Goyle grinned at him, letting out a sigh, shaking his head in disbelief, "I still can't believe you're getting married!"

Draco smirked, "I know... still kind of shocking for me too. But in a good way of course!"

Goyle's eyes widened, "We didn't get to give you a bachelor's party! You didn't even get to have one last fling!"

Draco chuckled, "I tell you what, when we get back from holiday, you and the other boys can get together and gather up every loose female you can and throw me the biggest bachelor's party in history... have a blast! I'll be in my room shagging Ginny!" He said with a wicked grin, "She can be my last fling and my wife all in one. Can't beat that!"

Goyle rolled his eyes, "That was about the sappiest thing I've ever heard you utter!" he said mirthfully, "But I'll take you up on the bachelor's party!" Then he leaned close with a smirk, "I heard Pansy's mum's getting divorced...?"

Draco grinned and nodded. They hadn't really told anyone about the reasoning behind it other than she was a bit miffed at him for trying to murder the grandkids. So far, only those who had been in the room (and Harry and Hermione of course) knew. Snape was still deciding how to, or even if they even _should_ break the news to the others.

Goyle glanced over to make sure Pansy wasn't close enough to hear, then shifted a bit closer, dropping his voice, "She's a bit of alright for a mum... and I heard Pansy takes after her... Think she'd come to the bachelor's party if I invited her?" he asked with a mischievous grin.

Draco let out a laugh, then quickly tried to stifle his amusement as Pansy glanced over. He just smiled at her innocently and she went back to her conversation. "She just might." He said in a near whisper. "Feel free to give it a try. Just don't don't let Pansy catch wind of it!"

"Gotcha." Goyle said, giving his back a friendly clap. "Good luck with the whole ball and chain thing!"

Draco rolled his eyes as Goyle headed off. He glanced over, spotting Harry making his way through the crowd with his bag over his shoulder. It wasn't difficult to spot him really... everyone was scurrying out of his way as if he had the plague. From the way he was studiously not looking at them, his jaw set, Draco could tell he was seething over the treatment.

"I thought you said we weren't going with them." Harry said as he came to a stop beside Draco, glaring around at the whispering students that were all staring at him.

"We aren't... Hey Ron!" Draco called over.

Ron saw them and came over. "About time. They're gonna start yelling at us in a minute if we don't get out there!" Ron said, holding out his hand to Harry.

Harry furrowed his brow, but caught on, handing Ron his bag.

"See you there!" Ron said with a grin, slinging the bag over his shoulder as if it was nothing, though he was already carrying several. "Just be careful!"

Draco grinned, "We will."

Ron grinned and nodded, heading out. Ginny finished up her conversation with Pansy and came over, slipping her arm in his as they waved goodbye to the departing students. Hermione came over to stand on Ginny's other side, waving as well. Kulia had taken to wearing the cloak and face cloth again, lurking behind Fred and George, who had become the center of attention the moment they had walked out into the Entrance Hall. The students were so excited to see them again that they hardly even paid attention to Kulia.

They stopped waving as the last of the students exited.

"What was that about then? Why can't I take my own bag?" Harry asked.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I just prefer traveling light, ok?"

"Ok then, where to now?" Harry asked, seeing Draco wasn't planning on being much more forthcoming.

"Now, we go back to the Dungeon. You can go back to your room. I'll come and get you when we're ready to go."

Harry rolled his eyes, "Yes master!" He said in a sarcastic mock of the demon. He felt it prod him irritably and smirked. Draco, for his part, ignored him entirely.

They started off as Hermione waited for Snape, who had gone out to see the other students to the coaches. She looked over as Draco suddenly paused, the others going on, not noticing he had stopped. After a moment he let out a belabored sigh and reached into his robe. He pulled out an envelope, holding it out to the side of him and dropping it very purposefully, then continued on his way.

Hermione furrowed her brow, wondering what that was all about. Was he expecting her to retrieve the envelope? Then she spotted movement. Dobby was peeking out from behind a suit of armor, watching Draco go. Once Draco was a few meters from the envelope, Dobby scurried out, picking it up. He clutched it to his chest and took a deep breath, sighing it out happily. Now that it was up where she could see it better, she realized it was an invitation to the wedding.

"Try to free your family and I'll kick your little arse!" Draco called over his shoulder without so much as turning his head, then disappeared down the stairs.

Dobby dropped his ears back, grinning widely as he stroked the envelope as if it were the most precious thing in existence.

"Dobby?" Hermione asked, trying to get over her surprise. She walked over to him. "You aren't actually planning on _going_, are you?"

His tennis ball sized eyes stared up at her defiantly and he clutched the envelope tighter, "Dobby is having an invitation! Dobby is allowed!"

"I never said you weren't allowed... I just... why would you _want_ to go? I thought you hated the Malfoys!" She said uncomprehendingly.

"Dobby is not hating _all_ of the Malfoys..." Dobby said, his ears pressed down, his huge eyes now fixed on the floor.

Hermione blinked. She had thought he hated everything about the Malfoys! "But... didn't they mistreat you?"

Dobby looked up at her hesitantly, trembling slightly. "_Master_ was very... strict..."

"You mean Lucius?"

Dobby flinched at the sound of the name, but nodded hesitantly.

"But Draco... he didn't hurt you?"

Dobby looked thoughtful. "Draco is not hurting Dobby _much_."

"Much?" Hermione asked indignantly, "He shouldn't have been hurting you at all!"

Dobby flinched down a bit more. "Dobby is deserving it!" He said defensively.

Hermione folded her arms across her chest. "And just how did you 'deserve' getting hurt?"

Dobby shifted around uneasily. "Dobby is _failing_ little master." He said morosely. "Little master is right to be angry at Dobby. Dobby is not minding when little master is throwing things at him and yelling at him. Dobby is _deserving_ it..." He said very sadly, scurrying off before she could question him further.

Hermione just furrowed her brow at the puzzling explanation.

"You'll not be able to change his mind on the subject."

Hermione looked over, seeing Snape walking towards her, obviously having heard her little conversation with Dobby. "Do you know why he thinks he deserved beatings then?" She asked, a bit exasperated by her seeming inability to raise the house elf's feelings of self worth.

Snape came to a stop, folding his arms over his chest and watched at Dobby scampered out of sight. "Dobby used to be Draco's. He raised Draco in fact. Since he was a baby, Dobby cared for him, kind of like a nanny."

Hermione's eyes went round. She should have figured that some of those rich families with house elves would have them look after their children so they wouldn't have to be bothered with them... she just hadn't ever really thought about it. "But then why would Draco want to hurt him?"

"As Dobby said, he failed Draco. Failed to protect him as he always promised him he would." Snape said somberly.

"Failed to protect him against what?" She asked, shocked.

"The one thing no house elf can ever protect his charge against. The Master of the house." Snape said dryly, turning and walking slowly back towards the Dungeon.

Hermione fell into step beside him. "Draco blamed Dobby for something his _father_ did?"

Snape sighed and nodded. "Since he was a child. He felt betrayed every time Dobby allowed his father to hurt him. It may not be fair, but in the mind of a child, the blame sometimes gets misplaced. He couldn't retaliate against his father, so he turned his anger towards the one who he felt should have protected him... yet had abandoned him in his time of greatest need. I believe Draco knows full well now that it was not truly Dobby's fault, and that it was wrong to take it out on him... but childhood trauma can be very hard to overcome. I'm just glad to see he's making an effort."

"So Dobby gets yelled at and things thrown at him just because Draco got spanked?" Hermione said indignantly.

Snape stopped and turned towards her, folding his arms over his chest once again, "I don't think you are getting the true scope here. Let me give you an example that I, myself witnessed. Dobby showed up in my home one night during early summer after Draco's first year at Hogwarts. He knew I was fond of the boy and didn't know to whom else he could turn. He took me back to Malfoy Manor... back to the woods that lay behind it. There is a clearing within it that Lucius has set up for rituals. There, dangling from the chains on the sacrificial alter, was Draco. He was naked, hypothermic, and beaten to within a hair breadth of death... quite literally. Lucius told him it was because he'd lost the house cup... truth be told, he'd just got mullered and wanted to beat someone... Draco just happened to be the only one around. Lucius then, in a bout of malicious spite, forbade Dobby to take Draco down or care for him in any way. If he'd been left there until Lucius had slept it off he would most certainly have died. It was a very close thing as it was. He spent over a week in St. Mungo's, most of it unconscious. Draco refused to take Dobby back after that, since Dobby had stood by and allowed it to happen, refusing to even cut him down when he begged him to before losing consciousness. That's how Dobby became Lucius' to do with as he pleased."

Hermione was staring at him in open shock and horror, her hand over her mouth. "He... he would do that to his own son?"

Snape gave a snort, "I thought you had his number by now. He'd do that to his own mother! As a matter of fact, they never _did_ find out what happened to _her_, and I definitely wouldn't rule out that possibility..." He turned and started walking again, "I'm afraid the sense of betrayal the children of the affluent feel towards their house elves is quite prevalent. It usually leads to adulthood animosity towards them and the desire to hurt and mistreat them for perceived failings. The house elves themselves are pained by this failing just as keenly as the children they are forced to fail. It's one of the reasons they so readily accept their lot in life. They feel they deserve no better for their failings, and try to make up for it the rest of their lives, often passing the burden of guilty disguised as pride in their ability to serve to their children. If you're so determined to improve the house elves' lot, Hermione, you're going to have to get rid of abusive parents first. Good luck."

--------------

A/N - Sorry, not quite as long, but I think the next scene would make it too long, and besides, it's nearly 2 am again and once again I only have a couple of hours left I can sleep before work... I'm feeling too lazy to look an see exactly who asked about this stuff, so if you're looking for an answer to your question I'm afraid you'll have to wade through!

For those of you who asked if the line was to Hermione, she wasn't in the room. Besides, being muggleborn, she wouldn't have had any links to members of the wizarding world unless she was pregnant, and she is NOT! If she was it would have had to be Harry/The demon that got her that way or she would have noticed sooner if it had happened before since she was going out with Harry for a while and then was alone for a while, then a veggie, and has hardly had any time back with Snape yet. They aren't rabbits people! ;) Besides, it would be hard to keep their relationship a secret if she was waddling around with a huge belly, now wouldn't it? Not to mention that she is far too smart a girl to let that kind of thing happen on accident. She would be sure to cast the proper spells every time.

As for the **electricity** not working around magic, that is pure J.K. They have even made mention of it in the movies. Notice in HP3-POA the lights and such went haywire when Harry was getting pissed and blowing up his aunt? And then the street light flickered out when Sirius came up in dog form on the street. Colin's camera is an old style manual camera. It is not electronic. I question whether or not it should really have a flash, but that's not exactly high tech either, and all of the other camera's in the wizarding world seem to have them as well, so I guess it slides. Oh, and my theory on why watches work there is that they are using either winding watches or more likely Quartz watches, which work off of the quartz crystal's power so should be compatible with magic.

To the one who asked, **Pansy** has not been described well in the books, I'm not absolutely sure, but I could have sworn they once made reference to her as a blonde. If you hadn't noticed, I have been very careful about not putting in anything about how she looks at all. That way you can imagine her any way you want... but if I remembered the blond thing correctly, Snape would have had to have a recessive blonde gene to pass on, which is why I said that, but I didn't directly say she had the same color hair as his mother. He just said she looked a lot like her. I tried looking and all I saw in book one was that she was "hard-faced" but that could just mean she was being a bit pissy at that moment or something (shrugs) In book two I saw a reference to her being pug-nosed, and I know I've seen that reference more than once, but I think they are exaggerating a slight upturning of her nose. They obviously don't like her, so I doubt they were very charitable in their descriptions, and the whole thing is in their viewpoint pretty much. I know the girl I believe they were insinuating was Pansy in the movies had bobbed black hair and a normal looking nose from what I saw (and right or wrong, I tend to think of her as having black hair, but I was covering my bases), but I think Dean Thomas was actually a black boy in the books as well, not the thin white boy they picked for the movie. And then there's Lee Jordan. If I remember correctly, in the books he's Fred & George's best friend, most definitely _male_, black with dreadlocks. He is also the announcer for the Quidditch matches. In the movie, he isn't mentioned, but there was a black GIRL with dreads announcing at the games. (shrugs) not to mention that Ron is supposed to be "tall, thin, and gangling, with freckles, big hands and feet, and a long nose"; Petunia and Dudley Dursley are blondes; Harry is supposed to have brilliant green eyes, not blue; Draco is supposed to have pale steel gray eyes, not blue; and Hermione is supposed to have huge buck teeth up until book 4, and the list goes on. Point is, they cast them however they want for the lesser characters, and take liberties with the others for simplicity or whatnot. Admittedly I can't see them forcing Daniel Radcliff and Tom Felton to wear contacts through the filming of all of those movies. I doubt they'd care for it. If any of you have an actual reference for how she looks, please stick it in a review or an email! Otherwise, I will go on dodging descriptive words for her ;)

**Lineage** - where to begin? Well as they said in OOTP, most of the pureblood families are related since they only want to marry other purebloods, and they said specifically that Narcissa Malfoy was born Narcissa Black, Sirius' first cousin. Then they also said the Weasleys were on the Black family tree, but very distantly, which is why Mrs. Black kept shrieking about blood traitors in her house (of course she included Sirius in that assessment as well). Therefore, Draco is distantly related (through his mother) to the Weasleys. The link between him and Blaise, being of a thicker line would indicate a closer relationship. Possibly a third or fourth cousin or something of that nature. The fact that he was linked to Draco, but not to Ron or Ginny would indicate it was on Lucius' side and he did not directly share blood with the Weasleys. Of course the lines between Blaise and Ron and Pansy's stomach were self-explanatory. Fudge and Sulla were unrelated to anyone in the room (since that spell doesn't care about things that are merely paper, which would include marriage when no child had yet been produced between the couple. It shows only direct blood relation). Also, since I'm going with the 'family tree' kind of format, relationships were assumed to pass down to offspring without the need for additional lines. For example, Ron and Ginny are siblings, but there was no line between Ginny and the baby because her relationship to Ron was established, so her resultant relationship to the baby is assumed, and therefore a second link would have just been unnecessary clutter. Um... does that clear anything up?"


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

Draco and Ginny spent the day snuggled up in bed together. Without all the people around barging in all the time, they were finally able to get in some quality alone time. They just lay there... talking... touching... kissing... occasionally shagging, but mostly it was just reveling in eachothers presence.

Overall, it was about the best day Draco could ever remember experiencing. It was a real wrench when they finally had to drag themselves out of bed. They took a shower to keep from lingering too long, as they knew from experience they would if they used the bathtub. It still took a while since the shower had handrails placed along the sides at a very _convenient_ height. By the time they got out and dried off it was getting on to late afternoon.

"I guess I should go get Potter." Draco sighed as he pulled on his shirt.

"Ok..." She said, running a brush through her hair, still wrapped in a towel. "I'll just be a couple of minutes. I have to do up my hair."

He leaned over, stealing a kiss, "Be right back." He said, making his way out of his room. When he got out into the corridor, he started to turn towards the door to the Siege Tunnel, but then paused. He could have sworn he heard someone talking softly from the direction of the Common Room. He figured Snape and Hermione would be spending their time in Snape's room now that the others were gone. Hermione had kept her room in the Siege tunnel after being restored so the ones who didn't yet know about them wouldn't have as much chance of figuring it out. Most of them assumed she had stuck around because of Harry.

Draco was about to decide it had been his imagination when he heard a distinct chuckle. Curious, he made his way quietly to the Common Room. As soon as he came into view of it he spotted a pair of sneakers propped up on the arm of one of the couches. He approached slowly, listening to the soft male voice muttering as if to himself from the couch.

"No... I think the first one was better. What? Oh _come on!_ The look on his face alone... well, ok, that was pretty ace, but I still think... hmm? Oh, so you think you can top that one? Let's see it then!" he said with amused skepticism.

Draco was close enough now to look down over the back of the couch. Harry was laying there, hands folded over his stomach, eyes closed, with a little grin on his face. Draco looked around, puzzled. Harry was completely alone.

Harry's grin suddenly widened, then he burst out into a fit of laughter. He started laughing so hard tears were forming in the sides of his eyes. "Oh bloody hell!" He crowed, "That was bloody _brilliant!_ Show me again! Show me again!" After a slight pause, he started laughing again, his shoes slipping off the arm of the couch as he rolled onto his side, curling up slightly he was laughing so hard.

"Bloody hell." Draco said, looking at Harry in wonder, "Do I look that barking when I talk to Darien?"

Harry almost fell off the couch when he heard Draco's voice so close by. His sat up abruptly, eyes shooting open as his laughter died out, his cheeks coloring. "I... um... I mean... uh... is it time to go yet?" Harry said, thoroughly mortified at getting caught acting as if he was off his rocker.

Draco gave him a rueful little smirk, "Ya... I was just going to get you..." He trailed off, his brow furrowing. "Speaking of which... what are you doing out of your room?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "Well you left me there all bloody day! Had to go to the loo sooner or later. You know, if you're gonna lock me up like a prisoner, you need to at least equip the place properly! I don't fancy the idea of watering the trees thank you very much! Anyway, after I was out, I didn't feel like going back to my room. I mean it may look spacious, but it gets very cramped and dull in there when there's nothing to do..."

"But how did you _get out?_ There was no one around to let you out!" Draco said, narrowing his eyes suspiciously.

"Oh, that." Harry said, grinning. "Delia's little bauble can do more than block disarming spells apparently." He said, brushing his fingers over it fondly.

"Well just make sure to give it back to her next time you see her!" Draco said, folding his arms over his chest. The demon had been playing nice, but he still didn't like the idea of it roaming about at will.

Harry rolled his eyes. "I plan to." He said with a note of exasperation.

Draco eyed him for a minute, "What were you doing anyway? Playing with your demon?" He asked with an amused smirk.

Harry's blush returned and he gave a noncommittal shrug. "Just chatting... I mean it's not like I had anyone else to talk to... and he's pretty interesting to talk to when he's not trying to kill me or use me to do unspeakable things."

Draco smirked, "Really? And a _he_, is it now?"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I know they don't have gender... it just strikes me as being more male. Besides, it's just easier to think of it as a 'he'. He doesn't mind."

"I see. Sounds like you two are getting right chummy."

Harry sighed, "We're probably going to be together for the rest of my life, so I think it's best in the long run to just try to get used to him. It'd be hell living the rest of my life with a presence in my mind if we despised eachother. I figured it was best to at least get along." He paused, smirking, looking as if he was listening to something, "Ok, that I despise then. I know, I know. My 'tortured loaf is like a playground'. I'm glad _you're_ happy with the situation at least."

Draco chuckled. "What was it showing you, anyway?" Draco asked curiously.

"Loads of stuff." Harry said with a smirk. "It can show you hours worth of memories in seconds... it's amazing. Most of those memories have to do with your relatives of course... Darien's great grandmother was a real looker in her day." He said mischievously.

Draco let out a little snort of laughter, remembering the demon's comments about Angus Malfoy and his wife. "Just what did _he_ show you of her?"

Harry grinned widely, "What _didn't_ he show me of her?" he replied mirthfully.

"Why you little perve!" Draco laughed.

Harry, surprisingly, just chuckled, not denying it in the slightest. "You should see his memories... it's like they're happening right now!" His eyes shifted slightly as he listened to the demon again, then he brightened. "He can show you! Wait until you see it..." He said, getting up and hurrying around the couch.

Draco immediately shifted back as Harry reached towards him, "Whoa! Back off Potter!" He said warningly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "It won't hurt. He says you'll feel a little tickle at most. Come on, it's not like it could hurt you even if it _wanted_ to!"

Draco eyed him warily, "I don't think I'm exactly comfortable with the thought of it..."

"Look at you. The 'Big Bad Slytherin' is afraid of a little thing like _memories_... pathetic!" Harry said with amused scorn.

Draco's jaw tightened. "I'm not afraid! I just don't think it's a good idea!"

Harry smirked, "Mmhmm. Sure. Wussy." he said mirthfully.

Draco glared at him. "Fine. But just for a minute! And if you hurt me, I'll drop your arse in Azkaban myself!"

Harry rolled his eyes again, "Fine. Whatever. Just... be very, very still..." He said, smirking as he reached up, taking Draco's head between his hands.

Draco felt nervous, though he refused to show it. His eyes widened as he felt the tips of Harry's index fingers pressing against his temples, a cool tingling sensation continuing from the tips of his fingers and sliding into his mind. His eyes rolled back as his vision blinked out.

... He was standing before Fudge, the hilts of the swords in his hands barely having had time to warm properly against his palms. He could feel the liquid warmth of blood on his skin, the heat of it quickly leaching away in the cold air. He felt a glorious high as he drove the blades into the pompous man's belly. He could feel the razor sharp blades cleave the flesh with satisfying sureness. He taunted the man playfully, still buzzing from the adrenaline that was coursing through his veins. He glanced back and saw... _himself_ running towards him! There was a brief moment of disorientation, then he turned back. A rush of pure ecstasy course through him as he twisted the blades in the man, making him shriek in agony. He kicked him off the blades, wishing he had time to finish him properly... a couple hours to torture him as this man had to Harry. He felt a stir of possessive fury at the thought, but he had no time...

... He was a tall Ravenclaw boy, walking towards the front gates of Hogwarts. There were other students around for the afternoon outing. An Auror came over and headed him off, telling him he couldn't go near the gates. Then he was the Auror, walking back to the gates. Then he was a different Auror, leaving as his shift ended. He traveled a short distance out into the woods away from Hogsmeade. There was a small shack up ahead. He passed the Aurors guarding it and entered. There was nothing inside but the fireplace they had set up as a temporary Floo link. He took a snatch of floo powder and got in. He tossed the floo powder at his feet, but instead of uttering a destination, he cast a spell. Flames flared around him and he felt the familiar rush of floo travel. When he came to a stop, he could see a dark, solemn room before him.

Lucius walked up to him. "About bloody time..." He paused, looking closer, then smirked, "So, you've finally shown up as well... you had best have a good report this time!"

He felt an odd tingling, tugging sensation and he found himself looking down at Lucius. He was much taller, and yet at the same time felt small and extremely vulnerable. He felt a rising fear of what Lucius might do to him.

"Ruddy nora! Tell that bloody thing to find it's own way here!" The auror growled, looking at him in disgust.

"Oh please. Not like it could bring anyone else here without raising suspicion." Lucius said with a sneer. Then he turned his attention back to the demon. "Well? I haven't heard about any radical changes in those precious little Gryffindors yet. No more than odd complaints about a bit of teasing. Is that really the best you can do? And why is Harry Potter still alive?"

He ducked his head down a bit more, feeling like crawling into a corner and hiding. "The Gryffindors are coming along... I can't exactly rush it without raising suspicion..." He growled, his voice sounding rough and disgusting even to his own ears. He always hated talking in his real form, "As for Potter... he's coming along too. If you want a convincing suicide, I can't exactly rush that either. He's on the brink at the very least... I can feel it when I'm in him, see it in his eyes when I'm in others. He left Gryffindor tower last night... snuck out... I thought he would do it then, but I heard he's still alive... he's in Slytherin Dungeon." He said, carefully hiding his pleasure about that. He had no doubt that if Lucius knew why it was really taking so long he would make his past tortures look like playtime.

Lucius smirked, "_Harry Potter_ is in _Slytherin?_ Hmm... if he stays, that might be even better. I'll discuss the possibilities with the Dark Lord. Keep me apprised. This may just prove interesting." He eyed the demon with undisguised disdain, "Get into Slytherin and keep an eye on him."

He shifted uneasily. "I've tried. Snape is far too careful."

Lucius chuckled. "Leave it to Severus. I should have know that man would be far to paranoid to let you past." He sighed. "Well, he seems fond of Draco, so use him to get in. Severus might not even check him."

The demon shifted a bit lower again, "I can't..." He said in a low voice, bracing for the blows he knew would start to fall on him soon.

Lucius turned back to him sharply. "I already told you! He may be my only heir, but that can be easily rectified. If using him is the only way, so be it. He's been getting far too arrogant anyway. Maybe it would take him down a notch or two. But remember! Either leave him alive and well, or dead. If you leave him alive but unable to carry on the bloodline, I'll show you what I'm like when I'm _displeased... _And trust me, you have yet to see me in such a state!" He hissed warningly.

He was hunched down so much by this point that he was looking up at Lucius. "It's not that, master..." He said, trying to make his voice as placating as possible (not an easy task). "I can't _get in him._ I've tried..."

Lucius scowled at him, "That's ridiculous. There's no safeguard against demonic possession unless he's been getting into unicorn blood or some such thing, and he's not a fool enough to do that!"

"No... nothing like that... he's..." He broke off as they heard shouting and a loud percussive blast that actually made the floor beneath them tremble slightly.

Lucius spun around, looking towards the door. He strode towards it. "I'll be right back." He grumbled irritably to the auror as he jerked the door open and stormed out in search of the source of the disturbance.

With the door open, shouts and screams were audible. The demon crept closer to the door curiously.

"Go nosing where you shouldn't be and we might just have to teach you another little lesson." The auror said with a malicious smirk, leaning up against the mantle and inspecting the fingernails of one hand. "We still have plenty of women left from that last batch you wrangled up for us. They aren't exactly in good shape, but they should hang in there long enough to teach you your place."

He glared at the auror hatefully, desperately hoping he would eventually do something that could justify a well deserved shredding. He'd dearly love to rend him open like a ripe melon and use his entrails for playthings. Still... the auror wasn't his master... the most he could do was tell on him, and he could just say he was concerned for his master. He almost snorted in amusement at that thought. Like he'd do anything but cheer if Lucius got himself killed!

He crept out of the room, following the continuing noise. He peeked through a hole that had been charred through the three inch thick hand-carved mahogany door to the Study. There was intense fighting in the large room, the very air around him reeking of magic. He chuckled gleefully as a Death Eater burst into flame with a shriek of pure agony. He watched with relish as the spell that had hit him consumed his flesh, making him crumble into a pile of ash in seconds. He pressed his face closer to the hole, eagerly watching the fray.

When he caught sight of the interloper he let out a low chuckle. He drew a breath in, tasting the air to verify it. A snow elf... a female one at that... it had been literally _ages_ since he'd seen one. A species of beautiful beings... at their most exquisite when in the heat of battle. He watched raptly. The spells she hurled were magic in it's rawest form... inflicting death and destruction with unnatural ease. It was like poetry in motion.

The battle took on the aspect of a dance to him... a fine ballet... the sweet snow elf enthralling him with her fire and her fury. He took a deep breath and sighed it out in adoration as she cast a spell that literally shredded a Death Eater into tiny pieces, not even leaving him time, nor breath to scream before his horrible demise.

He straightened a bit, letting out a soft growl of anger as the disgusting snake Lord entered from the other side of the room. He felt like bursting into the room and ripping out the bastard's shriveled black heart as he caught hold of the Snow elf from behind. He watched angrily as those slitted snake eyes glared at the Elf, knowing full well he was burrowing his way into her mind.

He dug his talons into the door as the Elf began to crumple, letting out inarticulate sounds of pain as the snake Lord forced himself deeper into her mind. Suddenly, her eyes widened, almost seeming to glow. The demon's nostrils flared, smelling a change in the Elf's aura. Something seemed to have flared into being inside her. With a feral growl, her eyes locked on the man towering over her. There was a sudden pulse of blinding light and the snake Lord let out an inhuman shriek of pain, dropping her and clutching his head with both hands.

She staggered to her feet unsteadily, running straight towards the door the demon hid behind. He quickly backed away from the door as she shoved through it, then pushed it closed behind her. She spun and staggered to a halt, her eyes widening in terror as she saw him standing there, just a few feet from her. The shock was too much for her already battered mind to handle. Her eyes rolled back and she dropped.

He reached out, easily catching her before she could hit the floor. He looked at her as she lay there, draped across his oversized arm like a rag doll. He looked up sharply as he heard shouts from the other room.

"Oh just go get her!" The snake Lord's voice yelled angrily, laced heavily with pain and anger.

Without another thought, the demon lifted the elf up, cradling her like a small child. He scurried over into a nearby alcove, wrapping the shadows around himself like a blanket.

Footsteps approached rapidly. A bloodied face peered into the alcove, holding a lit wand aloft. Luckily it wasn't bright enough to banish the shadows. The man turned and left, not having been able to see a thing, he and his companions working their way quickly down the corridor.

The demon chuckled, looking down at the elf. He couldn't help but feel an odd sort of kinship with the creature. They were both remnants of long forgotten races that were all but extinct. It seemed a shame to let a fellow 'mythical creature' perish... especially when her continued life would almost certainly cause Lucius much anger. Lucius never actually asked for his_ help_ with the intruder... and he certainly didn't recall being _forbidden_ to help Snow Elves...

He leaned out of the alcove, glancing around. When he was sure the coast was clear, he hurried out, slipping down the corridor through the dark shadows that shrouded it. In just a few minutes he reached his destination. He reached over, shifting the ancient wooden cabinet out of the way. It was a bit of an effort, even for him. When it was away from the wall, it revealed a small wooden hatch. He lifted the latch, producing a small shower of rust flakes, then opened the door, looking around warily as the ancient hinges creaked, not having been used for well over a century.

He smelled the air inside, noting the relative freshness and slight draft. Excellent. He reached down, making one talon immaterial and passing it into her temple. She gave a little gasp and stirred as he quickly removed it.

"Good luck little elf..." He said with a chuckle, shoving her feet-first into the shaft. He listened, and chuckled softly to himself as he heard her gasp and move around as she slid swiftly down. He closed up the hatch and carefully replaced the heavy cabinet.

That done, he slipped back to the study. He got there just in time. He could hear the Dark Lord's hissing voice snapping out angrily, "How did she even know where to find it?"

"This house has been in the family for centuries... perhaps one of my past relatives once brought her here. I had no idea she knew of it's location, I assure you. She's never been anything other than loyal and exceedingly gifted at providing me with whatever I need for my work. Besides, I made copies. We've lost nothing." Lucius' voice said with a note of fear.

He peered through the hole in the door again, watching gleefully as Lucius groveled at the snake Lord's feet. It made his spirit soar to see his master with the tables turned on him. He may despise the loathsome 'Dark Lord', but he had his uses. This was definitely at the top of that list.

"If she gets away, we may well have lost everything! We may still have the spells, but so will she! And if she gives them to that old fool Dumbledore, he may find a way to stop us! Even if I managed to scramble her mind enough to make her useless to them to translate it, I might remind you that your misbegotten issue knows the language as well! And he hasn't struck me as nearly as enamored of the idea of entering my service as you purport him to be." He growled angrily, rubbing his head. "You should know Snow Elves can't be trusted! Their race used to be the aristocracy and moral quintessence of all of the sentient beings! No matter how few remain, and how diluted their morals may become, deep down they will always be cursedly noble! I thought surely one of my most trusted Death Eaters would know this."

"Yes... of course My Lord... but... she has never given the slightest hint of moral qualms in her business dealings before, and I've known her since she was doing business with my grandfather! She was getting the ingredients for the potion you devised. She was our best hope for many of those ingredients. Forgive me, My Lord, but they are _exceedingly_ rare..."

"If it wasn't such a complicated process Dumbledore would have cottoned on to what we were trying to accomplish by now and taken steps to prevent it!" The Dark Lord hissed. "Now we have to find a new location for our base of operations, and a new supplier as well. It's not as if we can put it off much longer. They will be too far along for it to work before too much longer! You have _disappointed_ me, Lucius." He said darkly, still rubbing his head with obvious pain on his snakelike features.

Lucius ducked down, his forehead actually touching the floor at his Lord's feet. "Oh Please, My Lord! I have been nothing but loyal!"

The Dark Lord gave a derisive snort. "_Loyal_ he says. I'm not sure you know the _meaning_ of the word, Lucius. But you _will_ learn." he said with soft, terrifying assurance. He then looked over to the other two remaining Death Eaters. "He obviously needs a good example. Show him _your_ loyalty." He said with an evil grin.

The first stepped up, his bulk alone revealing him to be Crabbe. "Crucio." He said without hesitation, pointing his wand at Lucius.

The demon listened to Lucius' shrieks of pain and watched him thrashing around wildly on the floor in obvious agony. It was the most exquisite experience he had had in a good long time. It was better than shagging! He didn't even blink, not wanting to miss a single second of this, making sure it was burned into his memory with extra clarity. He felt a little let down as Crabbe lowered his wand, letting Lucius sag down, a sobbing wreck on the floor. Then the other Death Eater stepped forward. The Demon cackled softly, basking in the delight of watching Lucius' pain as the second man's spell ravaged him.

He let out a soft sigh as the second 'lesson' ended. He knew he had best go... even without an inkling that the demon had helped the elf escape, he would surely be taking out his frustration on him just as soon as he could peel himself up off the floor. The demon hurried back towards the room he had arrived in...

... Draco blinked, feeling warmth at his temples. He reached up and rubbed them, feeling a bit dazed. They were fine... the warmth was just the absence of the cooling penetration at his temples. As the disorientation wore off, he glared up at Harry, "You stuck your bloody claws in me!" He said angrily.

Harry rolled his eyes, then they took on a red glow, "Oh it didn't hurt and you know it!" he said mirthfully. "I let you stab that bastard Fudge, then give you a front row seat to your father getting tortured with the same spell he probably used on you more than once, and this is the thanks I get?"

Draco shook his head, trying to gather himself. It had been very disorienting. It was like he had actually _been the demon_ when those things happened. In fact, it was almost more vivid than actually experiencing things himself! Everything was there... sight, sound, smell, feel, taste, touch, even what was going on in his mind! And some of his senses had even seemed amazingly enhanced. His mind was slowly trying to work through and fully assimilate what he'd just experienced. He had to give a little smirk, remembering his father's pain, "That _was_ rather..." He blinked, his mind still juggling the images, making associations, "That was... Kulia... what did you put her in?"

He chuckled. "That was an old, unused refuse chute. Led out back. Hadn't been used since they invented banishing bins to take care of that kind of thing. I doubt Lucius ever even knew it was there."

"You _saved_ her?" Draco asked, staring at the demon in shock. He couldn't imagine even a demon could have _made up_ anything that _real_.

The demon scowled at the implication he had done something 'good'. "No. I shoved her out like a bag of trash to make sure your father got good and pissed off... not to mention in deep shite with snake boy!" He said with a grin.

"That wasn't all that was on your mind when you did it. You admire her. You were all but drooling over her! Admit it, you like her!" Draco said, a smirk working onto his lips.

Harry's red eyes narrowed. "I respect her. There's a big difference. You don't get to live as long as I have without learning which creatures demand respect. Remind me not to share with my master. Most don't get my thoughts and feelings."

Draco's smirk grew, "Oh I felt _everything_." His smirk faltered as he looked thoughtful. "That was an Auror that went to see my father... and it was obvious he was expected..." He shook his head angrily. He should have know his father would have gotten at least a couple in his pocket, but it was disturbing to have it confirmed none the less, especially since he knew he'd seen that particular Auror around Hogwarts quite a bit. In fact, he was pretty sure he was a member of Fudge's elite personal guard. "How many Aurors are on the other side?"

Harry sighed. "Even if I knew, I couldn't tell you. Sorry. Not allowed to tell you anything about what my old master did or said or anything like that. He was sure to forbid that right away, and as he pointed out, the bond hasn't, unfortunately, been completely broken yet. I'm still bound to silence."

Draco furrowed his brow. "But, you just told me about that whole incident..."

"No." Harry said with a smirk. "I never _told_ you _anything_."

Draco smirked. He was beginning to see the advantage to demonic loopholes...

------------

Harry shivered, hugging himself for warmth despite his heavy winter cloak as they walked out of Hogwarts into the evening air. "They should be getting there in an hour or so. How are we supposed to get there about the same time when we haven't even left yet?"

Draco grinned over at him. "We'll just have to travel _quickly_, now won't we?"

Harry opened his mouth to ask him how, but then something caught his eye. "Oh, you _have_ to be joking..." He said incredulously.

Draco looked over and smirked as a three adult Thestrals trotted towards them, little Tiger racing ahead of them. He knelt down, holding his arms out as the diminutive Thestral scampered up.

Ginny let out a laugh as Tiger bowled Draco over, licking his face enthusiastically as it perched on his chest. Draco was chuckling and trying to dodge the wet greeting. "Calm down, calm down..." He said mirthfully, "I'm glad to see you again too."

The Stallion walked up, gently catching ahold of Tiger by the scruff of the neck and lifting him off of Draco's chest, depositing him on the snow beside him. Tiger flattened down his ears, looking abashed as the Stallion snorted at him, obviously reprimanding him. Draco patted the colt's head as he picked himself up off the ground.

Harry looked over at Ginny. Now he knew why she had her hair so intricately plaited and tucked up. He couldn't believe she wasn't even objecting to this. "You can't be serious! It's freezing out here! We'd be frozen solid in minutes if we rode them!" Harry said, remembering all too well how very frigid it had been when they had ridden the Thestrals to the Ministry of Magic the year before... and it hadn't been half as cold out then!

Tiger spun at his words, realizing he was there for the first time. His little ears pressed back again, a low growling sound emerging from his throat as his main bristled up some. Harry just eyed it, puzzled why it seemed so hostile towards him.

"Whoa there, Tiger." Draco chuckled, reaching down and stroking Tiger's mane soothingly. "Don't worry, he'll be nice this time. He learned his lesson and he won't be bad again." He said, smirking over at Harry, who was rolling his eyes and grumbling irritably under his breath, having caught on to how the creature probably knew him.

Tiger watched Harry warily for a moment, then gave him an adorable imitation of the Stallion's reprimanding snort. Even Harry had to smirk at that.

"Well," Draco said, pulling out his wand. "The cold shouldn't be a problem. I believe I've been able to separate out the insulating part of a spell that I... um... have used before... on occasion..." He said, his pale cheeks actually tingeing pink a bit as he glanced over at Ginny with a smirk. "It will make you cool to the touch until dawn, but your body temperature won't drop below that temperature while the spell is in place, no matter how cold it gets."

Ginny was grinning. "Is Blaise going to do his nut when he finds out you've been using that spell again?"

Draco grinned at her, "I've removed the more... questionable parts of the spell. It's the other bits that tended to drive people mad."

"You expect me to let you experiment on me?" Harry said incredulously. "You've never even _tried_ this before? That's a mite dangerous, don't you think?"

"Well, no I haven't _tried_ it, but it should be fine." To prove his point, Draco took a deep breath and cast the spell on himself first.

Ginny watched carefully, but he remained firmly visible. She reached out and touched him, then smirked, leaning forward and kissing his cool lips. She sighed happily. "Just like old times..." She murmured softly to him with a mischievous smile. "Now me!" She said aloud, taking a step back and watching him expectantly.

He grinned, casting the spell on her. When he turned to Harry, he could tell he still didn't like the idea. Draco sighed and rolled his eyes. "Listen, I can cast the spell on you or not, I really don't care. However, you _are_ going, and riding a Thestral to get there either way, so shall I give it a go, or do you want to show up there frozen solid? Come on. Who's the wussy now?" He asked with a smirk.

Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Fine."

Draco gave a nod and cast the spell on him. "It's a bit of a trip, so we should all ride separately... sorry love." He said, pulling Ginny close and kissing her. He grinned at the odd sensation. It was almost as if there was a kind of fuzzy warmth where their lips pressed together. He smirked as he pulled back a bit. "Hmm... that's interesting... we're definitely going to have to go to bed early tonight..." He said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively. Ginny giggled.

Draco released her, knowing they had to get going so they wouldn't be late and make everyone worry. He helped her up onto the back of her Thestral. He looked over to see how Harry was getting along. The largest mare had gone over, grudgingly offering Harry a ride. Draco watched him. Harry was a bit awkward, but had obviously ridden before. Satisfied that he wouldn't fall off the minute they took off, he turned back towards the Stallion. He looked down as Tiger gave a petulant squawk. He sighed, remembering that Tiger was still too young to fly properly.

Draco suddenly looked over at Harry and smirked. He picked up Tiger, who didn't weight much more than a medium sized dog, and carried him over.

"What!?!" Harry said, leaning back a bit as Draco placed Tiger in front of him.

"Let him fall and you'll have me to deal with." Draco said, his eyes narrowed warningly.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Great. Now I'm baby-sitting. Maybe I should have just taken the train." He grumbled darkly.

Draco smirked, "Should have, but didn't, so deal with it." He said, turning and going over to the Stallion, mounting with fluid grace born of years of horseback riding in his childhood.

Tiger glared back at Harry suspiciously, but stayed put, not wanting to miss the trip. Harry could feel the demon's irritation at being made to remain so close to the creature. In it's distraction, he caught a glimpse of the memory of Tiger attacking him. Harry let out a laugh, making the others turn and look at him curiously as he continued to snicker, unable to stop himself. Harry looked over, noting the stares. "Sorry..." He said, still having fits of snickers, "It's just... the big bad demon... got his arse kicked... by a _baby Thestral!_ That's fucking _hilarious!_" He said, laughing so hard tears were welling in his eyes as he felt the demon prod him angrily.

The Stallion gave a snort, almost seeming amused, then sprang into the air. They blurred up into the night sky, going so fast they felt the tingle of passing through the Hogwarts outer barrier bare seconds later. Unlike Harry and Ginny's first ride on Thestrals, they didn't just fly dead straight this time.

With Draco at the head of the small formation, they began racing along, swooping and sporting about. Draco let out a laugh of pure joy, the Stallion beneath him letting him guide them, responding to Draco's every movement. It was like riding the most responsive, most intuitive broom ever devised. The Stallion kept their course heading roughly towards their destination, and away from muggle populated areas, but other than that, the path was Draco's to forge.

Draco glanced back, hearing Ginny's laughter after a particularly daring barrel roll. He smirked at the way the moonlight lit her up, making the delight on her face visible even from where he was. He glanced over at Harry and chuckled. Harry actually appeared to be enjoying it as well, though he was having to keep a firm grip on Tiger. Tiger, for his part, looked absolutely enraptured! He was trilling ecstatically, his little wings out in imitation of the Thestral they were riding. Draco suddenly realized that this was probably Tiger's very first flight. He decided to make it memorable.

For the next forty minutes or so the sky was their playground. Never had Draco felt so absolutely free. The wind whipped around him, the ground passing below impossibly fast, and everything seemed just as it should be. It made him feel strangely at home.

The flight pattern calmed a bit as they entered the last leg of the journey, the Thestrals starting to tire a bit. They settled into a more placid configuration, the Thestrals dipping and swooping around eachother, weaving their path towards their destination.

The flight had become so tranquil that Draco was almost thrown when the Stallion beneath him suddenly stalled out, rearing in midair, beating his wings hard back as a flare of brilliant green light flashed past, right where they should have been. His head jerked around, searching for the source of the spell. There were four dark shrouded Death Eaters streaking towards them on brooms.

Harry returned fire before the first volley had even faded away, taking down the head Death Eater immediately.

Draco watched in horror as another blast from the Death Eaters narrowly missed Ginny's Thestral, making it jerk back to avoid it as well... but Ginny didn't have quite as good a grip on her Thestral...

"Ginny!" Draco cried as she slid off, plummeting towards the ground with a shriek.

Ginny watched the ground race towards her, too terrified to draw her wand, even if she would have had time. She was nearly to the trees below when her arms were grabbed roughly and her whole body jerked as strong wings beat hard, barely managing to cancel out her downward momentum.

She stared at the trees racing by below her, still terrified. The Thestral wasn't pulling up, but losing elevation rapidly. Was it injured? She just watched apprehensively as they flew towards a clearing. She almost didn't make it, having to pull up her legs as the tops of the last couple of trees tore at the bottom of her cloak. The clearing was small. Too small in fact. The Thestral dropped down quickly, obviously trying hard to slow, releasing her once she was within about a foot of the ground. She staggered a few steps, but the forward momentum was still too fast and she stumbled, tumbling a couple of yards before skidding to a stop on her back. She flinched as she heard a loud crash and a birdlike screech of pain as the Thestral hit the tree line.

Ginny stared up, dazed and thoroughly winded. She could see flares of light zipping back and forth above, Harry was obviously fighting off the Death Eaters. She felt a twinge of righteous glee as one of the Death Eaters burst into flame, plummeting to the ground. Nothing came to his rescue.

Ginny blinked, trying to regain her breath and shake off her shock. The Thestral couldn't have hit that hard and remained uninjured. She rolled onto her side and managed to get to her knees. She glanced up as another Death Eater met his demise. She was just about to look away when something flashed brightly. She watched as the last remaining Death Eater held up what looked like a container of some sort. A strange, glowing mist like substance was flowing out of it, flowing over towards Harry. Harry let out a cry, making his Thestral wheel around and dart away.

Ginny couldn't believe he was running! It was just mist! Her eyes widened at the Death Eater tossed aside the spent container, looking around and spotting her. His hood had fallen back, though she didn't recognize him. She felt fear clutch her as he darted towards her, a malicious smirk on his face. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed for her wand...

... but it wasn't there.

She let out a cry of fear, patting her robes desperately. It had to be there somewhere! The Death Eater was closing in, lifting his wand to cast the spell that would undoubtedly end her life... But suddenly a small shadow descended on him. The Death Eater let out a surprised shriek of pain as claws slashed at his head, scoring on his cheek, neck and very nearly clawing out his right eye. He flailed at his unseen attacker, but it evaded him.

"Tiger!" Ginny cried as the little Thestral tried to follow the Death Eater as the Death Eater careened towards the ground. He had obviously abandoned Harry when Harry had turned and made a run for it. He might not be able to fly yet, but gliding was another matter entirely. His directional control was jerky, but he was managing. It came naturally to them after all.

The Death Eater half landed, half crashed to the ground between Ginny and the forest's edge. Getting quickly to his feet, he cast towards Tiger. Luckily for Tiger, the man was half blinded by the blood now pouring from his brow, and Tiger blended into the night very neatly, just as Thestrals were meant to do. Tiger saw it coming and was able to dodge the spell by folding his wings and dropping the last several meters to the ground, landing a bit unsteadily, but safely.

Ginny's eyes darted around, but there was simply nowhere to hide. The man was blocking her quickest route of escape. He grinned at her, noting this as well.

He didn't have long to gloat however. Ginny's eyes went wide as something large and pale reared up in the trees just behind him, letting out a shriek of rage. Before the man could even turn, it was on him, tossing him to the ground like a rag doll and pouncing on him, sharp talons putting a quick, messy end to the man's life.

Ginny stared at the creature in shock as it looked up at her, panting. It was a Thestral... but unlike any other Thestral she'd ever seen before. Its pelt was ghostly pale, almost seeming to glow as it stepped out into the moonlight, it's eyes dark. From the many scratches that marred it's pelt, and the way it was favoring one of it's legs, she knew this was probably the one who had snatched her from the air before as well.

She tried not to pull back as it moved closer. She almost jumped as there was a sudden trill behind her. She watched in amazement as Tiger raced past her, scampering right up to the pale Thestral and rubbing against it's leg and nuzzling up to it as if he had just found a long lost brother. She looked over as the mare she had been riding landed nearby, walking cautiously forward, nostrils flared as it sniffed the newcomer.

Then the Stallion landed. The Stallion and the pale Thestral contemplated eachother for a moment, then the Stallion slowly lowered his head. The pale Thestral lowered his head in return. It was just like when...

Ginny's eyes suddenly widened. Her eyes darted over to the Stallion. Where was... Her eyes darted back to the pale Thestral. As she watched, it shimmered, seeming to melt and draw in on itself.

And then Draco stood where it had been.

His legs folded and he sat abruptly on the frozen ground, clutching his side, a grimace of pain on his face. "And when the Hell were you planning on telling me about _that?_" He grumbled irritably to himself as Tiger started cleaning a wound on his neck affectionately.

**_You never asked._** Darien's voice whispered mirthfully in his head.

"Didn't ask, my arse! This isn't the kind of shite you just spring on a bloke, Darien!"

_**Oh come on. How could you not have guessed already? Even in human form you are faster than you have any right to be... not to mention that brooms were slow and archaic back in my day... how do you think I flew with the Thestrals back then if not under my own power? It's the whole reason I learned to transform myself. You turn into whatever creature most closely mirrors your inner self. I told you they were kindred spirits. **_

Ginny was staring at him, wide-eyed. "You're an Animagi?" She asked in an awed hush.

Draco looked up at her and gave her a rueful smirk. "Apparently."

--------------

A/N - Yes, that is one thing I have had planned since the very beginning. Frankly, I was quite amazed no one guessed it. Happily so, don't get me wrong, but there were times I was afraid I'd given you too many hints. Maybe you did guess, but didn't put it in reviews. If that's the case, then thanks ;) References to Voldemort as the 'snake Lord' and 'snake boy' are due to the fact that it is how the demon thinks of Voldemort. I'm not trying to change his title ;) In case you are wondering, in the first memory the Demon showed Draco, the moment of disorientation when he looked and saw himself running towards him was Draco's disorientation. The demon didn't feel that when it wasactually happening. The second memory happened the day before his capture. He had tried to get into Draco during the night after Harry's suicide attempt, then he went to report that next afternoon, leaving and returning during the daily after-lunch outing. Later that afternoon was when Kulia showed up, obviously having gone straight to Hogwarts after her escape. And now you know how she escaped and where the mental trauma came from. And no, the demon didn't hurt her with his talon. He was just waking her up.

Nixin - Clothes given from master to house elf free the elf. Dobby isn't Draco's anymore. He's _already_ free. He works for Dumbledore on his own for pay like a regular person. Draco could give him a whole bloody wardrobe if he want to, and it wouldn't change his 'status' in the slightest (other than the fact that he'd have more clothes!). He knew Dobby was there in the shadows, wanting to go to the wedding, but not having enough guts to come out and ask. He dropped the letter because he was only grudgingly giving it to him. It was his way of letting Dobby come without having to admit he was allowing it. A passive-aggressive invitation if you will. The "I'm not going to give you an invitation, but if you happen to pick up this one I dropped so be it" kind of thing.

TwilightHaven33 (and everyone else who said it) - You're right of course. I went back and peeked at POA, and Dean is, in fact, played by a black boy. I couldn't remember there being a black boy in the scene in the dorm where all the third year boys were eating wizarding candies... when I looked again, they just did some very neat angle work. The boy was there, but the most you could see of him was his back (for a couple of seconds), and only his hands when he raised them proved it was Dean. I think I was thinking of Justin Finch-Fletchley. In the books, I thought Dean was the one who acted like a jerk, but I guess I got confused because they all but removed Dean Thomas' vocal cords in the movies ;) (well, I shouldn't say that, cause he got more lines than poor Ginny!!!) whereas the other boy was more of a jerk in COS, thus my confusion. I could never confuse him for Seamus though. Not with the accent Seamus has! Of course Seamus wasn't nearly the little running gag in the books. I could have sworn the announcer in HP1 looked like a girl, but I could well be wrong. I give up on guessing who's who in these bloody things. Least in the middle of the night while sleep deprived ;) I think they should have a thing at the end where they show the actors in a scene with their character name and real name in the credits so we could know for sure, or at least make such credits available on the dvd! Just too tired lately to look into stuff on mere whims. Oh, and _bloody hell!_ I DO have a different version! I have the _Philosopher's_ stone!!! I got it off ebay and they said only the cover was foreign and the inside was identical to american versions. They lied!!! Never bought anything from them again! It looks good, but it has to be a rip-off! The DVD has no special features or anything like that, just the straight movie, and the case had the correct cover art, but the dvd had the artwork from HP2!!! how hard is it to match the DVD art with the case? Still, I didn't think there would be any difference in the movie itself, but when skipping through it, I heard them actually call it the Philosopher's stone in the movie, so at least a couple of little spots must be different. Not different _actors_, mind you, just different takes of the same scene I think. I heard they changed it to 'Sorcerer's stone' for American audiences... do they honestly think we don't know what a Philosopher is??? Anyway. Whatever. Tired.

About Hermione being a Grandmother... ok, I thought the previous chapter would clear that up, so I didn't put it in the authors notes, but since it apparently didn't... Snape is Pansy's father. If Hermione married Snape she would be Pansy's step-mother. When Pansy has the babies, that would make Snape a grandfather, and thus Hermione would be the step-grandmother if married to him. She would only be a grandmother by marriage. Actually, I had a friend this happened to... she was a grandmother at like 25 because she married a guy in his early to mid thirties who started REAL young, and he became a grandfather cause one of his kids started REAL young as well. We used to call her granny sometimes just to bug her ;)

In the response to the one who said they didn't think the rich would entrust their child into the care of a house elf when they could hire a human to do it... several points why I don't think Lucius would **ever** leave the raising of his son to another human: 1) he wouldn't want any other human having a position of authority in his house so Draco would have no doubt who was boss. 2) Lucius is far too paranoid to let another human live in his 'inner sanctum' as it were. They could be a spy or undermining his authority. 3) A human probably wouldn't have stood by wordlessly while he beat his child almost to death. 4) A human wouldn't have qualms over disobeying him if they felt his decision was wrong (but house elves have no choice but to obey) 5) House elves are slaves, and therefore require no pay or proper living conditions. He can beat them or even kill them if he feels so inclined without a word being said by the authorities. 6) House elves are bound to silence, and that would be an absolute necessity in anyone allowed in the Manor. 7) Lucius despises the working class (look at the way he openly ridicules Mr. Weasley). 8) He would have no doubt with a house elf that his instructions were carried out to the letter, and his son would be raised _exactly_ as he wished. No one else's opinions or views on people and life and such would get into his son's head. 9) The abject terror, respect and obedience the house elves show towards Lucius would demonstrate to Draco his 'superiority'. 10) Draco would be more likely to receive open affection from a human and would probably come to respect and love that person more than his own parents. Lucius doesn't strike me as the type to take kindly to competition. There are many other reasons I can think of as well, but the list is getting long, and this A/N even longer ;) Overall, I think a House elf is the only thing Lucius would ever allow to raise his son (other than perhaps Narcissa, but she was in no shape most of the time to care for her child. Not to mention that the other rich folk would probably laugh at her changing diapers and such herself!).

Oh, and to the one who suggested I just change the names in this story and publish it... that would be a bloody nightmare! Do you have any idea the kind of groundwork that goes into establishing the framework of a world, characters, their relationships, the rules of how magic works in this world, etc., etc.??? My story is shite without the framework J.K. So meticulously built. Not to mention I would never do that, because even if I changed all the names, the relationships and such would be the same unless I started completely from scratch, in which case I would also be writing like four or five times this much just to get to the depth J.K. has already established... not to mention that, though I may have written this story entirely by myself of my own ideas, it is based on a world and people created by J.K. and is therefor still partially her intellectual property. If I did that I would fully expect to get sued by her, and I would have no right to be upset when she won (and she would!). If, on the other hand, J.K. would like a little help from a _ghost writer_ on any forthcoming books, she just has to drop the word (and a ticket of course!) and I'd be on a plane tonight! Well, ok maybe it'd take a bit longer than that... my passport has expired... ;)


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

"I'm fine. We can deal with this later." Draco said as Ginny tried to fuss over him. She'd started casting healing spells on him the minute he'd Accio'ed her wand back. "We need to get through the barriers to Zabini Manor before more of those bastards show up!"

She sighed, but nodded, desisting. At least nothing looked life threatening.

She helped Draco to his feet, and then back up onto the Stallion's back since his knee kept giving when he tried to put weight on it. Once he was seated, he scanned the skies as she picked up Tiger and mounted her own Thestral.

"Where's Potter?" He asked, puzzled.

"He killed off three of them, but then the last Death Eater set some kind of mist after him... he made a run for it. I haven't seen him since." Ginny said, looking around as well.

Draco's eyes went wide, "Mist?!?" He asked quickly, fear creeping into his voice.

She looked over at him, shocked and frightened by such a reaction coming from Draco. "Yes... it was kind of glowing... it came out of some little container he was carrying.

"Bloody Hell! We have to find him!" He said urgently.

The Thestrals launched themselves into the air and flew faster than even Draco thought possible, making the ground below them into little more than a blur.

They banked and slowed a bit as they heard a bird-like screech off to one side. They followed the sound. Draco's heart started beating faster as he saw Harry's Thestral. It was up ahead, circling a tall rock formation, riderless.

As they got closer, they could see Harry on the relatively flat top of the formation. The mist was flowing around him, but some kind of barrier seemed to be holding it back. Despite the barrier, jags of power kept hitting him like bolts of static electricity, making him call out and thrash in obvious pain.

Draco quickly assessed the situation. He knew the barrier had to be from Delse's necklace, as demons themselves had no defense against that particular spell. The pendant was ancient magic, but it wasn't infallible. Given much longer, the spell might be able to penetrate it more completely. Still, that meant he couldn't try to cancel out the attacking spell without risking collapsing Harry's only means of protection. They had to get him to Zabini land before it was too late. Luckily, they weren't much more than a stone's throw from it.

"Wish me luck!" Draco sighed, then slid sideways off the Stallion.

Ginny let out a gasp, but then in a glimmer of light he was a Thestral again. He streaked over towards where Harry was trying to struggle to his feet, having spotted their approach. Draco dipped down, snagging up Harry as best he could as he passed. As he had hoped, he was able to pass physically through the barrier without disrupting it, or allowing the malicious spell entrance. His hold on Harry was tenuous at first, his initial grab catching hold of one arm and a chunk of robe. He grabbed ahold of one of Harry's legs with his last remaining good set of talons, managing to balance the weight evenly enough for a short distance.

He pumped his wings hard, hoping he'd be able to stay aloft long enough to make it. He turned towards Zabini Manor, his Thestral form providing an unerring sense of direction. The other Thestrals followed, taking up guard positions around him. The mist that had surrounded Harry started falling behind, but pursued him doggedly.

Draco felt a rush of relief as he began recognizing the terrain below. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he felt the tingle of the Zabini Manor barrier. He darted a glance back and saw the mist hit the barrier. It sparked and crackled, but couldn't penetrate it. He let out a triumphant screech, the other Thestrals joining in as well.

He flew on. His wing muscles were burning from the effort, but he'd come this far, and besides, he just wanted to get there already! He could see people running out onto the lawn in the distance as they approached the expansive Manor, the barrier obviously having alerted them to the intrusion. From the number of redheads, he could tell the others had already arrived before he could even make out their faces.

He banked as he drew closer, skimming low and managing to get down to a relatively slow speed before depositing Harry on the ground, coasting a good few meters further before staggering to an unsteady halt himself. He turned and looked back at Harry, panting hard from his efforts, his wings drooping down to brush the ground, too tired to even fold up properly.

Harry was struggling up to his knees, looking nearly as exhausted as Draco was. As they contemplated eachother, he actually afforded Draco a little smile. Then the others arrived, Delse hurrying over to help Harry to his feet while Molly Weasley looked on. It was blatantly obvious she wanted to go to him and make sure he was ok, but was leery, having been informed about the demon within him. The others stared at Draco.

"What the bloody Hell is _that?_" Ron breathed, staring at him.

Blaise looked over at him and smirked. "That would be a Thestral, Ron."

Ron looked over at him sharply, "But how can _I_ see it then?"

Pansy answered first, "The Death Eater in Hogsmeade... we saw him die..." She said softly.

"Welcome to the club." Blaise said with a smirk, clapping him on the back as he passed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on Draco."

Ron looked at him, puzzled as he made straight for the pale creature before him. Blaise walked right up to it, putting his arms around its neck. In a glimmer, Draco slumped against him, held up only by Blaise's gentle but firm grasp on him.

"You knew?" Draco asked dazedly as Blaise scooped him up into his arms effortlessly.

Blaise smirked at him. "Not until I saw you... but things make a whole lot more sense now. I never quite bought the idea that I saw you first just because of Darien being a ghost. I didn't see any of the ghosts in the castle when we returned to it... now I know why."

Blaise turned, carrying him back towards the group as Ginny ran over, then tagged along beside them worriedly, Tiger at her heels. "Let's all get inside before father's creatures start picking off those without active invitations on them." He called mirthfully.

The others needed no further incentive. They filed in, Delse helping Harry along. No one even said a word when the Thestrals followed them right into the Manor.

They went into the first sitting room they came to. The room was so large that the three adult Thestrals settled down beside the huge fireplace without even being in the way.

Molly had trusted that Delse could take care of Harry since he seemed in pretty decent shape, and was now fussing over Draco. Draco rolled his eyes and sighed resignedly as Molly, Narcissa and Blaise all crowded around him. He shifted over, resting his head on Ginny's shoulder as they examined him. She held him as best she could without getting in their way.

"You're so cold!" Narcissa said worriedly, feeling Draco's cheek.

"It's just an insulating spell, mother. It'll wear off by morning."

Molly let out a gasp of dismay as she pulled aside his robe and found a bloody handprint on his side. Draco glanced down. "Oh... that's not mine..." He said, lifting his hands. They still had a great deal of the Death Eater's blood on them.

Kulia, still garbed in her full robe and face cloth, suddenly turned and hurried off, one of the alert Zabini house elves quickly opening the door for her and leading her away. The twins looked at eachother and sighed.

Molly noticed the departure, looking curiously at the twins, but chose not to comment.

Draco looked down as Blaise pulled up his shirt, shaking his head at the nasty bruise already raising on his side. "Can't you keep yourself intact for five minutes out of my sight?" he asked teasingly, examining the damage.

Draco smirked at him. "Oh please. I'll be fine. You're just looking for reasons to strip me."

Blaise just chuckled, starting to cast healing spells on him while Narcissa rolled her eyes, quite used to her son's unusual sense of humor.

Molly gave him a stern glance, but ignored the comment, "How did you get in this state, dear?" Molly asked gently as she cast healing spells on his leg.

"I'd like to know that myself." Mr. Weasley said as he walked into the room. "We were quite dismayed to hear you'd decided to make your own way here. Rather irresponsible, that."

Draco sighed, then blinked. Arthur had been followed by two other redheads he'd never seen before. He grinned. "Hey Ginny, looks like Mum's wedding presents have arrived..."

Ginny looked over and her eyes went wide as she let out an excited trill. Draco shifted off her, letting her spring up and dash over. Bill and Charlie Weasley grabbed her up, wrapping her in a big double hug. "Wouldn't miss our baby sister's wedding!" Bill said with a chuckle.

"Too right..." Charlie said agreeably.

As they released her, Bill reached up, gently brushing a scrape on her cheek. "What WERE you up to?" he asked with concern.

She blushed, covering the scrape with her hand. "I'm fine." She said, then turned, quickly looking to divert the conversation, "This is Draco." She said, indicating him. "Draco... these are my eldest brothers, Bill and Charlie."

They went over, looking down at him. Charlie held out his hand. Draco started to lift his, but then pulled it back. "Um... no offense, but probably best to leave that for later." He said with a rueful grin, looking down at the drying blood.

Charlie flashed him a little smile. "Right."

"We saw your little entrance from the window. I believe you were about to tell us about what prompted it." Bill said, folding his arms across his chest.

Draco sighed, then smirked as he spotted the way Blaise was staring at the eldest Weasley boys. He cleared his throat and Blaise snapped out of it, looking over at him and blushing, going back to work and trying to pretend he hadn't been staring.

Pansy was staring as well. Then she glanced over at Ron and smirked, leaning closer. "Um... Ron..." She started, the imploring tone already working it's way into her voice.

"No." He said with a smirk, not even looking over at her.

She sighed and pouted playfully, then leaned her head on his shoulder. "Fine. Meany." But she couldn't keep up the pout. A smirk worked onto her lips. "But with those two around, we really probably shouldn't have invited my mum for Christmas..." She said with a giggle.

Ron suppressed a snicker, then quickly quieted as Draco started to talk.

He started telling them what had happened since they had left Hogwarts. There really wasn't much to explain, until they got attacked of course. When he told about Ginny sliding off her Thestral, Molly gasped as her eyes darted over to her daughter.

Ginny sighed, reclaiming her seat beside Draco. Tiger, who had snuck up into the seat in her absence, shuffle over into Draco's lap. "It's ok mum. Draco jumped off his Thestral and went right after me. Caught me in mid-air! We were able to make it to a clearing, but he couldn't stop in time and crashed into the forest. That's how he got all banged up."

Blaise snickered, carefully working around Tiger, "Sounds like you're a piss-poor flier for a Thestral." He teased.

Draco snorted, "Bugger off! It was my first time. Let's see you sprout wings and do it better right off the bat!"

"How could that have been your first time?" Arthur asked, furrowing his brow. "It takes years to learn to become an Animagi, and that was a very solid form from what I could see. I can't imagine you just milled about on the ground before."

Draco sighed, "_I_ didn't learn to be an Animagi, Darien did. I had no clue until he initiated the change. It was the first time _I_ had ever changed into a Thestral. The first time I'd flown on my own. He may have the knowledge, but my body still needs some training."

"Pretty risky to jump after her not knowing for sure if you could manage the change." Bill said, eyeing him curiously.

Draco gave a little shrug. "Ginny was falling. Not like I had a choice." He grinned as Tiger started licking the scrape on Ginny's cheek, making it fade and all but disappear almost immediately. He reached up, stroking the Thestral's soft fur affectionately.

"So how'd you end up carting Harry back then?" Ron asked, rising and coming up to stand beside his older brothers, "Wouldn't it have been easier to let one of the other Thestrals carry him?"

"He managed to kill off three of the Death Eaters right nicely, but the last one set a binding spell on him. If it had gotten him, the demon would have been in my father's control again. That pendant kept it from getting through, but it was obviously taxing it. I had to get him through the barrier before the spell broke through... and I couldn't ask one of the Thestrals to do it when I didn't know for sure if it was safe."

Everyone had turned to look at Harry. Delse's eyes went wide as she spotted the pendant. Her jaw dropped as she looked down her front.

"Merlin!" She said, "I never even realized I'd lost it!"

Harry slipped it off, holding it out to her. "Sorry. I found it after you'd left. I was just making sure I didn't lose it."

She took it, holding it in the palm of her hand and staring at it for a long moment. At length she sighed, and lifted it up, slipping the chain back over Harry's head. "You hold onto it for me for now."

Blaise's head spun around so fast he nearly overbalanced from where he knelt beside Draco. He stared at her with open shock. "What?" He asked incredulously.

"What do you mean _what?_" She retorted, rolling her eyes at his reaction, "He's just holding onto it for me. Hey, if that spell had bound him back to Lucius, Harry would be slaughtering us all right about now! He knew where we were and had an invitation to boot! Personally, I'd prefer that not happen. If he requires the use of my pendant to prevent it, so be it."

Harry smiled at her warmly, feeling an almost overwhelming desire to kiss her. Given that the entire Weasley clan was watching, he had to settle for taking her hand and giving it a squeeze. "Thank you." He said softly, "I'll be sure to return it just as soon as we get rid of Lucius."

"Here here!" Draco said with a smirk. "Tell you what... you accomplish _that_ and I'll have Kulia find you one of those things of your very own."

Harry smirked, then looked around. "Where is she anyway?"

"Who dear?" Molly asked, looking around.

Ron grinned, "Sorry... we just arrived a minute or two before the warning sounded on the barrier. We never got the chance to make introductions..." He said, glancing over at Pansy. "Um... ok... this is my mum of course, and my dad... oh... well I guess you all know that already... um... my older brothers Charlie and Bill of course... The twins are Fred and George..." He said, looking awkward. He went over to Pansy and she got up, blushing and taking his hand as he held it out to her. "This is Pansy..." He stopped before he said her last name, not sure quite what she wanted to go by now. He quickly covered by turning towards Blaise, "And this is of course Blaise Zabini and... um, ok everyone should know Delse Zabini, his mother. This is their home of course. As for Kulia..."

As if on queue, the door opened and Kulia walked back in. Her hair was still tucked into her robes, but her hood and face mask were down. Her face was as lovely as ever, though her normally alabaster cheeks had an unusual tinge of pink to them.

Ron grinned at the shocked looks on the faces of his parents and eldest brothers. "Kulia, these are our parents, Molly and Arthur, and our older brothers Charlie and Bill. That's Narcissa... Black." He said, catching himself just before uttering Malfoy, remembering Draco's earlier comment, "She's Draco's mum."

"We've met." Narcissa said with a smile.

Kulia looked them over, giving a slight nod, but didn't say anything. She then went over to where the twins sat side by side on one of the couches, unceremoniously draping herself across their laps and curling up against them, her back to the others. Fred cradled her head, stroking her hair soothingly.

Pansy leaned over against Ron, releasing his hand and looping her arm in his. "I'm definitely not looking forward to _that_..." She whispered softly to him.

"You're not looking forward to _what?_" Molly asked sharply, rising and staring over at her shrewdly.

Pansy's eyes widened and darted over to her, shocked that the woman had heard her soft comment from half way across the large room. She blushed brilliantly, her jaw dropping slightly, but not knowing what to say.

"Morning sickness." Kulia grumbled irritably from where she lay, nuzzling up against Fred more.

Molly's jaw dropped, staring at the impassive snow elf in shock.

There was silence for a few moments. Arthur recovered from his shock first, "Is there something you wanted to tell us, boys?" He asked softly.

Fred and George looked at eachother, both beet red to the tips of their ears.

"This isn't exactly how we wanted to tell you..." Fred started hesitantly.

"We had imagined something a bit more..."

"Eloquent."

"But... um..."

"Since it's kind of..."

"_Come up_..."

They were looking at eachother uneasily, then sighed, looking over at their parents. "She's pregnant." They said in unison.

Molly clapped a hand over her mouth, staring at Kulia, who hadn't so much as stirred at their pronouncement. After a long moment, she managed to take her hand away from her mouth, "Who's is it?" She asked in a trembling voice, having a hard time even getting that much out.

"_They_ are _ours_." They said, once again in perfect unison. "Twins."

Molly's eyes were tearing up as she started over towards them, then she stopped in her tracks, turning back towards Pansy wide-eyed. "And what did you mean about not looking forward to that?" She asked faintly.

Pansy looked over at Ron, dumbstruck. Ron was just as red as the twins.

Blaise grinned and got up, going over to Molly and draping his arm across her shoulders. "Well, here's the thing... _that_ pair you're going to have to share, but since you're looking at a total of three little grandbabies of your own, I figure you can afford to be generous. My mum gets one too."

She stared at him, stunned, "You mean...?"

He grinned wider. "Pansy's having twins as well, but hers are fraternal. One's mine, one's Ron's." He said, spelling it out for her so there would be no misunderstanding.

"But he's only sixteen..." She said faintly.

Blaise sighed. "Well, yes... but that's none of Ron's fault. I thought I was dying, and I had made Pansy a promise... so it's really all my fault... I mean Ron probably would have been a gentleman and waited until..."

He was cut off as Molly hugged him so tight the air evacuated his lungs, planting a kiss on his cheek. He gasped for air, letting out a breathless chuckle as she hurried over, wrapping her arms around Pansy much more gently. When she pulled back, she took Pansy's face in her hands, beaming at her. "I knew we'd get you in the family sooner or later! Just never imagined it would be so soon!" She said, beaming at her.

Pansy blushed more and grinned, looking to Ron for any indication that she was supposed to do or say something.

"And you!" She said, releasing Pansy and hurrying over to Kulia, "Oh you poor dear!" She said, kneeling down beside her. "Cramped up on that stuffy old train all day in your condition! Why they probably didn't even feed you proper! Oh my yes. You look a mite peckish. We'll have to get a decent meal in you straight away!"

Kulia looked up at her incredulously, then buried her face in Fred's shirt, clutching her stomach at the mere thought of food.

"Don't you fret, I'll nip down to the kitchens and make you up a nice spot of tea to settle your stomach before we eat."

The elder Weasley boys had wandered over to where Ron and Pansy stood while Molly fussed over Kulia.

"Congratulations." Charlie said, taking Pansy's hand and shaking it.

She grinned, blushing brightly. His hand was hard and calloused, his body a bit stockier than the others and obviously possessing great strength from years of wrangling Dragons. His face was weathered from being out in the sun dusk until dawn every day, but the slight ruggedness of it was offset by the good natured disposition and easy smile that all of the Weasleys seemed to possess. She had a _very_ hard time tearing her mind away from imaginings of what he'd be like in bed.

And then Bill stepped up and shook her hand. She tried not to stare. He was simply drop dead gorgeous! She loved his long hair and especially the fang earring. His hand was warm and comparatively smooth and soft. She quickly released his hand with a slightly embarrassed grin as she realized she had been holding it a bit too long.

The boys then turned their attention to Ron. "As for you..." Charlie said.

Bill reached up, lightly thwacking the back of Ron's head.

Ron rubbed the spot, furrowing his brow and glaring at him, "What was _that_ for?"

"Come along, come along now." Molly said as she passed them. "Let's get cleaned up so we can all get some food in our bellies before bed time." She then paused, smirking at her eldest sons, "So when can I expect some grandbabies out of _you two?_ You better get cracking! Your little brothers have already beaten you to it, now haven't they?" She said with a smirk, hurrying over to make sure Draco had been patched up properly.

Bill and Charlie both folded their arms over their chests, glaring at him significantly.

"Oh..." Ron said with a sheepish grin, "Sorry."

They both broke into grins and grabbed him up, hugging him and ruffling his hair.

-------------

The whole room was bustling as they gathered for their meal. The elves were trying their best to get all the food on the table, looking a bit disconcerted when Molly and several of the others insisted on helping. Everyone (especially Draco) had gotten cleaned up and freshened up a bit. Kulia was even at the table. She was still looking a bit off, but at least she didn't look like she was about to sprint off to the lavatory at any second. Molly had left a steaming kettle of the tea she had given her within easy reach. Seeing that it was in fact helping, the twins (who had of course taken up the seats to either side of her) were sure to top off the cup whenever they saw it was getting low.

Draco watched his mother curiously from where he sat down the table from her. After a few minutes, he leaned over closer to Blaise, who sat on the other side of him. "What's with my mum? She's acting strange..."

Blaise smirked, leaning closer, "She's _sober!_" he whispered back mirthfully.

Draco's eyes went round. "No way!" He said incredulously. He couldn't remember the last time he saw her in such a state.

Narcissa, obviously overhearing what they were discussing, glared at him. He smirked back and straightened up, falling silent. He subtly slipped Tiger a thick pork chop under the table while the others were still distracted with setting the table. He just grinned, listening to the little Thestral gnawing at it with gusto. The adult Thestrals had remained in the other room, seeing as they were in the smaller, 'family dinning room' and there wasn't exactly room, though the table would easily sit twenty or more people. Besides, the others probably wouldn't have been that comfortable eating their dinners with the Thestrals ripping apart a side of beef at the end of the table.

"So... I thought you couldn't make it this year...?" Ginny said, looking over at her two eldest brothers as she set the rolls on the table, taking a seat beside Draco.

The boys looked at eachother and smirked. Bill grinned and went first, "Well, I still haven't cracked that tomb, but the Goblin foreman for the project just walks up to me the other day, tells me to take the holidays off _with pay_, and hands me an invitation to the wedding and a clearance card for one of the long distance floo links! Not like I'm going to question that!"

Ginny blinked. "Just like that?"

Draco gave a snort of laughter. "He works for _Gringotts_. Mum just had to mention that I wanted Bill at my wedding. They have a whole bloody division dedicated to my financial dealings, they're not likely to refuse such a simple request! Especially since they assume my temper is likely to be similar to my father's. I find it's more efficient not to correct that notion."

Ginny giggled. "How about you, Charlie? Wasn't there a sick dragon you were supposed to be looking after?"

"She's being looked after by Andra Linx!" Charlie replied, beaming. He rolled his eyes at the blank stares of those around him. "Andra Linx! She's just about the most famous dragon care specialists in the entire wizarding world! She's written five books on the subject. She just showed up, said she'd be there for the next couple of months, and that we could talk shop when I got back. Then she hands me the invitation. She said she was sent by the Black Foundation. I think I can figure out now who that might be..." He said, grinning at Narcissa.

Narcissa smirked. "Couldn't have a dragon ailing while you were gone. I doubt you'd be able to enjoy the holiday! Besides, Andra will be needed for your new additions. I don't believe you have anyone there versed in their care..."

Charlie furrowed his brow. "New additions?"

Narcissa nodded. "Dragons are nice and all, but I'd prefer them to be in another country where I can just view nice little pictures of them and not worry about them mistaking me for a snack if I should wander out onto my balcony. Lucius' pets have _got_ to go, and I can't think of a better place to put them."

"You have dragons? What kind?" Charlie asked, surprised.

Narcissa waved the question off, "I'm no expert on dragon breeds. They're big and have a lot of teeth. That's all I need to know! To be honest, I think Lucius did a bit of tinkering... Andra wasn't even sure what a couple of the varieties were."

Charlie's eyes went wide. "You mean you have new species?"

Narcissa shrugged. "As I said, I'm not sure. She seemed to think so. Not all of them are flight capable, so I have some people building a huge transport vehicle to just take the whole lot and be done with it. It should be done by the time the holidays are over. Andra is helping design it and the spells needed via owl. Since she's there at the site, the complex should be done much sooner..."

"Whoa! Complex? What complex?" Charlie asked.

Narcissa blinked. "Well you can't expect to shove them in the tiny little beat up terrarium that you have there! I may not want them, but that doesn't mean I want them to be miserable!"

"Would there be room for a few more?" Delse asked, setting a couple of platters of food on the table before sitting down. "I have about a dozen Peruvian Vipertooths... Viperteeth? Whatever. Point is, I find it a bit morbid buying cattle and sending them out onto the grounds knowing what will happen to them once they get into the forest." She shuddered. "My late husband used to tether them out in the open so he could watch... I don't understand the fascination with that..."

"Hold up here..." Charlie said, interrupting. "Not that I don't appreciate it, because I really and truly do, but was Mr. Nizer alright with all of this?"

Narcissa blinked. "Nizer?"

"The owner of the facility."

"Oh, the short bald man in the plaid trousers. Odd little man. I suspect he has some Goblin in his lineage..." Narcissa mused, "Well, he has nothing left to say about it now. He's had it on the market for several months. Seems it doesn't make much money because of your strict rules about only harvesting sellable materials from the dragons after their natural death. He sold it."

Charlie blinked again. "You OWN the place now?!?"

Narcissa chuckled. "Merlin, no! I have enough irritating financial matters to deal with without adding the running of another property to the list."

"Ok..." He said slowly, obviously confused, "Then who _does?_"

"Well you do of course." Narcissa said as if puzzled.

"Mother!" Draco sighed in exasperation, "You went and ruined the surprise!" He looked over at Charlie, "You must forgive her, it's probably been about twenty years since she's celebrated Christmas, so she's not really used to giving Christmas gifts. Father forbade it."

"What?!?" Charlie said, his voice incredulous.

"Well, I mean it might seem that you got a bigger present than the others, but once you see the mess the paperwork is in, you might well want to trade. The Black Foundation is your financial sponsor now, but running it will be up to you." Narcissa said with a chuckle.

"Um... that's really far more than generous and all... but I was asking how you could have not celebrated Christmas? What did you do over your holiday?"

Draco smirked. This one he could definitely get to like. He shrugged. "Nothing really... I mean we would go to the occasional holiday party thrown by father's friends, and a couple times threw our own of course... but then father did that whenever he felt like it, so it wasn't really special or unique... other than that I usually just stayed in my room and tried to get him to forget I was there. My best Christmases were spent alone with a spellbook or some such. Once I started at Hogwarts, I stayed there most holidays. The Christmas dinner was a nice change."

"Oh you poor dear..." Molly Weasley said, putting the bowls she was carrying on the table and giving Draco a hug. "Well there will be no more sitting about not celebrating on Christmas now that you're in _this_ family!"

Draco smiled warmly at her.

"He's not in the family yet!" Arthur said a bit stiffly from the other side of the table.

Draco sighed, his smile slipping away. Molly looked over at her husband sharply, "He will be by Christmas!" she reprimanded him sharply.

Arthur looked at Draco a bit irritably, "I still don't see why Ginny should have to marry you at such a young age just because you find yourself I a legal predicament!" From the look Molly gave him at this, it was obviously an ongoing argument.

Ginny folded her arms over her chest. "I don't _have_ to marry him! I _want_ to marry him! He asked me before he even found out about that! And I said _yes!_" She said defensively.

Arthur eyed her suspiciously.

Draco sighed, "Mr. Weasley, you _know_ how I feel about her. I love her more than life itself, and that is _never_ going to change. Whether we get married now or in ten years is just a technicality. I would have waited until she had graduated and we could start our life together fresh, without worries about school and such... choose the path our lives together would take... but it just so happens that this ridiculous issue has been forced on us... we're simply getting the wedding taken care of now so we can avoid a lot of legal issues and headaches. Pansy is a lovely girl, but I have absolutely no desire to marry her. Not to mention I doubt Ron and Blaise would appreciate their children being stuck with the name Malfoy. We now know that the man who signed the contract is not Pansy's real father, but since he acted as her father all her life, and in fact did not even _know_ that, it could still be enforced under the Good Faith clause. And considering how Fudge has been feeling about me lately, I have no doubt he'd do it."

Arthur looked over at Pansy, who was seated between Ron and Blaise, looking over at him pensively and close to tears, obviously worried he would forbid Draco's marriage. Ron and Blaise already had their arms around her comfortingly.

"It's ok, Pansy." Ron said soothingly, "They're getting married. The papers are signed and Dumbledore will be here on Christmas Eve to perform the wedding..." He shot a sharp glance at his father when he didn't immediately confirm this.

Arthur let out a deep sigh, dropping his eyes, obviously feeling a bit ashamed of how he'd made the girl so anxious. He looked over at his daughter resignedly, "Fine. If this is what you really want Ginny, then I'll not stop you. But you can't honestly expect me to be happy about it."

Ginny looked at him with sad eyes, but let the subject drop as Draco slipped his arm around her, pulling her close.

---

The Weasley boys spent the rest of the meal trying to lift the spirit of the evening. They did a half way decent job, despite adversity, and by the time one of the house elves led them out towards the Parlor, they were back to laughing and joking as usual.

Harry slowed his pace, falling behind. When they had all rounded the next corner, he stopped. He listened as their voices faded down the next corridor, but no one even seemed to realize he was missing. He grinned and started back towards the kitchen, keeping his footsteps soft so they wouldn't hear him.

He opened the door to the kitchen, peeking in. He smiled, watching Delse hurrying around, handing out assignments to the house elves. She had told them to go ahead, and that she would be in shortly.

"Go turn down the beds in the Emeric suite. I think that's where I'll put Bill and Charlie... that one has two bedrooms, right?" She looked up from the notepad she was writing on as the house elf nodded fervently, "Very well... that should do. Molly wants to keep the family close together, and that's just down the hall from their suite... I imagine Blaise will be hosting Pansy and Ron in his own rooms..." She said with a smirk. "And Narcissa is down the hall from Draco and Ginny... Make sure the Viridian suite is finished by Christmas Eve. I'll put Pansy's mother in the suite next to it, and reserve the one across the hall in case Dumbledore should stay... that would conveniently leave only that one suite in the main portion of the house for Snape and Hermione... pity... hope they won't mind." She said with an impish grin. The House elf grinned, it's ears dipping down in amusement.

"I'm sure they won't."

Delse looked up in surprise, blushing slightly as she saw Harry walking into the room. They stood there in uneasy silence for a moment. She handed the notepad and quill to the elf she had been talking to and it scurried off.

It was Harry that finally broke the silence. "Sorry. About the pendant, that is. I didn't mean to take it."

She flashed him a little smile. "You didn't take it. You're just borrowing it."

He shifted uneasily, "Still... I'm sorry. I never should have put it on. I never should have tried to make my own way here either. This was all because I couldn't take a little staring and teasing. I doubt four Death Eaters would have attempted an attack on a whole train full of witches and wizards, even if they are just students."

"If you hadn't gone with Draco and Ginny, they might not have made it here at all. It's entirely possible that the Death Eaters were aiming for them in the first place, and would have attacked them whether you were there or not. It sounds like a good deal of the credit for delivering them safely belongs to you."

He blushed, "Well I wasn't much more than a channel for the demon through most of it."

"But the demon wouldn't have been there without you. Besides, now we know we have at least some protection against the demon getting reacquired by Lucius. That's very comforting."

Harry dropped his eyes and nodded. "Ever since the demon got stuck in me, I've lived in fear of hurting those I care about. Before he was bonded to Draco... it was as if I could feel Lucius in him. I've never felt something so blatantly _malicious_... it wasn't constant, but when he was in battle it was almost as if he _was_ Lucius! With Draco it's... different..." He said thoughtfully. "I mean in Hogsmeade, that was all the Demon... but his defenses weren't properly up then... it was as if he didn't feel those Death Eaters posed any real threat to him... Tonight... as soon as those four attacked, I felt the difference in him. He was ruthless, but... at the same time he made their deaths quick... there was none of the desire to make it linger. All he could think of was killing them as quickly as possible and an overwhelming protectiveness..." He dropped his eyes again, "That's not something I expected to feel from Draco's influence at all."

Delse smiled. "Draco may come off as... well as a bit of an arse at times," She said mirthfully, "But I could have told you he had that deep inside. Even before Darien became a part of him. I only really saw him at parties and such before, but I could see it in his eyes. They may have been the same pale gray as Lucius', but they held none of the callous coldness. I still remember when one of the boys was teasing Blaise at one of our parties a couple of years ago... made Blaise run off to his room crying... Draco didn't stop him or say a thing, but later I saw him follow the boy out. I followed, and by the time I got there, he was giving the boy quite a thrashing." She said with a smirk. "Admittedly, I turned around and left without them even knowing I was there..." She added with a chuckle.

Harry had to grin at that. He glanced over, seeing a house elf standing nearby, obviously wanting to talk to Delse, but not wanting to interrupt.

Delse followed his gaze. "Was there something you wanted?" She asked the pensive elf.

"Begging you pardon mistress." It said, bowing it's head low. "The rooms for tonight are all ready."

"Very good." She said with a smile.

"Should we be leading Master's guests to their rooms now, Mistress?"

"No... not yet. Give them some time to get reacquainted. They haven't seen Bill and Charlie since summer I believe, so they need some time to get caught up. Have guides ready, but no hovering about in the shadows. That tends to make people nervous." She said with a smirk.

Harry grinned as the house elf nodded fervently and dashed off. "Your elves getting along ok with Draco's?"

Delse smirked, "I'd say! Admittedly, since pretty much all of the Zabini house elves are from one family line... and the Malfoy elves are only two families... they don't get to intermingle with other elves they aren't related to much... I believe there's already been a bit of fraternizing going on..." She said, chuckling.

Harry snickered. "Hey, this may be their only chance. Can't blame them really."

Delse giggled and nodded, "Blaise said something earlier about wanting to introduce his elf Vincent to Narcissa's Diamond... but Vincent beat him to the punch. Well... he's been mooning over her from afar pretty much since she got here anyway. I really think they'd be adorable together, but Diamond is very loyal to Narcissa, and Vincent is very loyal to Blaise... especially since Blaise found out about his little painting hobby and didn't even forbid him to continue it. I certainly hope they work something out... Vincent's such a little sweetheart."

Harry grinned, "I'm sure they will if they are really meant to be... love tends to find a way."

Delse blushed and nodded, suddenly very interested in watching the house elves doing the dishes over across the room.

"So... I didn't hear you mention where _I_ would be staying..." He said with a little smile.

Delse blushed brighter, "Oh... um... actually you have the smallest suite I'm afraid. One of the few with only one bedroom."

"Ok..." Harry said with a nod, "Where is it?"

"Um... it's... right across from mine actually..." She said with a shy smile, not quite meeting his eyes.

Harry grinned, then glanced around, making sure the remaining house elves were all thoroughly occupied. He slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her close, then leaned forward, capturing her lips. She let out a little sigh, her eyes fluttering shut as the kiss quickly deepened. She wrapped her arms around his neck as their tongues caressed eachother. They were so enthralled with eachother that they didn't even notice when the house elves quickly and quietly left the room.

When they broke the kiss, she chuckled. "You feel so cool..."

He grinned, "The insulating spell... Draco said it should wear off by morning..." He said softly, kissing his way down the side of her neck. "Might make things interesting..." He said, giving her neck a mischievous nip.

She giggled, shivering as his cool lips found a particularly sensitive spot. She moved back at his urging until she came up against the counter. She let out a laugh as he moved his hands down, lifting her slightly and sitting her on the counter. He shifted his head up, capturing her lips in a deep kiss once again as he slowly worked open the buttons of her blouse, then the clasp to her bra.

She drew a sharp breath, her eyes springing open as cool hands enveloped her breasts. It was a strange sensation, but at the same time oddly erotic. After a few moments of fondling, one of his hands moved down, finding the edge of her skirt and pushing it up. She shivered as the cool fingers traced their way up her leg. Then he slipped his hands down to her hips, pulling her up to the edge of the counter as he pressed up against her.

She groaned, feeling how very excited he was. "I see you're recovering nicely from your ordeal..." She murmured softly.

"Actually, I'm a bit tired... I think I should probably go right to bed. Can you show me to my room?" He said huskily, grinning at her mischievously. He captured her lips again, grinding up against her.

They broke apart, both looking over in shock as they heard a gasp from the doorway.

------

After tales of dragon wrangling they were treated to tales of Bill's most humorous incidents while curse breaking. It seemed the workers under him didn't always follow his instructions to the letter... a lesson that most had learned quickly.

They all broke out in laughter as Bill finished his story about his assistant's encounter with a true Egyptian Mummy. It seemed he was a bit too eager to get a glimpse at what was in a newly opened tomb, undoubtedly hoping to pilfer some of the treasure before it was inventoried, and slipped in while Bill was away getting the proper herbs to burn to help make hidden enchantments show themselves. The man unwittingly invoked an ancient Mummy curse, and had the ancient, disintegrating creature following him very slowly, but relentlessly for nearly a month before they were able to break the curse. The most humorous part was that the Mummy was apparently once the male 'companion' of the owner of the tomb, and whenever it actually caught up to the assistant, it started trying to molest him, though it no longer even possessed the proper equipment.

"Hey Blaise, it sounds like an ancient you!" Draco laughed, "You might want to check and see if you're somehow related!"

"Shut up, Draco!" Blaise laughed, glancing over to see what Mrs. Weasley thought of the comment. The smirk slipped off his face when he didn't spot her. He glanced around the room, noting who was there, and who _wasn't_. "Hey Ron, where's your mum?" He asked curiously.

"Probably went back to see if Delse needed any help." Ron said, still chuckling.

Blaise shifted his gaze over towards the kitchen, making them go opalescent. "Bloody hell." He muttered, standing abruptly. His eyes returned to normal just in time to let him avoid the low coffee table. He dodged it and hurried towards the door. "Um... just have to check on something. Carry on..." He said unconvincingly.

Ron got up and followed him, worried about the urgency in his pace. It was rare to see Blaise hurry without _very_ good cause. "Blaise!" He called after him as he got to the door, but Blaise was already running down the corridor. Ron ran after him, hearing others starting to follow as well.

When Ron reached the kitchen, his cheeks went red, what had happened becoming obvious. Delse and Harry stood beside the counter, Delse clutching her blouse closed and looking utterly mortified. Harry was standing between her and Molly, who had her wand in her hand. As he watched, Blaise slipped between Harry and Molly.

"It's ok... put down the wand." Blaise said soothingly to Molly.

Molly was clutching the wand angrily, "That demon was going after your mother! Don't you even care?"

Blaise grinned, "The demon's not allowed to touch my mother. Harry's the one who was 'going after' her. I _do_ care, and that's exactly why I'm respecting my mother's and Harry's wishes and leaving them be."

Molly's jaw dropped. She looked over at Harry, "Harry!" She said in a shocked, reprimanding voice.

Harry was blushing bright red, looking almost as mortified as Delse. "Mrs. Weasley... please..." Harry said imploringly, glancing at the others, all of which had entered the room behind them, curious as to what the commotion was.

Mr. Weasley took in the situation, and while his wife wasn't looking, flashed Harry a little smirk. He then straightened his face, "Molly, dear. I really don't think Harry's love life is any of our affair..."

Molly looked at him, her jaw dropping. "You can't honestly be alright with this! He's just a boy! She's _twice_ his age!"

"Which makes her an adult, fully capable of making her own decisions... and Harry may be young, but I believe he has earned that right as well." He sighed, seeing she wasn't going to give up on this easily, "Molly, no matter how much it may _feel_ like you're his mother, _you are not_. Leave the boy be."

Molly looked at the faces of those who had just come in, obviously looking for someone to back her. She wasn't seeing any that looked so inclined. Harry couldn't help but smirk as he saw Bill and Charlie grinning and giving him a subtle thumbs up when she turned her back. "Narcissa." She said, grasping at straws. "Surely _you_ see the impropriety in this! Aren't you going to say anything?"

Narcissa looked over at the embarrassed couple, examining them for a moment. "Well, from the size of the bulge in his pants, I'd have to say 'lucky girl'!" She said, smirking.

--------------

A/N - I know, I'm taking forever to update... sorry, but I've been wretchedly tired lately... perhaps if I got more than four hours of sleep at night before working ten hour days... but no, that probably has nothing to do with it... ;P I'll try to get another chapter out quicker. It won't be too much longer before the wedding, but there are some things I must get through first. I mean they got out a few days early for break, and would have gotten out a couple days before Christmas normally I would think... so they can't have at least four days there with all the Weasley boys and Draco without any further interaction. I don't think it will take more than one more chapter before the wedding, but just chill, ok? I'll try to get the next chapter out quicker.

**_Special request!_** - I can't seem to find my copy of the first HP book at the moment... so if anyone has it and can look up the 'rules' on being an Animagi, as in what they can and cannot change into, I would greatly appreciate if you could email it to me or include it in a review (and include a page number in case I can actually locate the book). Thanks!

amy-felton - How Ginny is able to see Thestrals now has only been alluded to. All I've said is she acquired the ability over the summer. At the end of the chapter she would only have been able to hear Draco's comments, not Darien's. But it was pretty bloody obvious since he'd just transformed right in front of her.

Flower4444 - the hints were the fact that he was able to move so fast, even in his human form, a fact that was mentioned several times. When Darien ran into the forest after talking to Dumbledore, when he ran to save Harry from himself and it took Snape a good several minutes longer to get there, and when the demon couldn't outrun him in the forest, even though he was moving faster than humans should be able to. Those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Other than that, as I said, even _Hogwarts, A History_ said Darien sported with the wild Thestrals, and the brooms back then had to be wretchedly slow compared to the 'modern' brooms. Back then, the brooms probably wouldn't have been fast enough to be at all entertaining for Thestrals. Darien trained himself to be an animagi, having a pretty good idea what he would become... so he could fly properly with the creatures he felt so at home with. As mentioned in this chapter, Blaise's ability to see him when he could only see Thestrals was also a hint. As for the rest of your questions, Draco wasn't the Stallion. He would be a young male Thestral, yes, but at least in this story, the title 'Stallion' refers to the dominate male leader of a herd. They like Draco, but he isn't their leader. I referred to him only as the new Thestral, or the pale Thestral, since his Thestral pelt retained his natural hair color of white-blond. He wasn't hurt at the time that he grabbed Ginny. She only thought he might have been because he was unable to lift her up, though the Thestrals that had been carrying them could obviously carry the weight of a human without trouble. He was bad at flying at first because he'd never DONE it before! Least not as Draco. Draco's wings had never been used, and I'd imagine it takes a bit of practice to get the muscles properly strengthened and trained. Think of a bird taking it's first flight. He did the best he could. He got hurt upon landing because he crashed into the forest after dropping Ginny. He didn't have enough control yet to pull up or stop himself in time.

Tareein - I hope the mist is sufficiently explained now ;) As for the Death Eaters... since Hogwarts doesn't generally teach _killing spells_, I would think it is safe to assume that it was the demon working through Harry that did the killing of the Death Eaters. Since they were casting in his direction, it would be considered a threat to his (and especially his master's) well being, and the demon would have taken over automatically. There just isn't a great outwardly visible change when the demon is in control, other than his eyes if the demon chooses to make them glow, but Draco was a bit too preoccupied to be checking him for eye color before zipping off to save Ginny. Well, other than that, there is also the fact that the demon kicks arse amazingly well! ;)

Fiby - action goes where action is _needed_. It will not be in every chapter. I don't _want_ it in every chapter. Action for the sake of having some action alone is senseless, and in my opinion, boring, not to mention that it degrades the plot.


	56. Chapter 56

A/N - adult stuff. Slash. If you don't want to read it don't worry, it will be quite obvious when it's coming up and you can just drop down to the next divider. It's only about half way through, so don't just stop reading there.

Chapter 56

After the scene in the kitchen, Molly had excused herself for the evening. Arthur patted Harry on the back as they made their way out of the kitchen to get out of the house elves' way. "She'll come around. Eventually. I'll try to talk to her, but you know how stubborn she can be."

Harry sighed sadly, dropping his eyes and nodding. Molly had come to feel like his own mother over the years, and her obvious disapproval weighed heavily on him. He looked up just in time to see Kulia making her way briskly down the corridor away from them, pulling up her hood. "She ok?" He asked with concern.

The twins both turned, realizing for the first time that she'd left their side. They hurriedly said their goodnights and ran after her.

Blaise snapped his fingers a couple of times and a house elf scampered up.

"Yes master?" It squeaked, eager to please.

"Those three need a guide. They're going in the wrong direction. See them to their suite." He said briskly, pointing to where the twins were disappearing around a corner after Kulia.

The elf bobbed it's head. "Begging your pardon sir. We is not knowing they is being ready for bed."

"Ok, ok... just go." Blaise said to the apologetic elf. It scampered off after them without another word. He looked over at the others. "Please don't go wandering around here alone, even if you think you know exactly where you are. I have an itching suspicion that the place gets bored and rearranges itself periodically. Even _I_ get lost sometimes. Mother and the House elves seem to be the only ones who can truly find their way around safely. There is a black velvet rope pull just inside the door of each suite, and pretty much every corridor has one as well in case you get lost. Just pull one and it will summon a house elf.

They all nodded in acknowledgment of the warning.

"Well, I think it's about time to call it a night. You can come to breakfast in the morning or not. It will be served, but I, personally, plan on giving Pansy a bit of a lie in. That train ride couldn't have been that pleasant for you either... You look as if you could use it..." He said, leaning over and kissing Pansy lovingly. Then he grinned over at the others again. "A house elf will come to collect you all from your rooms around eleven so Diamond can measure you for your robes. Lunch will of course follow. Until then, I bid you all a good night." He said with a smile, giving them a curt nod and summoning more elf guides with a wave of his hand.

Mr. Weasley nodded, quickly following his guide, knowing it was best not to let Molly brood for too long on why he hadn't gone with her to the room as a show of support.

Narcissa gave Draco a hug and a kiss on the cheek before leaving, making his cheeks tinge pink. Ginny tried to stifle her giggle, but wasn't very successful.

Bill and Charlie waited until their father had disappeared around a corner, then looked over at Ron. "So let us get this straight..." Charlie said to Ron, "This is your boyfriend?" He asked, indicating Blaise.

Ron blushed, but nodded without hesitation.

"And this is your _girlfriend?_"

Ron blushed ever brighter, nodding again.

"As in, you like shagging her?"

Ron's blush spread all the way to the tips of his ears as he nodded again.

Charlie let out a bark of laughter and smacked Bill's arm with the back of his hand, "Told you he liked girls too!" He said with a chuckle, then held his hand out expectantly.

Bill rolled his eyes, "Ya ya..." He muttered as he dug in his pocket. Ron watched, wide eyed as Bill dropped five fat gold galleons into Charlie's waiting hand.

They turned and started down the hall as Charlie pocketed the coins, completely oblivious to Ron's shock. "That puts me ahead by ten galleons! I told you Percy wasn't a bender! You really have no talent for guessing sexual orientation." He said with a chuckle as they walked away.

"I still say you were making that up." Bill retorted mirthfully, "There's no way prim and proper _Percy_ would have been doing anything with some girl on Crumb's desk! She probably worked there and you just misinterpreted what you saw."

Charlie gave a snort of laughter, "Ya right. I suppose she just spilled something on her knickers and tossed them on the desk to dry... and then I suppose she skinned her knee or something, and that's why Percy had her up on the desk with her skirt flipped up. I don't know if she works for the Ministry or not, but they were both most definitely 'on the job'!"

Bill cringed at the mental image and they shared a chuckle as they went around the corner out of sight.

Ron and Ginny looked at eachother, their noses wrinkled in disgust, then burst out laughing. When Ron was able to master himself, he smirked at her. "Merlin! Wasn't there anyone other than me, Harry and Hermione who _didn't_ know I liked guys?"

Ginny smirked, "We're your _family_, Ron!" She said, coming over and patting his cheek affectionately, "We pay attention!"

Ron rolled his eyes as she linked her arm in Draco's and they started after their guide, Tiger scampering after them like an overexcited puppy. Ron shook his head ruefully as Blaise and Pansy looped their arms around him and led him off.

"I think I can guide this one myself, thanks." Delse said to the house elf that hurried up to Harry. It bobbed its head and scurried off.

Harry looked over at her and grinned. Delse linked her arm with Harry's and led him off. They walked in silence for a time.

"They do change, you know." Delse said conversationally after the first couple of corridors. "The halls and such, that is."

Harry looked over at her, surprised. "Like the staircases at Hogwarts?"

She smiled and nodded. "I figured it out after I had been here about a month. I had gotten tired of getting lost, so I made a map... and then the house changed! It took me quite a while, but I was able to figure out how to cast a stability spell on myself. It changes for everyone else, but my path always remains the same. I go the same way whenever I want to go to the kitchen or wherever, and it's always right where I expect it to be. I never shared that with my late husband though. It was too much fun watching him get angry when I could find my way around his ancestral home better than he could!"

Harry chuckled. "I imagine that must have been embarrassing for him. Why haven't you shared the spell with Blaise?"

She grinned, "He's just too cute when he gets frustrated! Not to mention, I feel it's teaching him important lessons. Humility for one. And his father always tried to teach him that he should be completely self-sufficient, and he didn't need _anyone_ else... but then he had to have a house elf lead him back to his own bedroom! I'd like to think that taught Blaise that his father was full of shit." She said with a chuckle. "Of course, it also taught him that there will always be things that are beyond his control... and that's just part of life and something he simply has to deal with."

"Never thought of it that way." He said with a smirk. He glanced over at her as they walked. "Blaise's been really understanding about you and I... a lot more than I ever expected he would be..."

Delse gave him a brilliant smile. "He's always been an amazingly sensitive and understanding boy. I thank the Gods every day that he turned out so well! I felt real despair when I first found out he was going to be a boy. I was afraid he'd be just like his father!"

"So you don't mind... um... how... um... _free_ he is with his affection?" Harry asked, unsure how to put it delicately that Blaise was a bit of a slut.

Delse chuckled. "I'm not terribly fond of it when he tries to mess about with my _friends_, but that's more because I know their husbands, and therefore what kind of danger he's putting himself in! As for girls his own age... as long as he makes sure he's careful, I don't see the harm in it. Especially the Slytherin girls. A lot of them are probably going to be shuffled off into loveless arranged marriages, so he's really doing them a favor providing them with memories of actually _enjoying_ sex." She said with a smirk. "Those kinds of memories are very important to have... you really think I wasn't imagining someone else while my husband was rutting away at me?"

Harry cringed at the mental image. He'd seen a couple of pictures around that he was pretty sure were Blaise's father. Not that there was any resemblance, but they appeared to be the most recent, and Blaise had looked away when they passed them, while the man in the picture glared at him hatefully. The man had looked cold and cruel.

He quickly decided he didn't want to dwell on imaginings of that man molesting Delse. "So.. um... what about the _boys _he's been with? Weren't you... um... a bit _shocked?_"

She looked over at him, her smirk widening. "I'm sure I knew he was that way even before _he_ did. That boy is so full of love I never had any illusions that he would consign it entirely to one sex. And then when he became friends with Draco... well, when Blaise _decided_ they were friends anyway... there was no doubt left."

Harry's eye widened, "You mean he and Draco...?"

"No! No..." She chuckled. "Draco's not like that. But the way Blaise looked at him... I knew he loved him. It turned out to be the love of a deep friendship between those two, but it showed his capacity to feel love uninhibited by gender. With other boys, his affection wasn't exactly friendship... it was more like it was with the girls he dallied with, but in a way much more intimate... but the boys kept _hurting_ him... it just broke my heart. He wrote to me whenever he was away, you know. At least once or twice a week since he started Hogwarts. Had the letters delivered to Vincent, and Vincent would slip them to me so his father wouldn't see them. He told me all about what had happened to him since his last letter. Even who he'd shagged and how they were! It's like his version of keeping a diary! You should have seen the letter he sent right after the first time he shagged Ron! He went on about him for nearly three feet of parchment, I swear!" She said with a chuckle. "We have a very open relationship. We can talk to eachother about just about anything, and we keep eachothers secrets."

Her smile faded a bit, "But the boys... the other ones that is... I could tell they hurt him far worse than the girls when it was them that put an end to it. To be honest, I was sure he would eventually give up on boys. I never expected him to find someone like Ron. The minute I read the letter about him letting Ron shag _him_ for the first time, I knew he was hopelessly in love. I can't tell you how glad I am that he finally found a boy who he could give himself to so completely, that would actually love him back." She sighed happily, coming to a stop outside an ornate door. "I've never seen him as happy as he is with Ron and Pansy." She shifted over in front of him, slipping her arms around him and pulling him close, resting her cheek against his chest, "And now they are going to be parents..." She sighed wistfully, "I can't tell you how glad I am that he is going to be able to have the happiness and joy that I was never allowed... and his children will get to grow up with all the love they could ever hope for... from _both_ their parents. Well, all three really." She said, smiling against him.

Harry hugged her close. "I doubt I could ever make up for the wrongs that have been inflicted on you in your past..." He said softly, "But I'm pretty confident I can help you forget about them for a while..." He said, a smirk stealing over his lips.

She grinned up at him, then reached back, opening the door behind her and pulling him through after her.

----------

Ron's eyes went wide when Blaise led him into his room.

"Looks a mite familiar, does it?" Blaise asked with a chuckle.

Ron stared. It was exactly like the Room of Requirement! Well, the bedroom that Blaise had created there for their first little 'date' that is. He grinned over at Blaise.

Pansy chuckled as well, "Ya... I had the same reaction the first time he brought me in here."

One thing he'd never seen in the Room of Requirement was the rest of the suite, which was just as extravagant. Blaise had his own large 'common room' type room and library and such, but Blaise was most interested in showing him the bathroom. He'd obviously sent the house elves ahead to prepare his suite for his visitors. There was already a very inviting looking bath drawn and waiting for them in the giant tub.

They spent about twenty minutes snogging, fondling and overall messing about in the tub before they finally emerged. From there, Blaise led them straight over to the bed of course. He scooped up the still damp and giggling Pansy, placing her gently in the middle of the gigantic bed. He lay down beside her, kissing her deeply as he pulled open her towel, his hand quickly moving down and shifting her legs apart, rubbing her gently. Then he broke the kiss, following his hand down between her legs. She groaned happily as he started pleasing her in the only way he was currently allowed. Ron crawled across the bed to her, laying down beside her, kissing her ardently as his hand gently caressed her.

Within five minutes she had to ask Blaise to stop, the pleasure his tongue inspired too intense to handle. He shifted back up on the other side of her, pausing on his way up to press his mouth to her breast, teasing the nipple with his tongue, making her giggle and shiver.

When he finally lay beside her again, she reached down, caressing him as she regained her breath. She glanced over on the other side, reaching over and caressing Ron as well. She sighed, closing her eyes and stroking them, moaning with such longing it made Blaise's heart ache. She turned her head towards him, opening her eyes. "Let me share you with Ron again... _please?_" she asked pleadingly.

He let out an anguished breath. "You know I can't. You heard Snape. We can't be inside you again until it's safe..."

She let out a pitiful sound, still not releasing them. She took a deep breath, then let it out. "Fine... don't be in me then... just at least be _on top_ of me..." She asked, her eyes begging him.

He stared at the longing in her eyes for a long moment, then looked over at Ron. Ron shrugged, leaving it up to Blaise. Blaise contemplated it for a moment, though that was difficult with her stroking him the whole time. Finally he sighed and nodded. "We'll give it a try, as long as you promise to tell me right away if I'm hurting you in any way." He said sternly.

She grinned brilliantly and nodded, releasing them. They both watched Blaise curiously as he got up off the bed and went over to a very large wardrobe nearby. He opened it and pulled open one of the drawers at the bottom. The clothes in the wardrobe were almost entirely green in color, and what Ron could see of them looked distinctly feminine. When he had closed it back up and came back over to the bed, they could see a pair of green silk knickers in his hand. Pansy rolled her eyes as he handed them to her, but slipped them on.

"You act as if you don't trust me, love." She said with a smirk.

He grinned, "Oh I trust _you_... I just don't trust myself!"

"Does Pansy spend the summer holiday with you or something?" Ron asked curiously.

Blaise looked over at him in surprise. "No. Well, she will this year, but never has in the past. I've just smuggled her into my room a time or two during parties. Why do you ask?"

"Well then why do you have a wardrobe full of women's clothing?" Ron asked with a smirk.

Blaise chuckled. "Those are just some of the clothes I bought her in Hogsmeade. I'm having a magically expanding wardrobe fashioned for our dorm room, but until that's done I have to put them _somewhere_. Your wardrobe is over there." He said, nodding towards another wardrobe across the room. "For my own clothes I have a closet." He said jerking his thumb back over his shoulder to indicate a small unobtrusive door in the corner.

"_My_ wardrobe?" Ron asked, taken aback.

Blaise chuckled. "You didn't really think I'd have you try on all those outfits and only buy you a couple, did you?"

Ron just looked over at the wardrobe, stunned. It was a very _large_ wardrobe...

Blaise snapped his fingers and waved his hand in Ron's line of sight, drawing his attention back with a chuckle. "Getting off subject... I believe we were just about to do some shagging?" He said with a smirk.

Ron grinned and blushed, putting the wardrobe and it's contents out of his mind.

Pansy eagerly shifted her legs apart and Blaise moved over on top of her. He carefully trapped himself between them, though he ached to enter her. He could feel the heat radiating from her, the sheer knickers already damp and feeling almost nonexistent as she closed her eyes, grinding up against him. He carefully planted his elbows to either side of her, reassuring himself that his weight wouldn't be baring down on her.

He kissed her, feeling the familiar tingle of anticipation inside as Ron shifted over behind him. He groaned into her mouth as he felt himself being invaded once again. Ron had shagged him quite a number of times now, but somehow it always felt thrilling and new. It felt so completely amazing that he wondered once again why he'd never let anyone do it before. Then he answered himself, as he had every time, with the inexplicable certainty that it could never possibly be even half as good with anyone else.

Pansy groaned under him, feeling Ron's thrusts and watching him avidly as he took Blaise. The way she was grinding up against him made his head spin with desire, but he restrained himself. He pressed his forehead to the pillow beside Pansy's head, trying to pretend it was just him and Ron... trying to ignore Pansy's moans and the way her soft body pressed up against him. It was no use. He found himself starting to grind against her a bit. She shuddered and groaned, making it extremely hard for him to keep himself from ripping off the flimsy knickers and shagging her senseless.

He found himself imagining taking her. He rubbed himself against her again, reveling in the sounds she was making. Ron started picking up the pace, thrusting harder as he started getting close. Blaise did nothing to restrain the passionate moans that escaped him as Ron's length seemed to stab deeper and deeper. Ron suddenly grabbed his hips with an almost bruising grasp, stabbing himself into him and tensing as a deep groan escaped him.

Blaise groaned and shuddered as felt Ron spend himself deep inside him. He was immediately thankful for the firm grasp on his hips as he jerked against it, his body suddenly filled with the desperate urge to bury himself in Pansy. He shuddered hard, feeling a wet heat spread across Pansy's belly.

He just lay there for a few moments, gathering himself. He lifted his head, looking down at Pansy. She was panting and looking at him. His heart ached at the deep longing in her eyes. He sighed, "I'm sorry, love... soon..." He whispered, kissing her tenderly.

-------------------

"At it again?" Ginny murmured tiredly.

Draco looked up from the parchment he was working on, smiling at how gorgeous she looked wrapped up in a down comforter and half asleep, her dark red hair fiery against the white of the linens. "Just trying to get through this translation for Dumbledore before he gets here." He said, looking down at the battered journal before him. "There's an answer to what the Dark Lord is up to in here... I'm just not sure where. Hopefully Dumbledore will be able to spot it once he can read it. Some of the incantations defy translation into english, but I don't think that's where the clue will lie anyway..."

She stretched languidly. "What exactly did they say about their plans?" she asked, smirking as she saw how his eyes were drinking in the sight of her.

He blinked, pulling his eyes back to the journal. "He was very afraid of Dumbledore getting a translation of this journal... he said with it, Dumbledore might be able to guess what they were up to and stop them. Father also mentioned that those ingredients that Kulia gave me were supposed to be for whatever they are trying to do, so if I find one of these spells with enough of those ingredients it might just be the one... of course I think he may be working an alteration of one of these spells. He called it a complicated 'process'. It would be too simple to figure out if it was a spell straight from this book. If it _were_, Dumbledore would _know_ once he saw it, not just be able to guess..." He looked up, staring into space and remembering for a moment. "He also said something strange... that they couldn't keep putting it off, because 'They will be too far along for it to work before too much longer', whatever that means."

Ginny stared at the canopy above her, contemplating that for a long moment, reaching over and petting Tiger distractedly. He had curled up in the spot Draco had vacated and was now fast asleep, letting out a soft, adorable snoring sound. "Maybe they are brewing something for it already that will pass maturation soon?"

Draco contemplated that for a minute, then sighed, "Maybe... I just feel like I'm missing something important... the sooner I get this translated and to Dumbledore, the better I'll feel. Let _him_ figure it out."

She nodded, "Probably best. He knows more about magic than we probably _ever_ will." She said with a grin and a shrug. "Well," She said, sitting up and sliding her legs off the side of the bed, looking at the small bedside clock, "We've already missed breakfast, and it'll be a bit over a half hour before the house elf will be coming to fetch us for our... well actually _your_ robe fitting. She's already done with my dress. I'm going to go and take a nice long bath..."

Draco watched her get up and go over towards their private bathroom. She was wearing only a tiny pair of green lace knickers he'd bought her and a loose halter that didn't even make it half way to her navel. He glanced down at the journal. Well, he still had plenty of time before Dumbledore would arrive...

He grinned, setting it aside and following after her.

----------------

Draco had ended up being the last one to be measured for his robes, seeing as he was the last one to arrive. By the time Draco and Ginny got to the dinning room, almost everyone else was already there. Mr. Weasley had gone to work of course, but he had assured them he would be back by dinner time. Draco glanced over, noting the twins sitting together, but no Kulia. The twins were wearing neutral expressions, but he got the distinct feeling there was something bothering them.

Harry was talking to Delse while she gathered up some napkins and they looked quite relaxed and happy... until Molly walked in. Harry spotted her and immediately fell silent, making his way over to his seat. Delse finished placing the napkins around the table, then made her way over to sit beside Harry. Molly held her tongue, but she gave them a disapproving look. They were both studiously not meeting her gaze.

"So..." Molly said with somewhat forced levity, "Were you able to get any of your little friends from school to come for the wedding?"

Ginny tried hard not to roll her eyes at the 'little friends' reference. "Not really. I mean I didn't really try with most of them, because quite frankly none of them have talked to me since I went to Slytherin. Hermione's coming of course. She's at Hogwarts over the holiday, so it didn't interfere with any plans. I'm glad really... she was my first... and really only pick for my maid of honor... um, no offense Pansy..." she said quickly, glancing over at her.

Pansy grinned, "None taken. Up until a little while ago we were enemies at best... I had absolutely no expectations that you would want me to be your maid of honor... we simply haven't known eachother in any real way long enough. Not to mention, me with the title of _maid_...?" She let out a little snort of laughter, "It would be a bit more convincing if I wasn't knocked up!"

Ginny grinned.

Molly had finished setting out the plates she'd carried in and was just taking her seat, "What do you mean Hermione's spending her holiday at Hogwarts?" She asked, surprised.

"Well, her parents had other plans, so she's staying at school. She'll be here for the wedding and she's planning on staying probably until Christmas night at least..." Ginny said.

"You mean the poor girl's _all alone?_" Molly asked, shocked.

"No... there are teachers there..." Ginny replied uneasily.

"Well why didn't she just come here? Wasn't she invited?" Molly asked, shooting a shrewdly questioning glance over at Delse. It was obvious her opinion of the woman had dropped a good several notches since the incident the night before. Delse's cheeks color at the implication that she might have purposely left Hermione out.

"Hermione didn't _want_ to come." Fred replied before anyone else had a chance to.

Molly looked over at him in surprise. "Why ever not?"

"Maybe there was someone she would rather spend her holiday with." George said evenly.

"Someone she cares about a great deal..."

"But she knows _some_ wouldn't approve of."

"For rather _closed minded_ reasons."

The other Hogwarts students were looking over at the twins in shock, and not a little concern, several trying to subtly glare them into silence.

Molly looked from the twins to the others, noting the looks and gathering that there was something they had all been purposely keeping from her. "Just who might that be?" She asked slowly.

"Snape." Fred replied without preamble.

Molly's eyes went round. "Are you telling me that _Severus Snape_ is..."

"In love with Hermione Granger. Yes." George said evenly.

"And she's on love with him." Fred added.

Harry sighed, "Why'd you have to go and tell her?" He asked in exasperation.

"You should know why better than anyone, Harry."

"Because she's already thrown a hissy over you and Delse."

"And now she's being all cold to Delse..."

"Who is a lovely woman..."

"Who has been nothing but kind and generous to us..."

"And in _no way_ deserves such treatment."

"And she's acting this way for absolutely _no good reason_ I might add."

"We just wanted to get this fit out of the way."

"So she can get _over it_ already!"

"Hermione's been through enough already."

"She doesn't deserve to have to go through that as well."

Molly stared in shock as the twins actually glared at her. Her face clouded with anger. "What exactly are you implying?" She asked, dangerously close to reaming them out for their impudence.

The twins were glaring back just as dangerously, their arms folded over their chests in identical poses of defiant anger.

"Love knows no bounds." Fred began, his voice making it clear he was quoting.

"It doesn't matter who you are,"

"Or what station,"

"Or what social standing,"

"Nor what your parents do,"

"Or who they are."

"Everyone should be judged by their own merits,"

"Not by things that are beyond their control."

"Any who say different are closed minded fools,"

"And ought to be _ignored_."

They finished, glaring at her. Silence reigned in the wake of their pronouncement. After a few moments, Fred went on in a softer voice. "Those are _your words_, mother."

"Words you've said to us all our lives."

"We believe them."

"We've _lived by them._"

"Why can't you?"

Molly looked trapped between shock and fury.

"We love you mother." George said softly.

"You know we do."

"But if you fly off the handle like that again,"

"And make Kulia leave,"

"We're going with her." they finished in unison.

Molly's jaw hung. After a moment she was able to find her voice, "What has this got to do with Kulia?" she asked faintly.

"You freaked out about less than two decades!"

"How was that supposed to make Kulia feel?"

"She's got her hormones all out of whack,"

"And it's making her a bit emotional,"

"And you go off on Harry and Delse like that..." Fred said, shaking his head.

"And she saw how much that hurt Harry."

"It was all we could do to get her to stay last night."

"She finally agreed not to leave,"

"Because she really has no safe place to go right now."

"At least not in Europe."

"But she won't come out of the room."

"Because she's too emotional right now to handle you verbally attacking her."

"Which she believes you _will._"

"And we could offer her no honest assurances that you _wouldn't._"

"Not after last night."

They stared at their mother's stunned and utterly confused expression for a moment.

Fred sighed, "How old do you think Kulia is?"

"That... that's different..." Molly said faintly.

"Oh really?" George asked with a somewhat sarcastic smirk.

"Hey Harry, just get Delse knocked up and it'll be ok." Fred called over to Harry, who blushed brightly.

Molly's eyes narrowed, "That's not what I meant! You're eighteen at least!"

"And Kulia is almost _three hundred_. You really think a few years, or even decades really matters?"

"_You're_ a child compared to her!"

"She used to get drunk with Grandpa Weasley when he was _our age!_"

"Dumbledore used to go to her shop with his father when he was_ a child!_"

Molly was staring at them with open disbelief.

"She's been an invaluable resource for the members of my family for seven generations." Draco confirmed gently.

"Six generations for mine." Delse said with a nod.

"Eight for the Black family." Narcissa added.

"But we don't care." Fred said softly.

"Because we don't believe age should matter any more than the purity of your blood."

"Or your _species_ for that matter."

"Our children..."

"And we plan to have as many with her as she'll let us"

"Are going to be half snow elf..."

"With a mother that is over two and a half _centuries_ our senior."

"If you want to be a part of their lives,"

"Then you're going to have to deal with that fact."

-----------

The rest of the day was rather subdued. Molly had gone to her room without another word. Everyone else went back to their respective suites and stayed there after that. It came as quite a surprise to Draco when a knock came at his door later that afternoon. He looked up from his translation. "Yes?"

The door opened and Blaise walked in. "I waited. Are you impressed or what?" He asked with a smirk.

"_Very_ impressed." Draco said with a smirk, rolling his eyes, "Keep it up."

Blaise grinned, "What are you up to?" He asked, coming over to stand behind him, peering over Draco's shoulder.

"Just translating this journal for Dumbledore." Draco said distractedly, jotting down another line.

Blaise looked his work over for a moment. "Your elvish is pretty good... your english could use some work though..." He said with a smirk, pointing to a spelling error.

Draco rolled his eyes and scratched out the word, rewriting it. "Quit distracting me and it would be just fine."

"I see... I'm the sole cause of all of your errors..." Blaise said teasingly.

"Put a sock in it or I'll make _you_ do this."

"Ugh! Working on holiday! It should be illegal." Blaise said mirthfully. "And _working_ when there's a perfectly shaggable woman in the room? Look at that! You've bored her into a coma." He said, gazing over at Ginny, who had dozed off in the armchair near the fireplace. Tiger, who had been romping around the room most of the night, being naturally nocturnal, was now sleeping peacefully at her feet, "This isn't the Draco I know..." He said with mock sadness.

"The sooner I finish this, the sooner we can figure out the Dark Lord's plans and fuck them up. Sounds like a good reason to me. Besides, maybe she's just exhausted from rather extensive and vigorous shagging. Every think of it?" Draco asked with a smirk.

"Mmhmm... sure." Blaise said disbelievingly, "You're working too hard Draco..." He said, slipping his hands onto Draco's shoulders and starting to gently massage them. "Feel that? You're all tensed up and it's not even your wedding day yet!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "I'm not tense over _that_. I _want_ to get married, as you well know! I think you're just making up reasons to touch me again." He said with a smirk.

Blaise chuckled, not stopping. "You caught me... yes indeed, I'm getting in one last good groping before Ginny has the legal right to kick my arse for it. If my massage isn't doing it for you... I do happen to know one little word that is _guaranteed_ to get you all hot and bothered..."

Draco let out a snort of laughter. "And what word might that be?"

Blaise leaned forward, "Quidditch..." He whispered seductively in Draco's ear.

Draco blinked, then turned his head as Blaise released him, walking back towards the door. "In fifteen minutes by the back patio door." He called over his shoulder without turning, "And make sure to bring Ginny. Even in a coma, she's a much better player."

------------

By the time Draco and Ginny made their way down to the rear entrance, Harry, Ron, Pansy, Bill and Charlie were already waiting. Draco looked them over. They were all (except for Pansy of course) wearing identical dark blue quidditch outfits.

"No one told me there was a dress code." Draco said with a smirk.

"The uniforms are in there." Ron said, pointing towards a nearby door.

Draco nodded and he and Ginny started for the door.

"Ah ah ah!" Blaise said, strolling up with the twins in tow, "That's the little boy's changing room. Little girls are the next door over. I'm not letting you two dress in the same room! I'd like to get around to the game before dark." He said with a smirk.

Ginny went over and disappeared through the indicated door. Draco stood there as Blaise led the twins over, holding the door for them. He looked over when Draco didn't move. "What are you waiting for?"

"You haven't told me where the _Men's_ changing room is yet." Draco said with a smirk.

Blaise rolled his eyes, grabbing Draco's arm and propelling him into the room ahead of him.

Draco looked around as Blaise shut the door. It looked a bit like a waiting room. No windows, and just some chairs and small tables scattered around. There was a neat stack of uniforms on one of the tables. Blaise handed them out and they started changing.

"So... how's Kulia?" Draco asked.

The twins sighed in perfect unison, making Blaise smirk despite the seriousness of the question.

"Still feeling a bit off..."

"Despite the tea..."

"Though it _has_ helped loads..."

"And mum could probably come up with something else to help as well..."

"But mum's not coming out of her room..."

"And neither is Kulia..."

"Kulia was a bit upset when she found we'd gone off on mum..."

"She thinks mum will hate her now."

Draco sighed. "Kulia isn't used to being around parents really. She hasn't seen her own parents since she was about thirty, when she left their village to make her own way in the world... She tried to go back to visit once when she was about a hundred... but the village was gone. She doesn't know if it was destroyed or simply moved..." He said sadly, fastening his pants. "I think she really misses being a part of a family, but then again, she's only been around rather dysfunctional families since. I mean the Malfoy's have certainly never given her a good example of human family life... and since she's only been around pure bloods really, since we tend to be the wealthiest members of the wizarding community, she has come to think of humans as rather short tempered, cruel and emotionally unavailable. She's probably afraid all human family structures are tenuous and fragile at best."

He snagged up his shirt and looked up, then paused, seeing the twins and Blaise just standing there staring at him. "What?"

"You never did tell us about your relationship with Kulia..." Fred said, eyeing him.

"Just how well do you know her?" George asked curiously.

Draco's pale cheeks colored slightly. "I've gotten to know her pretty well over the years..." He said evasively.

"You nailed her didn't you?" Blaise asked, his voice half way between amusement and awe.

There was a definite color in Draco's cheeks now. "I don't think that's any of your business." He muttered, turning and putting on his shirt with his back studiously to them.

"You did!" Blaise laughed. "Man you must really live up to your reputation. I tried getting in those pants the whole summer she was teaching me elvish and never got so much as a good grope!"

"Just drop it, will you? I'm with Ginny now. My past doesn't matter." Draco said a bit irritably as he strapped on his wrist guard.

"So... were you performing a service...?" Fred asked tentatively.

Draco turned abruptly, his cheeks flush. "Does Kulia strike you as a woman who needs to _pay for sex?!?_" He demanded angrily.

"No!" The twins said in unison, a bit taken aback by his anger.

"Well then why would you even _ask that?_ She only said it was a service with you two because it would give her legal rights over the children. She was paying for the contract, not the sex!"

"We were just wondering why you would be alone with her in the first place." George said placatingly.

"She doesn't seem the type to go making social calls."

Draco sighed, reigning himself in. "Sorry... it's just... father made quite a production of it, and he didn't even have proof it happened... he just suspected." He sighed again, sitting down. "You're probably not going to drop this, are you?" He asked wearily, strapping on his other wrist guard.

"Nope." Blaise said guilelessly, dropping down and sitting on the floor in front of his chair, looking up at him expectantly as if it were story time.

Draco grumbled to himself, glancing up at the twins. They remained quiet, but were watching him expectantly. "Fine. Ok, I _was_ paying a service, but not that! She was doing her little experiments on me. Father wanted something exceptionally hard to get... I think it was a unicorn heart or something like that, though what he would do with such a thing I have no idea. He'd started using me to pay any services as soon as I was old enough. The starting age is twelve in case you're wondering, but this happened during the summer before last, after I'd turned fifteen... He was to leave me with her for two weeks. Mother wasn't pleased. Anyway, about three days into it, one of the potions had the unexpected side effect of making me stop breathing... She tried to counter it, but it was unusually stubborn. She had to get me into that shower of hers to cancel out the residual effects before I suffocated. Well, as you can well imagine, with her cradling me to her... her shirt all wet and pretty much see-through by that point, and the effects of that water... I couldn't get my breathing back to normal even after the potion wore off."

The twins looked at eachother and grinned. They certainly knew how that shower could effect young males in the presence of a lovely creature like Kulia.

Draco shifted a bit uneasily. "Admittedly, I was entirely to blame for starting it... and I'm sure she probably just let me because she liked me and felt guilty because she'd nearly killed me... She told me the debt was canceled before she let me get any further than fondling though. Of course she never _did_ owl my father to have him pick me up early..." He said with a reminiscent smile.

"You survived an entire week and a half?"

"With _her??_"

Draco grinned. "I took a lot of showers..." He said with a chuckle.

Blaise snickered. "You really _are_ the Slytherin Sex God!"

Draco just rolled his eyes. "Shut up, Blaise." he said with amusement, "You're probably the one who came up with that ridiculous title in the first place."

Blaise smirked, studiously looking anywhere but at Draco.

Draco gave a little snort. "I thought so." He sighed, then a little smile crept over his lips as he remembered his time with her. "It was very educational actually... she certainly taught me to be a lot more considerate in the sack, so the girls after her should really be grateful for all her hard work."

Blaise chuckled. "I'll be sure to tell Ginny to thank her."

"No you won't!" Draco said sharply, all amusement leaving his face. "She hasn't asked me about my past, and I'll not have you bringing it up with her! Like I said before, the past is past. I certainly don't want to fuck up her relationship with Kulia over something that happened in the past, especially now that Kulia's with the twins and having their children! Kulia's going to be _family!_ Ginny really doesn't need to know about it, and since you three are the only ones I've ever told about this, I'll know _exactly_ who told her..." He said staring directly at Blaise as he said it.

Blaise rolled his eyes, "Fine..." He said with playful exasperation.

"Um... just curious here..." Fred began tentatively.

"What are these experiments she's always doing?"

Draco grinned. "Testing out her spells and potions of course. It would be irresponsible not to test them first. The potion she used on me for example... it going to pot like that was the only way she discovered she needed to denature the asphodel with a standard incantation before adding it... otherwise it was too strong and the potion that is just supposed to make people fall asleep and dream whatever you tell them to turns deadly."

The twins looked at eachother, their eyes going wide, then looked back over at him, "The Dreamweaver potion?" Fred asked.

Draco grinned. "Heard of it have you? Well the book has been out for over a year now... should have known you two would come across it."

"The Prankster's Bible, twelfth edition?!?" George asked, his voice bordering on reverent.

"Are you telling us that Kulia is K. Rogue?!?"

Draco chuckled. "Don't let it get out. Everybody thinks she's always working on the dark arts. It would ruin her reputation if people knew!"

Fred and George looked at eachother.

"We're shagging K. Rogue!" Fred laughed.

_"**Fan-fucking-tastic!**"_ George howled.

Draco and Blaise chuckled and watched with amusement at the twins clapped eachother on the back, obviously ecstatic at the news. When the twins had calmed back down a bit, Blaise looked at Draco curiously.

"Can I ask you something and get a completely honest answer?"

Draco blinked, surprised. "Um... ok..."

"You ever shagged Pansy?"

"No."

Blaise eyed him suspiciously. "Oh come on... not even _once?_" he asked incredulously.

Draco rolled his eyes, "No, not even once. I mean I _kissed_ her once, before you two started shagging steady of course... but... she just ran off... I figured maybe she was a virgin or something because she looked kind of scared... but I think I figured it out in Hogsmeade..." He said dropping his eyes sadly, "Do I really look that much like him?" He asked softly.

Blaise took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Ya. You do." He said sadly, "_But..._" he said abruptly, standing up and looking down at him with a little smile, "Heredity only creates our bodies, not our souls. We'll never be our fathers. Someone I love and respect a great deal once told me that... and I'm finally starting to believe it." He smiled at him warmly, then left without another word.

--------------

As Draco and the twins emerged from the dressing room, Blaise was already preparing to divide up the group.

"Ok, let's see... Ron and I have to stay together, Fred and George stay together of course... Draco and Ginny have to stay together as well... plenty of time for you two to fight with eachother once you're hitched..." He said with an impish grin.

Draco just rolled his eyes, but didn't object, not wanting to get on the team opposing her.

"Ok, so I imagine Harry and Draco want to be the Seekers..." He reached out, tapping each of their chests with the tip of his wand in turn. A large white X appeared across Harry's chest and back, a large O on Draco. He then tapped Ginny as well, making an identical O appear on her uniform.

Ginny looked down at the large O, "Xs and Os?" She asked with a giggle.

Blaise grinned at her. "Like that muggle game. I thought you might get a kick out of that..." Then he returned to his task. "And I'll be on Draco's team of course..." He said, tapping his and Ron's uniforms, making large Os appear on them.

"Why do you two have to be on Draco's team?" Harry asked, not really wanting to be opposing Ron.

Blaise chuckled. "I know better than to play Chaser against Ginny. Besides, if anyone here deserves to have _the big O_ emblazoned on his uniform, I think it's me..." He said, his wicked smirk making the sexual innuendo blatantly apparent.

Harry just rolled his eyes. "Fine."

"Ok..." Blaise said, looking around. "We're going to be an odd number, so one team will be short..."

"No they won't..." Delse said, emerging from the girls changing room in a matching blue uniform, finishing up fastening on her wrist guard.

"You're not playing!" Blaise said, taken aback.

Delse looked up and smirked. "I most certainly am!"

"This is a rough game mum!" He said with obvious concern.

Delse gave a snort. "I'm well aware of that dear. Since your memory appears to be short, let me remind you that it was I who taught you how to play in the first place!"

Blaise sighed, going over to stand before her. "Mum..." He said persistently.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "We've talked about this, Blaise. I'm a big girl and fully capable of taking care of myself. If you require a demonstration I can always kick your arse right here in front of everyone." She said, smiling sweetly.

He gave a belabored sigh. "Fine." He growled, tapping her chest and making a large O appear on her chest, "But I'm not playing against you!"

He turned back to the others. "Slight change of plans... mum's keeper, Ron, you, Ginny and I are Chasers... Charlie, you're Keeper for Harry's team, Fred, George and Bill are Chasers." He said, tapping the other four and making large Xs appear on their chests.

"Um... haven't you forgotten something?" Fred asked with a smirk.

Blaise looked over at him. "No." he said evenly.

"We need beaters." Draco said, smirk as well.

"No we don't. I'm not releasing bludgers if _my mum_ is playing. There should be plenty of action without those bloody things careening about."

"Oh honestly!" Delse said in exasperation.

"Um... that's ok actually. I'd rather not be too bloodied up for my wedding." Draco said with a smirk.

That seemed to settle it for the others. It wouldn't be a very _traditional_ game, but then they were just playing for fun anyway. The Weasleys had played many a game without bludgers growing up since they couldn't afford to get one of their own. They had been lucky to find things to use as a Quaffle!

"Ok, your charms for the grounds are built into your uniforms so they won't come off during play," He said, tapping the round, smooth charm embedded in the front of his uniform over his breast bone. "So no stripping if you want to stay healthy!" He said with a smirk, then pulled out an extra charm on a silver chain and looped it over Pansy's head, giving her a kiss and slipping an arm around her.

When they came into sight of where they were to play, they were all duly impressed. Before them stood a full sized, Quidditch league regulation pitch that could easily have hosted a professional league game, complete with stands for spectators.

Blaise looked around appraisingly. "I guess it'll do."

Ron looked over at him, surprised, "You sound as if you've never seen this before!"

Blaise grinned over at him. "I haven't. Used to just be a set of rings set in a field for practice. I had it spruced up a bit when I found out I'd be hosting a house full of Weasleys for the holiday." He said, smirking over at him.

Ron looked around, wide eyed. "You had this built for _us?_"

Blaise looked over at him curiously, "What? You don't like it?"

Ron just rolled his eyes and grinned.

"Well, alright then." Blaise said, going over to a small shed at the edge of the field and opening it. He grabbed up a gleaming black broom. "Alright, everyone grab a broom and let's get on with the game!"

He snatched up another one, taking it over to his mother as Harry and the Weasleys went over to the shed, each taking one of the brand new brooms.

"These are amazing..." Charlie said, stroking the handle of his broom with awe.

Bill smirked, staring at his own, "I don't know whether to ride this thing or put it on display in an Art gallery!"

Blaise grinned over at them. "They're called Celestials. Been out on the market for about a week now. Since a gallery display will do you no good in a Quidditch match, I'd opt for riding it."

With that, he mounted his broom and pulled Pansy onto it in front of him. "And where would you like to sit, love?" He asked her with a smirk. She giggled as he took off, carrying her up and depositing her in the central stand of one side, leaving her with a lingering kiss.

Draco mounted his own broom and took off. Harry let out a little huff of breath as the Quaffle hit him in the stomach, barely grabbing ahold of it before it could fall to the ground. He looked up, seeing Delse smirking at him as she mounted her broom. "I'll release the snitch, you toss out the Quaffle. We don't have a referee. She drifted over on her broom, leaning over and stealing a kiss. "Play nice!" She said with a smirk, taking off for the far set of rings, the stand behind which bore a large O banner.

Harry grinned, mounting his broom and taking off. Ron and Ginny looked at eachother, then shrugged and mounted their brooms, taking off as well. The rest of the Weasley boys got over their awe of the brooms and followed, not wanting to be shown up by their youngest siblings. When they had all arranged themselves in their respective positions, Harry looked over the teams, furrowing his brow.

"Hey Blaise!" He called, gliding down to level with the boy, "I have all the oldest Weasley boys on my team... you've got both the girls... it hardly seems fair..."

Blaise looked over the teams contemplatively. "You're right. Not fair at all. I'll tell you what, I'll spot you twenty points. Fair enough?"

Harry laughed, then looked at him, surprised. He looked completely serious, and slightly puzzled at Harry's amusement. Harry sighed. "Fine. Your funeral." He said, gliding back up into position as Blaise motioned over to Pansy. She tapped a small device in front of her with her wand and images started to form on the large billboard-like sign behind her. When it resolved, one half said "Team O" with a 0 below it, the other side said "Team X" with a 20 below it.

Harry rolled his eyes and the members of the O team that had been close enough to hear the conversation all chuckled at him.

He saw a glint and looked up, seeing the snitch darting away from Delse, who was in position near her team's rings. He took the queue, tossing the quaffle down between the two lead chasers. In a blur the game started. Harry soared up to be out of the way, starting his usual circuit of the field watching for the snitch. The new brooms were so fast that the players weren't much more than a blur. He paused in his flight, watching in admiration as Delse deftly blocked three successive goal attempts by the twins within seconds, on the last attempt managing to kick the Quaffle half the distance to the opposite goal and straight into Ginny's hands. Ginny darted over, using a feinting maneuver he'd seen her perfecting over the school year, making Charlie dart one way while she changed direction, darting the other and scoring a goal through the center ring. The scoreboard let out a soft ping sound and changed the score for O team to 10 without any apparent effort by Pansy, obviously somehow spelled to keep track by itself.

Harry chuckled ruefully to himself. They might just _need_ those twenty points...

An hour later, the game was still moving fast and furious. The score had risen steadily, but stayed roughly even. His team had age, size and experience, but Draco's chasers where younger, smaller and faster. In the end it seemed to balance out.

Harry glanced over at the scoreboard. It was rare that he saw the score of a standard game go higher than three hundred, and that was with the addition of the snitch's hundred and fifty... and yet the score board read a shocking five hundred sixty to five hundred seventy! Draco's team was in the lead. This didn't in any way reflect badly on the keepers, as both Charlie and Delse were doing admirable job, and less than a tenth of the goal attempts got past either of them.

Harry had caught sight of the snitch several times already, but it was irritatingly elusive. Once it had actually dove behind Bill, making Harry veer off and lose sight of it to keep from crashing into one of his own players! He scanned the field, wanting to just catch it already. Not that he didn't enjoy the game, but he could tell the other players were tiring. They were still moving just as fast, but he'd noticed a slight drop in their reaction times, which in time could prove dangerous.

Then he spotted it! He streaked after it as he heard another soft ping from the scoreboard, trying to ignore everything but catching that tiny golden ball. It zipped away from him, easily outdistancing him, though he was going so fast it felt like the wind was actively trying to rip him off his broom. The snitch paused in midair some distance ahead, hovering tantalizingly. He saw movement past the snitch and realized Draco was streaking straight towards it from the opposite direction. He pressed down closer to his broom, trying to force every last bit of speed out of it to beat him to it, reaching out for it. They had to veer off slightly to either side to keep from crashing into eachother headlong, both reaching for the snitch as they passed it simultaneously.

Harry felt feathery tendrils brush his hand and grasped at them, then felt a sudden jerk. A horn blared below them, indicating that the snitch had been caught. Harry pulled his broom to a stop, looking down at his hand. It held only a single, delicate little golden wing. He looked over. Draco was looking up at him, a second twitching wing in his own hand. They both looked down. Far below they could see Pansy in the stands, holding a wingless golden snitch and looking up at them, laughing. They looked over at the scoreboard. It read a tie of seven hundred twenty points for teams X and O, having credited both teams for the snitch. There was also a third 'team' on the scoreboard now, reading "Visitor" with one hundred fifty points beneath it. Harry and Draco looked at eachother, then burst out laughing.

-----------------------

A/N - I know I said in the last chapter that I would try to get this one out quicker, but oh well. I'm having serious motivational problems. Possibly related to the whole being completely bollocksed all the time thing.

TwilightHaven33 - Don't worry. I have no intention of changing what Draco turns into in his animagi form. I just want to know if I have to insert a rule dodge ;) I finally found my HP1 (It was hiding in plain sight. I _HATE_ it when stuff does that!!!) and I didn't see anything about being an animagi. Entirely possibly I missed it. Didn't see anything in book 2 either, and in 3 all I could find was a short mention of it after Harry's first Divination lesson. It just said they were people with the ability to turn into animals. It didn't specify that they couldn't turn into magical creatures. If no one finds the specific mention of this rule, I will just assume that Darien was simply the first person to match a magical creature. Even if it is a 'rule', there's always the chance it was made just because no one they knew about ever had before.

Fiby - Insult is a strong word. You more just got up my nose... ;P

Nixin - No, I'm not a student. Let's just say I'm not quite Delse's age, but I'm a whole hell of a lot closer to that than I am to being a student! Well, a traditional student at any rate.

Starlitestarbritelilsis - actually, it has taken me relatively little time to write this, all things considered... look at the first posted date. I started writing it about a week before that, and only had about 7 or 8 chapters written when I started posting, expecting I would have to write at most 3 or 4 more before finishing it. When I've been stalled out on writing this last week, I've been looking back over what I've already written. I have made a copy of this story with no authors notes so I can see how much I'm really writing of the story, and you know what? THIS IS _**REALLY BLOODY LONG**!!!!_ Hmm... who would have thought? Certainly not I... With this chapter added in, I have roughly 243,539 words of actual story!!! I say roughly cause there are chapter headings and I'm not sure how it counts like dividers and such. Well, no matter how it counts them, that's _really long_... especially for not being done yet!

Bigreader - Harry was fully dressed still. By the time the others arrived, Delse just had her top unbuttoned but held closed, and was hiding behind Harry as well, so very little would be showing to freak Blaise out.

XxTimesStopsxX - um... I've always pronounced it just how it looks... D - else. The last e is almost silent, not a hard e if that's what you're asking. But then, that's just me, and this is just a _written_ story, so you could really pronounce it however you please ;)

Anonymous - the pairing of Draco, Ron's most the most hated antagonist in the J.K. Novels, and Ron's _baby sister_ is considered a _'traditional pairing'_??? (Laughs)

Gjess86 - It's called polygamy. That just means having more than one spouse, but isn't specific to the male to female ratio in the 'relationship'. I think there are names specific to a woman with multiple husbands, or a man with multiple wives, but I can't recall at the moment and I'm too lazy to look it up ;)


	57. Chapter 57

A/N - chapter contains underage drinking. Not that you really care, but just thought I'd mention...

> > > > > > > > > > >

Chapter 57

Ron swooped down, carefully collecting Pansy and flying her up to where the others were gathering, looking over the bits of broken snitch incredulously. They were all laughing nearly to the point of hysterics, still giddy from the adrenaline rush of the game.

"Well, good thing I have extras!" Blaise laughed, examining Draco's golden wing. "Here... keep it." He said, reaching over and tucking it behind Draco's ear so that it trailed down like a feather from a hat, "It suits you!"

Draco swatted at him, laughing.

Harry glided around to Delse and reached over, tucking his own wing into her bound up hair. It actually went quite well, sparkling brightly against the dark hair.

She chuckled, feeling it, then drifted over closer, slipping her arm around him and leaning against him, tilting her head up to give him a little kiss.

Blaise had drifted over, giving Pansy a kiss. When it broke, he looked over at Harry and Draco. "Look at you two! Racing and hunting around for a whole bloody hour..." He said, shaking his head, "Maybe we should make Pansy seeker next time. She caught the snitch without even bothering to get on a broom! But then again, I've always known she was extraordinary!" He chuckled. Giving her another kiss.

Draco laughed, then made a little mocking half bow. "I concede defeat." He said somberly.

"Too right!" Blaise laughed merrily. "I say we have a little celebration tonight. I mean how often does the snitch get caught three times in a single game? Has to be a record!" He said, holding up his hands to Bill, indicating he should toss him the quaffle. Bill obliged, and Blaise streaked down, tossing it into the open shed, which then shut on it's own. He didn't even have to slow. He rose back up, and waved for them to follow, flying towards the Manor.

The others followed, looping around in the air, enjoying the last few moments on the amazing brooms as they made their way back.

As they came into sight of the Manor, Blaise suddenly stalled out, coming to a complete stop. The others came over, wondering what was up, then followed his gaze. There were two strange looking creatures between them and the Manor. They were jet black, so it was hard to make out details from a distance, but they both looked reminiscent of large dogs, but with necks that looked a bit too long, and long serpent-like tails. They almost looked slightly dragonic... they also appeared to have wings, though one was dragging one of its wings. Even from a distance they could tell both creatures were hurt.

As they watched, the creatures made their way up to the Manor, obviously searching for a way in.

"What the bloody Hell _are_ those things?" Ron asked softly.

"I don't know..." Blaise said, a note of fear creeping into his voice, "They aren't mine!"

They all looked at him sharply.

"Bloody Hell!" Draco said, reaching for his wand.

Just then, one of the creatures tilted its head back and let out the strangest sound any of them had ever heard. There was no other real way to describe it, because it washed over them, then vanished completely from their minds, leaving only the vague memory that it had made some kind of sound.

Harry immediately let out a groan, covering his face with his hands.

Ginny looked over as Draco slowly lowered the hand that had been reaching for his wand. He had a puzzled look on his face. "Hold this for a moment, won't you?" He asked distractedly.

"Hold wha...?" She let out a little startled sound, reaching out and quickly grabbing his broom as he slipped off it without another word. He changed to Thestral form before she even had the chance to look down. She watched in horror as he streaked straight for the creatures. Charlie reached out, grabbing ahold of her firmly as she tried to follow him.

Harry shook his head hard, as if trying to dislodge something. When he dropped his hands, his eyes were burning brightly. He let out a growl, then his eyes darted over. He reached out, grabbing ahold of Blaise's arm as Blaise started to move forward.

"Hey!" Blaise said irritably, looking over at him with opalescent eyes. He tried to pull away from the demon's grasp, but even with his greatly amplified strength, he couldn't break free.

Harry rolled his eyes, looking at him with a sarcastic smirk. "Do you want to make them go barmy? They fancy wraiths just about as much as they do demons!"

"I'm not a wraith!" Blaise said indignantly.

Harry released his arm. "That's real convincing when looking at me with those eyes." He said mirthfully. "Go on then. Explain to them that you just have wraith eyes and reek of wraith... I'm sure they'll just sit there and patiently listen to your explanation, and be very understanding..."

Blaise glared at him, but relented, looking over at Draco worriedly.

Draco landed before the creatures. He approached slowly, then stopped a short distance before them. He bowed his head low, his wings back against his body, but still extended, the wingtips touching the ground. The creatures just watched him impassively for a moment, then inclined their heads slightly.

As the others watched in shock, dozens of house elves started pouring out of the house. Draco looked up as the Stallion and the other Thestrals emerging as well. The house elves just formed a ring a respectful distance around the beasts. The Thestrals walked up, breaking through the line of elves before stopping, bowing their heads and extending their wingtips to the ground, just as Draco had done.

Narcissa walked out through one of the doors that the house elves had left wide open, looking stunned as she stared at the strange creatures. Tiger scampered out, nearly tripping over his feet as he tried dodging around the many house elves, then skidded to a halt, eagerly dipping his head and wingtips down in imitation of the adults.

"What the bloody Hell is this all about then?" Bill asked, puzzled.

Just then, Kulia dashed out of the Manor. The twins tensed, then streaked forward without another thought as she dashed straight towards the strange creatures. Ginny squirmed free of Charlie's grasp and zipped forward as well. The others looked at eachother, then started after them, though a bit more warily.

When Kulia had managed to get through the ring of house elves, she dashed over to the creatures, dropping to her knees and throwing an arm around each of their necks. The twins landed behind her, just inside the ring of house elves, jumping off their brooms. They looked at eachother in puzzlement as the creatures nuzzled up to her.

One of the creatures lifted its head, letting out a short bark-like sound. It flowed over the gathered creatures like a wave. Draco shimmered, and was suddenly in human form. The other Thestrals quickly made their way back into the house. It may have been nearly dusk, but there was still a lot more light than they cared for. Most of the house elves drifted uncertainly back towards the Manor, though a couple remained, looking to their master as he arrived for instructions, wondering if their assistance would be needed.

The others were just coming in for a landing. Blaise's eyes had returned to normal, but Harry's remained red as he dismounted, looking the creatures over with interest.

"Where the Hell did you find a pair of _those?_" He asked with a smirk.

The creatures looked up at the sound of his voice, vicious growls starting in their throats the minute they spotted him.

Kulia restrained them, "Shhh... it's ok... that one has a leash."

Harry rolled his eyes, looking a bit irritable at that, but it seemed to placate the creatures somewhat.

"Oh look at you! You poor things..." She cooed softly, as if talking to beloved children. Closer up, a good deal more damage was apparent on their glossy black hides. It looked like they'd been through a small war.

"Um... are those safe?" Charlie asked, trying to look them over from a safe distance.

Kulia looked up at him and grinned. "As long as you don't act like you're going to try to hurt me."

He gave her a half grin, "Well that's more assurance than I get from the dragons. They look like they might have a similar physical makeup... I can give them a looksee if you'd like." He offered.

She grinned and shifted over a bit, petting them reassuringly while he moved closer, examining their wounds.

"What _are_ those things?" Fred asked softly.

"Gargoyles of course." She said offhandedly, watching Charlie gently examining the obviously broken wing one of them was sporting. "Who did this to you?" She asked the creature in dismay.

The slightly larger of the two leaned its head against hers. After a few seconds, she drew a sharp breath then sighed it out morosely. "I was afraid of that... You did your best..." She said sadly, petting them lovingly.

"What...?" George prompted softly.

She looked back at them. "My shop in Nocturne Alley is gone. Death Eaters. Looking for their bloody ingredients no doubt." She said, rising.

The twins stepped closer and George wrapped her in a hug, Fred hugging her from behind. She sighed and leaned her head against George's shoulder. "It's ok... it isn't as if I didn't expect it. I can rebuild it."

"But all of your supplies and such..." Fred said softly.

She chuckled. "I didn't store my best supplies in there. It was mostly just a place to store the bulkier, more common ingredients my clients often asked for and to put the port key to my home. I deactivated the portkey before I went after the book, so unless they have a spare snow elf around who is exceptionally talented, they won't have been able to touch my home. It will be difficult even for me, but I should be able to make a new port key."

George pulled back a bit, looking at her. "Were we at your home then?"

She nodded.

"Where is it?" Fred asked curiously. It hadn't felt like they had gone far, but then it can be very hard to tell with port keys.

Kulia grinned. "Several hundred kilometers away in the middle of a mountain. Actually, the mountain isn't even technically mine anymore, but I still live there. The bloody Ministry decreed a couple years back that 'beasts' couldn't own any non-commercial land... so I signed over the mountain to Blaise with the agreement that the outside was his, the inside mine."

Draco looked over Kulia incredulously, "You gave your mountain to _him?_"

She grinned over at him, "Don't get all jealous, Little Dragon. It had nothing to do with favoritism. I had about five minutes before the Ministry officials were to arrive to confiscate any 'illegal' properties, and Blaise happened to be there for his lesson..." She shrugged, "Besides... you think I wanted the deed for my home anywhere near _Lucius?_"

Draco looked less than pleased to be reminded of his father. He quickly changed the subject, "So where were you keeping _those?_ I don't recall ever seeing them before..."

Kulia let out a little laugh, looking over at the creatures, "He doesn't recognize you!"

They of course didn't reply, but their ears tilted in a way that gave him the definite impression that they were amused.

"They've been watching you every time you came to my door... They let me know who is there and let through only those I allowed. You certainly don't think I left my door wide open with no form of protection!"

Draco's eyes widened, "But... I thought those were made of stone... and they looked different..." He said, staring at the creatures. They were sleek and graceful and he could tell that, though currently badly battered, they were normally quite handsome creatures. He had a very hard time trying to reconcile them with the immobile, snarling and overall rather ugly statues that had sat atop the roof of her Nocturne Alley shop.

"Gargoyles can remain motionless for years... _centuries_ even. The change in their appearance is natural camouflage. Well, as natural as you can get from wizard created creatures... Imitating the stylized carved stone sculptures makes it almost impossible to tell the real ones from the plain, non-magical stone. They were created to guard and protect. You could feel it, couldn't you? When they called for help. All magical creatures can hear them... and most of the 'good' creatures are naturally drawn to them, feeling the urge to give them whatever assistance they can. That's also why the wards to the grounds had no effect on them. No ward will keep them out because the wards themselves are made to protect as well, and therefore they, by their very nature, are immune to them."

"Why did _I_ feel drawn to them then?" Blaise asked, eyeing the creatures. They were watching him warily, as if not entirely sure about him.

Kulia smiled, "When you were cursed, you went too far into the transformation to wraith to be left unchanged, as you no doubt knew... and wraiths are magical creatures, which is why you could hear them, but you thankfully never reached the point at which you lost your soul... and your soul is a very compassionate and loving one. It was your _own_ nature that drew you to them, despite the fact that the magic now residing within you was never intended for good." She said with a warm smile.

Blaise's cheeks colored slightly. He cleared his throat, obviously embarrassed, then glancing around at them. "Um... well it's about dinner time." He looked over, motioning the remaining house elves over. "Guide them to their rooms so they can get changed and cleaned up, then lead them to the family dinning room."

"Where do you want us to put the brooms?" Bill asked.

Blaise snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'm absolved of all obligation to store presents once they've been given. Put them wherever you please." He glanced over at Pansy, slipping his arm around her and leading her towards the door, Ron falling into place on her other side. "Which reminds me, yours is still in the shed with Hermione's... did you want me to have the house elves bring it to the room? I don't imagine you'll be using it much until after the babies are born, but I thought it'd be nice to have around nonetheless."

The other Weasley boys just watched him go in stunned silence.

> > > > > > > > > > >

The atmosphere was jovial once again as they gathered for dinner. They sat around, chatting amiably as they waited for the others to arrive. Charlie was one of the last to arrive. He was still buttoning his shirt and looked as if he'd rushed to get there.

"Sorry I'm late!" He said as he took his seat. "Just had to make sure the house elves knew how to finish up with the gargoyles."

"How are they?" Fred asked eagerly. Kulia had insisted he and George get cleaned up and join their family for dinner, but had remained behind with the gargoyles herself.

"They've taken quite a beating, but I think they should be fine."

"Well a couple of those Death Eaters can't say the same..." Bill said with a grin, handing over the copy of the Daily Prophet they had been passing around.

"If we'd just have read that, their entrance wouldn't have been such a shock." Blaise said with a smirk, "The house elves don't like giving them to us, because they're usually full of trash and lies and just serve to upset us and they didn't want to let the wretched thing ruin our holiday... I told them to start handing them over. I think it's probably better to know what they're trumping up."

"Five dead, three others wounded..." Charlie said with a note of admiration in his voice as he glanced over the article. "Not bad... No wonder they were so beat up. He sighed and shook his head as he looked over the picture of a pile of rubble that was all that remained of the small black shop.

"What are their names, anyway? I seem to have missed that part..." Bill asked.

"I asked that very same thing." Charlie said with a smirk as he tossed aside the newspaper, "She won't tell me. She says with certain ancient creatures, true names hold power."

Fred and George nodded in agreement. "Says she's probably the only living person who knows their true names." George put in.

"They've watched over her family for generations."

"They stick to one family..."

"Like house elves..."

"And when she left home, they sent one with her..."

"And the other with her younger sister..."

"But about thirty years ago, the other returned to her..." George said, and they dropping their eyes sadly, making the implications of what must have happened to Kulia's sister apparent.

There was a bit of an awkward silence after that. It was suddenly broken as the door opened and Arthur Weasley came in. They all greeted him enthusiastically, trying to shake off the momentary gloom that had fallen over them.

Arthur took the open seat at the head of the table, and the house elves quickly started carting in the food. Delse looked around, noting that Molly was not yet there. She opened her mouth to tell the house elves to wait, but Arthur caught her eye and gave his head a shake. She sighed, dropping her eyes.

Harry caught the silent exchange and sighed deeply.

The twinscaught it as well. They looked at eachother, settling back in their chairs irritably, then looked back over at their father. "Mum still playing merry hell over lunch?" Fred asked moodily.

Arthur looked over at them and cleared his throat a bit uneasily, "She... informed me of your little _discussion_ when I got here..."

"And?" Ron prompted.

Arthur took a deep breath and let it out, "It's apparently not a good idea to agree with the twins." He replied with a grim smile. He glanced over at Delse, "Would you happen to have a spare bed or couch...?"

"She gave you the boot? Over that?" Harry asked, shocked. Arthur and Molly Weasley were the closest couple he knew. For _them_ to be on the outs was... disturbing!

Arthur smiled at him, "It's far from the first time she's needed some 'time alone' for the night, Harry, believe me! No need to fret."

"This is all my fault..." Delse said, twisting her napkin pensively.

"No!" Arthur said immediately, "Don't you dare blame yourself. This is none of your doing, and besides, Molly will come around." He said resolutely.

"But what if she doesn't?" Harry asked sadly.

Arthur's smile was a bit warmer this time, "She will. Trust me, I've gotten to know her a bit over the years. Getting kicked out of the bedroom for the night is probably the best sign I could have hoped for under the circumstances. It means she knows she's wrong. Otherwise, she wouldn't have let me leave until she'd informed me in _great detail_ of every single reason why she was in the right."

The other Weasleys grinned, having all been through that oncountless occasions in their lives.

Harry looked him over, still feeling guilty, "Well you should at least take my suite for the night."

"Does it have an extra room?"

"Um, no... it's a single, but you can have the bedroom." Harry reassured him.

"Nonsense, Harry. I wouldn't dream of putting you out. Does it have a couch?"

Harry blushed, glancing over at Delse. "Umm... I'm not sure... I've never actually been in it..." He said, thoroughly abashed. Delse's cheeks were coloring as well. A number of barely concealed snickers came from the others.

"Oh... I see..." Arthur said, flashing him a smile. "In that case... um... thank you, Harry. I believe I'll take you up on that offer."

The meal went rather well after that. The jovial atmosphere reasserted itself as they told Arthur all about their quidditch match, and carried on right through desert.

"Well..." Delse said as she set her napkin aside. "You kids probably want to do some of that celebrating you spoke of earlier, so I suppose it's about time for us parental types to make ourselves scarce." She said, leaning over and giving Harry a kiss.

He looked at her, surprised, "I don't have to stay..." He started.

She waved it off. "Nonsense. You have fun, Harry. One of the house elves can lead you back when you've all finished your little celebration. I'm a bit tired anyway, so I hope you don't mind if I don't wait up. It's been years since I played Quidditch quite that enthusiastically!" She said, rising. "Besides, I'd like to show Arthur and Narcissa the preparations the House elves have been working on for the wedding..."

Narcissa looked thrilled, getting up right away. Arthur rose as well, but his smile looked a bit forced.

The rest of the 'kids' followed Blaise as he led them off in the other direction. They wound up in one of the smaller rooms. It looked much like a common room. There were comfortable chairs and cushions all around, and a huge roaring fire that gave it a very warm, cheery atmosphere.

They all ignored the couches and such since they were so widely placed around the room, grabbing up cushions and pillows and settling in a rough circle in the middle of the floor. It made it much more intimate and friendly. The 'festivities' consisted mostly of butterbeers, Fire whiskey, humorous gag candies that Blaise supplied quite literally by the crate (many carrying the Twin's logo), and the telling of a great many stories. Of course Blaise only allowed Pansy a non-alcoholic version of butterbeer he'd had specially made for her. She tried to object, but he just snogged and fondled her into submission. She was much happier after that and made no further objections. It didn't really taste any different anyway, and she quite enjoyed watching the others getting pissed as a newt.

The stories got more outlandish and risqué as the amount of alcohol consumed increased, though even the eldest Weasley boys held back a bit since Ginny was in the room. Draco even threw in a couple of stories, though not of his _own_ escapades of course.

Finally, the twins got to their feet a bit unsteadily. "We should be heading back." Fred declared with feigned sadness.

"Wouldn't want Kulia to have a cold bed..." George added with a wink, making the others chuckle.

Draco rose, giving Ginny a hand up, "We had best be off as well." He said. He and Ginny had been drinking butterbeer, but only very sparingly, and were still pretty much sober.

"Aw come on Draco..." Blaise whined, slumping over and staring up at him up-side-down with a smirk. He wasn't really that wasted yet, only having just started in on the fire whiskey himself a few minutes before, but he had enough in him to be feeling playful, "Don't be a killjoy!"

Draco chuckled and shook his head. "Sorry, but it's time for Ginny and I to go get a little _fresh air._" He said with a grin, holding his hand out.

Blaise sighed with obviously false somberness, "Very well..." He said, then fished in his pocket, pulling out a couple of charms on chains. "If you must." He said, holding them up and dangling them tantalizingly.

Draco rolled his eyes and managed to nab the charms. He slipped one over Ginny's head, the other over his own. "You all have fun then." He said, giving them a nod and turning.

"Oh master..."

Draco paused, looking back. Harry was sprawled back on his cushion, smirking at Draco, his eyes once again glowing.

"May I play with them master? _Please?_" he asked with a smirk.

Draco narrowed his eyes. "Play with them how exactly?" He asked warily.

Harry sat up, "I just wanted to show them a game... a _demon_ game... it's called _Memory_..." he said with a wicked smirk.

"Like that Muggle children's game?" Ron asked curiously, his voice slurring slightly.

Harry chuckled softly, "Not quite... I wouldn't suggest it for children... wanna give it a go?"

"I dunno..." Ron said, looking over at Draco. "It safe?"

Harry looked up at Draco, batting his eyes imploringly, "Please Master? I swear I won't hurt them." he asked in an imitation of a pleading child.

Draco gave an amused snort. "Fine, if they want to, go for it. But no hurting them in any way, shape or form! That means no mental trauma or anything like that either!" he said sternly.

Harry gave him a sloppy little salute. Draco just rolled his eyes again and led Ginny out.

"Mental trauma...?" Bill asked, smirking, "Just what kind of fucked up game is this?"

"You have to try to find out." Harry said, grinning like a cheshire cat.

Bill gave a snort of laughter, downed another swig of fire whiskey and sat up a bit unsteadily. "Ok... what the Hell. How do you play?"

Harry let out a laugh, clapping his hands, then rubbing them together. "All right then! I get to guess what you would like to see... and I show it to you! Then you tell me if I guessed well..."

Bill blinked at him, looking confused. "Show me how?"

Harry crawled over to him, having consumed a bit too much fire whiskey himself to trust his legs. He settled down in front of Bill, then reached out, taking his head in his hands. Bill just blinked at him, too wasted to even think to be afraid of what this demon might do to him. Harry pressed his fingers against Bill's temples and Bill's eyes went blank and slid shut.

Ron sat up, a bit of alarm seeping through the liquor haze that clouded his mind. "Hey! What are you doing to..."

He trailed off as Bill's eyes suddenly sprang open and refocused as he let out a giddy laugh. "That was bloody brilliant!" he crowed.

Harry grinned at him, dropping his hands. "One point for me." He said with a grin.

"What was brilliant?" Charlie asked, becoming a bit more alert.

Bill was still laughing, "I just shagged some cute little blonde Hufflepuff! In the Quidditch supply shed no less!"

Harry was chuckling. "She was really quite amenable... I did her quite a number of times... all as different guys!" He looked over at Charlie, "Would you like to 'meet' her?" He asked, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"What?" Blaise asked, looking confused.

Harry rolled his eyes. "You didn't think I spent all my time in this body, did you? Especially after that deadly dull summer! I got tired of toying with Harry's Muggle family and their friends right quick..." He smirked, "I did enjoy totally fucking up his Aunt and Uncle's sex life though! He'll never be able to please her like that again!" He said, laughing. By the look that passed over his face, they could tell Harry hadn't known about that before, and found it disgusting, but at the same time extremely amusing. He finally settled down again, demon firmly in control, continuing where he left off, "Anyway, I spread myself around quite liberally once he finally brought me to Hogwarts... I mostly liked shagging the girls... but I let the boys have a go at me from time to time as well... I was actually rather fond of _you_..." He said, smirking at Blaise, "You were always more than willing to oblige, even if I had no real reasonable pretense for shagging you!"

Blaise's eyes went wide. "I shagged you?" he asked, shocked.

Harry laughed. "Not Harry of course, but me, yes. Actually I've even been in you a time or two. I just observed though... I still got the full effect, but I didn't even have to _make_ you do anything. I mean you provided me with all the entertainment I desired without even being prompted! It's so refreshing to be able to shag without having to keep the host subdued at the same time. That's so distracting and irritating. Not that they don't enjoy it too, you understand... but their minds keep constantly fighting to understand _why_ they're doing it."

Ron and Pansy were looking at Blaise in shock.

Harry gave a snort. "Oh don't look at him like that! I've been in you two as well. Well, Ron was rather boring, seeing as he was a virgin at the time, and disinclined to change that, but he had very interesting dreams... Pansy, well you, my girl, are truly a gem." He said, placing his hand over his heart and bowing his head respectfully.

"You were in _me?"_ She asked, wide eyed and paling.

"In more ways than one..." He said with an evil smirk, "I've been hanging around Hogwarts all year. Just because you all had no clue I was there doesn't mean I wasn't! I've been in just about every student that attended this year... and a couple of the teachers... The underclassmen were rather boring of course... stealing a kiss and running off giggling at most, but once you got to third and forth years it started getting much more interesting! Fifth and above... well I don't know how they have time to study! You have no idea how very sexually active Hogwarts is until you skulk around in the shadows there for a bit... they always seem so prim and proper on the surface." He said, shaking his head ruefully.

Charlie cleared his throat, making Harry looked back over at him. "I believe I was promised a Hufflepuff?" He prompted with a smirk.

Harry grinned, shifting over and taking Charlie's head in his hands. After a moment, Charlie laughed, sinking back against his cushion. "Bloody Hell! That was amazing! And who the Hell _was_ I? I was hung like a bloody dragon!"

"You possessed _Goyle?_" Pansy asked, surprised.

Harry let out a laugh. "Point to Pansy!" He said mirthfully.

Pansy turned bright red as the others laughed.

Harry crawled over to Ron. "Your turn." He said as he settled down before him.

Ron pulled back nervously as Harry reached for him. Harry sighed, "Oh come on... You heard me swear to Draco that I wouldn't hurt any of you, and that's binding. Besides, Harry wouldn't let me hurt you anyway. In fact, he picked this memory special for you... Well, with the promise I wouldn't make him watch of course..."

Ron still looked reluctant, but let him take ahold of him. As soon as Harry released him again, Ron turned beet red, looking thoroughly embarrassed, but at the same time nearly giddy, covering his mouth and snorting with laughter.

"What did he show you?" Blaise asked curiously.

It took a few minutes before Ron could make himself stop chuckling and lower his hand. "You... you shagged me..." He said, smirking at Blaise, then starting to snicker again.

Blaise furrowed his brow. "_I_ shagged you? When?"

"I don't know when... but it was in the back room of the Library." Ron said, still unable to stop snickering.

Blaise looked puzzled, "But I've never shagged anyone in the... oh, well there was that once... but..." He looked over at Ron sharply.

Ron snickered harder, nodding his head.

"You were a _girl?"_ He asked incredulously.

Ron nodded again and they all broke out into laughter.

"Next!" Harry said, shifting over in front of Blaise.

Blaise looked a bit wary, but it wasn't as if he was going to turn down trying any form of shagging! He took a deep draft from his bottle of fire whiskey, swallowing the burning fluid with obvious effort (and a little coughing fit), then taking a deep breath and letting it out, "Just do it." he said, closing his eyes.

"This is a very special present, just for you!" Harry said as he took Blaise's head in his hands. Blaise took a few moments longer than the others had. When Harry lowered his hands, the others waited for Blaise's reaction. Blaise opened his eyes, then reached out and took Harry's head in his hand, leaning forward and firmly planting a kiss right on his lips, then let him go, leaning back his head and letting out a loud whoop. "I shagged Professor Oblique!" He crowed ecstatically. "I've been trying to get in those knickers for _years!"_

Harry smirked at him, wiping off his lips with the back of his hand. "Not that _I_ didn't enjoy that, but Harry requests that you never do that again."

Blaise just laughed.

"Who were you?" Ron asked curiously.

"I was one of those bloody Aurors that were hanging around the school! No wonder she got away when they went after the teachers!"

Harry shifted over again. "Pansy...?" He asked, holding his hands out.

She looked reluctant. "And you're sure this won't hurt the babies...?" She asked warily.

Harry grinned. "It's just memories. Nothing more."

She glanced over at Ron and Blaise, then back at Harry. "_Any_ memory?"

He grinned. "Any I possess. Do you have a special request?"

She reluctantly leaned forward, whispering softly in his ear.

He grinned. "Whatever the lady wishes..."

> > > > > > > > > > >

The pale moonlight caught their breath like clouds of glimmering mist swirling around them as Draco and Ginny sat on the bench in one of the many gardens, deeply immersed in a rather intense snogging session. Well, Draco was sitting on the bench. Ginny sat astride him, only her knees resting on the cold bench. It hadn't been very hard at all to convince her that she'd stay warmer that way. She could certainly find no fault in the theory... she felt _very_ warm at the moment...

She broke the kiss with a giggle as his hand worked it's way under her bra. "Draco!" She said mirthfully, "Not out here!"

He grinned at her wickedly, leaning forward and kissing and teasing the side of her neck in a way he knew drove her to shivers. She gave a shudder, pressing closer as she let out a little moan.

They suddenly heard a little trill and the sound of something tromping through the garden towards them.

Draco let out a slightly frustrated, but most amused groan, pulling his hand out of her shirt and resting his head on her shoulder. "He found us..." He sighed as Tiger scampered up, springing onto the bench beside them. He scampered around excitedly, giving them each a wet lick.

Draco chuckled. "No more, Tiger. We're _tired!"_

He sat down on his haunches and stared over at them with big blank eyes, letting out little imploring whimpers. They had taken him with them for the flight, taking him up high and letting him jump off and glide down on his own. They thought he would enjoy it... which he did... and they had hoped it might tire him out so they could get a decent night's rest... which it most definitely didn't! If anything, he seemed charged up now. Draco hugged Ginny tighter. Tiger had kept them up most of the night, only finally letting them fall asleep around dawn. And he had insisted on sleeping between them.

It was adorable, there was no doubt about that, but Draco wasn't sure he could take another night of it. He desperately wanted to have a little 'alone time' with Ginny, but during the day there was a house full of Weasleys to worry about, and he couldn't even think of doing anything with her with Tiger in the room, staring at them. It would be like shagging in front of a kid brother!

But how could you say no to that face?

Draco took a deep breath and sighed it out, lifting his head. "We should probably head back. We've probably been out here a good couple hours. They might start getting worried."

Ginny sighed as well, nodding and getting up. She shivered and pulled her winter cloak close around her as the cold air rushed in. She sighed as she looked over, seeing how far they had wandered from the Manor.

Draco moved up to her, hugging her from behind. "Tell you what..." He whispered in her ear, "I'll give you a ride if you return the favor when we get back to the room..." He said, smirking wickedly as he kissed her neck.

She giggled. "That sounds like a pretty good deal..." She said, turning her head and letting him capture her lips briefly before she stepped away. He glimmered and changed, then strolled up to the bench as she climbed up on it. She threw her leg over and slid onto his back easily from that height. He folded his wings over her legs and started off towards the Manor, Tiger romping along at his side.

They had spent most of the nightly flight on their brooms, since Draco had only been able to managed about five minutes or so flying with her on his back before his wings had been too tired. Darien had assured him that his wing muscles would build up quickly enough if given regular exercise, but since they had no real correlating musculature in his human form, they were in effect brand new muscles. His leg muscles on the other hand were just fine, having a direct correlation to his already developed human leg muscles, so it was nothing to carry Ginny long distances on the ground in his Thestral form.

Ginny felt his wings tighten on her a bit and grinned, leaning forward and wrapping her arms around his neck as he took off, giving Tiger a race. They tore across the grounds, weaving though trees and down winding garden paths, even hurtling some of the miniature hedges that lined some of the paths. They were just short enough for Tiger to clear properly, and he let out an excited trill every time he managed to take one.

Draco took a long, winding path back to the Manor, taking a good fifteen minutes to reach it. By the time they got there, he was a bit winded. Tiger was panting as well, but looked rearing to have another go.

Ginny dismounted and went around, stroking her hand down his velvety snout. She broke into a grin as she looked at him. In the light coming through the windows, she could see his eyes clearly for the first time. They were not a solid dark as she had thought, but a deep chestnut brown with swirls of light gray flowing through it. She chuckled. I figured. They matched the irises of his human eyes, but since it was Darien who first mastered this form, his eye color dominated. She wondered if they would shift to a more even distribution of color once Draco became more acclimated to this form.

She giggled as Draco suddenly returned to his human form, leaning forward to steal a kiss. He then knelt down and ruffled Tiger's mane. "Well, that was a great run, but we'd better get some sleep. Good night, Tiger." He said, giving him a pat and rising. Tiger scampered along beside him eagerly as he turned and started for the door. Draco sighed. He really didn't want to hurt the little Thestral's feelings.

He knelt down again, catching the colt's attention. "Tiger... um... we really need to get some sleep tonight. We humans sleep during the night time and are awake during the day. We can't just stay up all night like you can..." he said softly.

Tiger flicked his ears, looking a bit confused, glancing between Ginny and Draco.

Draco took a deep breath, seeing the necessity to spell it out a bit more. "Maybe you should stay with your family tonight. We'll see you tomorrow!" He added quickly as the little colt's ears wilted down. "I mean don't you miss being with your family? They've made a right nice little nest and everything. It looks really comfortable... I'm sure you'd like that better..."

The Stallion, who had come up behind them, let out a somewhat exasperated huff as Tiger let out a little petulant whining sound. He strode up, let out a sharp screech, rearing up slightly and stomping his forepaws on the ground quite audibly.

Tiger started, not having seen his approach, then perked up. The Stallion wheeled around and tore away at full speed. Tiger let out an excited trill and skittered after him, obviously forgetting all about Draco in an instant.

Draco chuckled, getting up and brushing off the bits of dried grass and dirt that had sprayed him. He watched them for a moment as they dashed across the grounds, then turned back to Ginny. "Problem solved I guess." He said with a grin

She slipped her arm in his when he offered it, and they went inside. There was a very relieved house elf awaiting their return.

"Oh Middy is thanking Merlin you is coming back!" The house elf quavered, tying and untying the little decorative bow on her dress nervously (Diamond had obviously brought all the spare clothing she had to give to the Zabini elves, and by now there were no tea cozies to be seen),"You is being gone so long Middy is getting worried!"

Draco grinned at her, "Sorry about that. Needed more fresh air than we thought. Please make sure the Thestrals are let back in when they wish to be."

The elf immediately bobbed her head so briskly she had to put her hand up to right her small bonnet. The local wildlife was leaving them alone, since Thestrals are non-aggressive creatures, and therefore extremely unlikely to pose any kind of threat, but he didn't like the idea of them getting locked out and having to fend for themselves in the forest. Just because they didn't pose a threat didn't mean a Vipertooth wouldn't decide to make them into a meal if it came across them sleeping in the forest! And Blaise didn't have any charms made for Thestrals, even if they would want to be saddled with such things. Besides, their little nest really did look comfortable. Well, there was actually nothing little about it, it being large enough for all three adult Thestrals to curl up in comfortably. The house elves, who seemed able to predict the needs of even the strangest of guests, had provided them with more cushions, pillows and down comforters to fashion it with than any one household should have.

When Middy just stood there, he prompted her, "Well, lead the way..."

"Um, yes sir. Of course sir. Middy is just wondering where it is you is wanting to go? Is you returning to the party sir?"

Draco blinked. "Is that still going on?"

Middy started toying with her bow again. "I is not sure, sir. Master is not asking for us to be guiding his guests back to their rooms yet, sir, so Middy is supposing it must be."

Draco furrowed his brow. "Take us there first then. I should check on them."

Middy bobbed her head again and hurried to show them the way. When they arrived, she opened the door and stood back. Draco looked down in surprise. The cushions and pillows were now heaped in the middle of the room, and everyone was sprawled there, obviously fast asleep or passed out. All except for Harry. He was the center of the pillow and people heap. Ron, Blaise and Pansy were on one side of him, Blaise with his head resting on Harry's stomach, Pansy's on Harry's shoulder and Ron with his head on Blaise's chest. Charlie had his head resting against Harry's other shoulder, Bill had his head on Harry's chest. Harry was grinning over at Draco as he entered, idling stoking Bill's long ginger hair.

"Why master... come to join the party?" He asked softly, smirking and looking just about as contented as Draco had ever seen him.

"They had better be alright!" Draco growled.

Harry lifted his hand, pressing a finger to his lips as Pansy stirred in her sleep, cuddling closer. He grinned at her, then looked back up at Draco. "Of course they are. I told you I wouldn't hurt them and I didn't. I've just been making some friends..." He said, stroking Bills hair again. "You sure I can't have one? Just _one?_ Come on... Harry passed out over an hour ago so he'd never even have to know, and this one is just too sweet..." He said, looking down at Bill with a smirk. "And very open to new ideas..."

Draco rolled his eyes. "No. End of discussion."

"You sure they're ok?" Ginny asked pensively.

"Well, we'll soon find out." Draco said, clapping his hands together loudly. "Up! Come on!" He yelled loudly.

This was quickly answered by irritable groans and squirming from the pile, and an exasperated sigh from Harry. "You really _are_ a killjoy, Master."

Blaise managed to spot Draco, though his eyes were a strange mix of normal and opalescent. "Draco...?" He murmured. "What's with the racket?"

Draco went around, looking down at Blaise. "Mental orgy is over. Time for bed."

Blaise giggled, "Hey Draco... I've been thinking..." Blaise said, his voice a bit slurred from the fire whiskey, "Maybe I should just keep ahold of the demon for you... for... um... safe keeping..."

Draco let out a snort of laughter, looking over at Ginny, "Well, Blaise's acting normal at least."

Harry chuckled, "Hey, I wouldn't mind that at all..." He said, brushing a few errant sprigs of hair from Blaise's face, "And I'm sure Harry wouldn't mind being bonded to a certain Zabini..." He said with a wicked smirk.

"Fuckin _brilliant_ party!" Bill chuckled, not bothering to move his head. "You have the best bloody party games in the whole bleeding _universe!"_ he said, chuckling again as Charlie sat up unsteadily, blinking around.

Pansy sat up quickly, blushing as soon as she realized whom she'd been cuddled up against. Her eyes looked clear and alert, just tired, which was a relief to Draco. She hadn't been imbibing that night, so if she'd been disoriented as well he would have been concerned.

"So everyone still mentally intact?" Draco asked, looking them over.

"Peachy." Ron sighed happily, cuddling up to Blaise with a smirk, not bothering to open his eyes.

Blaise, who had been gazing around a bit dazedly, suddenly giggled. "Hey Draco... did I ever mention your mum's hot? Impressive bristols for a woman that slim..." He said with a smirk, obviously staring at something.

"Hey! Don't be watching her when she's undressed!" Draco said, stepping in Blaise's line of sight.

Blaise giggled, smirking as he let his eyes trail down Draco instead. "Never said she was undressed! Not like I need her to be. I can see through bloody _walls_, Draco! What makes you think I can see _clothes?_"

Draco's eyes widened and he quickly moved to the side. "Eww..." He muttered, then looked up at the demon. "What the hell's with his eyes anyway? You do that?"

Harry gave a snort. "The original curse, of course. But this..." He said, vaguely indicating Blaise's half-shifted eyes as he tilted his head around, trying to find someone else to look at, "Not my fault! He's just pissed out of his mind." He said, shrugging.

Blaise started giggling again as Bill and Charlie got to their feet, looking at them upside-down, his head still resting on Harry's stomach "Bloody Hell!" He said giddily, "Are _all_ the Weasley men hung like that? _Brilliant_ gene pool..."

Ron just snickered, reaching up and covering Blaise's eyes with his hand.

> > > > > > > > > > >

AN - This was one of the hardest chapters to write that I can recall! Not that what I have here was hard, but I got stuck on the first scene. It sat at a bit over two pages since monday... I wasn't able to add more than a paragraph or so on Friday... I finally decided screw it and rewrote it from the off. It was the direction it was going that stalled me I think. Not to mention I tried getting a little sleep this last week since I put in 49 hours at work. Agh! Ok, the paycheck should be decent, but it was still a rough week. Well, I finished roughly mapping out the next couple of their days, so hopefully it will go a bit smoother. We'll just have to wait and see though, eh? These irritating teens have the tendency to take the bit in their teeth and romp off wherever they please! It can get frustrating. Oh, and I got some stuff to deal with this week, so if it still takes a while, oh well. I ever mention I'm not very eloquent or tactful when tired? ZZZzzzzzzzzzz...

WHEN THE BLOODY HELL DID THIS THING START REMOVING MY DIVIDERS? ARGH! (sighs) well, at least I noticed this time. HopeI didn't have too many chapters with just a single dash for the dividers. That sux! The divider I have in here now is the only one I've found that it allows.

**A-nother-mouse **- no, I don't know of any other fics with Ron paired with Blaise... but I get the feeling more will follow ;P

**anonymous** - thanks for the definitions... as for marking the Slash... I _do_. I always mark the beginning of any chapter containing Slash (or even regular smut). If you're asking me to mark every chapter in which they so much as _kiss_, or if you're asking me to break into the body of the chapter with additional warnings, I'm afraid you're out of luck. Not gonna. The Slash isn't abrupt! I usually make it _very_ readily apparent that it's about to occur, so just drop down to the next divider at that point.

**Lyskaelyn** - no, I don't have a beta. Being a Virgo, I'm a bit of a perfectionist, and feel that I am my own worst critic, so why do I need another one? (grins) Besides, if I have errors, it's because I put these out so soon after completing them, but if I were going to take the extra time that would be required to email the chapters to someone, then wait for them to find time to look through them and get me feedback, then going through and changing what needs changed, I might as well just spend that time proofreading my own work. But seeing as either way it would delay the publishing of each chapter by at least a couple of days, I didn't think the people here are willing to wait that much longer at this point. Are my chapters really that atrocious? I mean, ya, I make some mistakes, but I mean I didn't think they were _that_ bad! If they are, just say so and by all means, I will take the extra couple of days going over them first! As for schnoogle, I had honestly never heard of it before your review. I only glanced at it really, but I may be looking into putting this on there as well... but not until I finish it... and do a lot of editing ;). I'll have to find some way to work the author's notes in as well, so the people there don't have the same questions all over again. I will also have to look into their rules and such... Do they have the same kind of writer/reviewer interaction there?

**All** - This site is currently the only site I post to. If you have other sites you think I should look into, tell me! I spend my time _writing_, not searching the web for new sites! Just remember that even in reviews, you can't put web addresses without it wiping them out. Either write them out (like fanfiction dot net) or just email them to me. Thanks.


	58. Chapter 58

A/N - Chapter contains some adult stuff and some possibly disturbing stuff.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Chapter 58

The high the demon had been feeling began to ebb as the house elf led him back to the room. It kept glancing back at him, and it reeked of terror, though it led him diligently back to Delse's room as it was told to without question. He had just begun to feel something he never had before... accepted. It was probably best that the little creature was there to remind him of who and what he was.

With Harry out cold, he was able to control the body much better. Alcohol didn't have nearly the effect on demons, in or out of hosts. Still, he found himself stumbling slightly a time or too. It irritated him to no end when the simple change in his pace made the house elf squeak and skitter away from him. It quickly let him catch up and pretended it hadn't panicked once it saw he wasn't grabbing for it or anything of course. He was almost tempted to take a swipe at it just for the Hell of it, but somehow he didn't think Delse would appreciate it, so he squelched the impulse.

When they reached the room, the house elf stood to the side of the door, awaiting any further requests or orders. He just stood there, staring down at it. After a moment, the elf looked up, visibly trembling with fear.

"So..." He said conversationally, "What did you do to draw this duty?"

"Sir?" The house elf asked uncertainly, it's eyes surreptitiously darting around to make sure it had plenty of open escape routes.

He leaned against the doorway, the movement making it start slightly. "Did you fuck something up in the kitchen? Do a substandard job dusting? Miss a spot when waxing the woodwork or something stupid like that? Or did you just draw the short straw? I'm just curious."

"I... I is not knowing what you is meaning sir..." The elf said, its trembling increasing under his scrutiny, its big ears pressed down so close to its skull that it almost looked like an odd little bald human, its already huge eyes open so wide they looked as if they might spring out at any moment.

"Just wondering how you got stuck with demon duty. Must suck to be you, eh?" He said with a little smirk.

The house elf's eyes were darting around, and it looked near panic.

He sighed deeply, rolling his eyes, "Scram before you piss yourself." He growled, pushing the door open. It was down the long corridor and well around the corner before the door even shut behind him.

He grumbled to himself, popping off a few buttons in irritation as he started getting undressed. Harry had taken a quick shower after the Quidditch match, but he felt like taking a nice long hot shower anyway. He glanced over at the bed as he passed through the bedroom. He paused, letting his eyes trail over Delse's sleeping form. The fire had been well stocked, so she only had a thin blanket on. If she was wearing anything under it, it wasn't much.

He quickly stifled the groan of longing that tried to escape him. He pulled his eyes off of her and quickly made his way into the bathroom. Once inside, he dropped the rest of his clothing carelessly on the floor. He hoped they would make that sniveling house elf clean the room. He grumbled to himself. What had he ever done to the elf? Any of them for that matter? He'd never even so much as glared at one. They certainly didn't act nearly so bad when Harry was in charge of the body. It was like they could sense him.

He carefully placed the striated crystal necklace on the counter, then turned the water on, turning up the heat until it steamed nicely. He stepped in under the jet of water and groaned happily as the heat began soaking in. His master's strict rules didn't allow for many pleasures when he was in control of the body (the game that night being a notable exception of course), but a nice hot shower was certainly near the top of the very short list afforded him.

In demon form he couldn't stand water, the mere sight of it making him cringe. From what he'd seen of the other demons the Malfoys had once kept, it appeared to be a common phobia. Of course that might just have been the _Malfoy_ demons. The Malfoys had learned early on about demons' tendency to sink in water, and would occasionally use this knowledge as punishment. They had certainly used the method on him. _Five times_ he'd only narrowly escaped a cold, watery death at their hands. It was possible they might have eventually fished him back out after he lost consciousness if he hadn't been able to escape... but then again, they were _Malfoys_. They might have seen it as an indication he was weak and let him die.

Despite that, when he was in a host he seemed to be almost _drawn_ to water. Perhaps it was one of those human instincts he didn't understand... or possibly just the knowledge that in his human host, his true form was insubstantial and the human flesh was buoyant. He had even become a rather good swimmer over time (but only when in human form of course).

He put his head directly under the rushing water, tilting it down slightly so he could breath, just enjoying the feel of the water coursing over him. He sighed as the pounding of the water began washing away the bad mood that had settled in him. He remembered the game and smiled.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his back. Instinct instantly took over and he jerked away with a cry of fear, spinning and almost winding himself his back hit the cold tile behind him so hard, his head ducking down as his arms sprang up to guard it. When no attack came, he cautiously lowered his arms, quickly slapping the wet hair out of his eyes.

Delse stood there, looking shocked by his reaction. "I'm sorry..." She said quickly, "I didn't mean to startle you!"

He gasped for breath, wiping the water off his face, his cheeks burning as he studiously kept his eyes off her. "I'm fine." He muttered, moving over, staying close to the wall and reaching for the sliding glass door, "It's all yours."

"Harry, wait! I said I was sorry..." She said, slipping her arms around him from behind and hugging him, kissing his shoulder lovingly.

He let out an aching breath as he felt her warm bare skin pressed up against him. It would be so easy to stay quiet and just let her do whatever she would have with Harry... so very easy... He flinched at the sudden, splintery pain that blossomed in his chest at the mere thought. "Stop!" He gasped.

She released him, leaning around to try to see his face. "What's the matter?" She asked, her concern growing.

"Not... allowed..." He gasped, then started breathing a bit freer as the pain in his chest eased.

She pulled back some, "Demon?"

He nodded his head in chagrin.

"But why are _you_ there? Where's Harry?" She asked worriedly.

"Passed out cold." He muttered a bit irritably. If Harry was awake they could have been snogging her by now... a few more minutes and he could have had her on the bed, slaking the lust that her mere presence ignited within him on that beautiful body. It wouldn't have been quite the same as doing it himself, but it would have been _something_. He mentally nudged Harry's unconscious soul, but there was no waking it. He'd very nearly polished off an entire bottle of fire whiskey all on his own, and he was a bit of a lightweight to begin with. If he hadn't had the demon in him, he probably wouldn't have made it past a quarter bottle.

"Oh..." She said softly.

The look of disappointment in her eyes made him look away again, staring studiously at the frosted glass of the door.

She was looking at him, "I guess I've just gotten used to your eyes glowing when it's... um.. _you_." She said a bit uneasily.

He sighed and his eyes began to glow. "Feel better now? They don't _have_ to glow. I just make them glow when I want people to know it's me. Well, that and they get that way on their own sometimes."

"You didn't want me to know?"

He gave a little snort. "If you haven't figured it out already, I wasn't exactly expecting you to hop in the shower with me!"

She blushed, embarrassed. "Sorry... I just... I mean I woke up when you were going into the bathroom... and after that Quidditch match, a nice hot shower sounded pretty tempting. I've already started stiffening up a bit, and I didn't think you... I mean _Harry..._ would mind the company."

He glanced over at her hesitantly, carefully keeping his eyes up on her face, "Are you hurt?"

"No... I just overexerted myself a bit. I'll just have Harry or one of the House elves put healing ointment on me in the morning." She said, rubbing her shoulder.

"Just call an elf now." He said, furrowing his brow. "No reason for you to suffer until morning."

She sighed, standing under the hot water. "I hate waking them. Even house elves have to sleep sometime."

He rolled his eyes. "I can think of one off hand that I could recommend for a little extra duty." He grumbled.

She looked over at him, surprised at the open irritation in his voice. "Which one?"

"The little rat that led me back tonight. He didn't bother to tell me his name."

"Did he do something to upset you?"

He sighed, "Just forget I said anything. I suppose I can't blame it for being terrified. I'm a _bloody demon_ after all." he said, forcing the words distastefully off his tongue.

"I would think you would be used to people quivering in terror in your presence by now." She said with a little smile.

He sighed, leaning against the cold tile wall, facing studiously away from her once again, "I should be. I just... for a time tonight I almost forgot that I'm supposed to be loathed by all that meet me." He replied bitterly, sliding the door open and slipping out, leaving her alone in the shower.

She remained in the shower for a while, soaking up the soothing heat and thinking over the odd conversation they had been having. The demon almost seemed... depressed. But demon's weren't supposed to get depressed, were they? Well, it wasn't as if she'd met many.

When she finally got reluctantly out of the shower she quickly dried herself off as the chill of the cold stone began permeating her, then slipped back into the sheer nighty she'd been wearing. She mentally braced herself, wondering if the demon would be waiting in her bed.

Much to her surprise, the bedroom was empty when she reentered it. She looked around curiously, and noted that the spare quilt was missing from the foot of the bed. She went over to the doorway, looking out into her 'common room'. A fire had been lit in that fireplace as well, and it was now burning brightly enough to cast wildly dancing shadows around the room. The large couch had been moved around, and was now facing the fireplace.

She approached it quietly, peeking over the back. He was laying there, curled up under the quilt with his eyes closed. She watched him for a moment, trying to discern if he was really asleep or not.

He let out a belabored sigh. "If you want me out of the suite entirely, just say the word." he said sullenly, "I'm sure there are plenty of couches around where I won't bother anyone."

She straightened, blushing a bit at having been caught staring. "No... that's ok. I was just... um... seeing if you were comfortable..."

"Wonderfully." He said in a dull, emotionless voice. "I left his wand in his bag beside the bed. I won't be insulted if you lock the bedroom door."

She sighed, then moved around to the side of the couch. He drew away, shifting up into a sitting position on the opposite end of the couch as she sat down, looking at him. He eyed her warily, wondering what she was up to.

He saw her eyes glance down, noting the bit of bare chest showing where the quilt had shifted off him some. "Don't worry. I'm wearing pants. It just bugs me the way shirts rub on his scars. He seems used to it by now, but I still find it irritating."

"Sorry I couldn't get more of them. I'm sure most of them will fade with time."

He just shrugged, "Doesn't matter. He doesn't seem to care."

"You know... I don't even know your name." She said, looking over at him curiously. She hadn't talked directly to the demon without Harry there since he returned Harry's soul to the body.

He eyed her for a long moment before replying, "I can't say I haven't been tempted to tell you, but it's going to take a bit more than simple temptation to get _that_ out of me." He said softly.

She looked puzzled, then her eyes brightened, "You're like the gargoyles!"

He gave a snort. "I'm nothing like the gargoyles." He muttered.

She smiled. "I meant that your name holds power over you, just as theirs do over them."

He shifted a bit uneasily. "Yes..." He admitted.

"Does Draco know it?"

He gave another rueful snort. "Not bloody likely!" He shifted down against the back of the couch, pulling the quilt up to cover himself more completely. "_No one_ knows my name. Our true name is the only thing we are allowed to deny our masters without suffering the consequences. It has never left my lips, no matter what lips those may have been." He said with a little smirk.

"Who gave it to you?" She asked, leaning her head against the back of the couch. "I didn't think demons had parents."

"I named myself." He said shortly. He took a deep breath and sighed it out as she continued staring at him intently, obviously waiting for more information. "Demons choose their own names once they are old enough to have a good feel for who they are. One foolish enough to give it away early on doesn't make it to be nearly as old as I am."

"Why would telling someone your name shorten your life span?"

"Someone who knows our true name can ask anything of us. If they told us to cease to be... we would."

Her eyes widened. "They could kill you with a simple command?" She asked, shocked.

He nodded, "Thus why we are not eager to share the information."

"But then why would any of you share your names with anyone? I mean why would you even come up with a name in the first place knowing what it could do if anyone ever got ahold of it?"

He shifted around a bit, definitely uneasy now. "It's not an option. It's in our nature to create one. We can't just _not have a name!_ It's a counterbalance in a way... we don't get our full powers without creating our greatest weakness. Probably some bloody wizard's idea of a built in safeguard that somehow got ingrained in the whole species over time. Maybe it's part of the conjuring process that brings us into being." He said with a little shrug. "Can we stop talking about this now? It's not exactly my favorite subject."

She flashed him a little smile. "Sorry. I just kind of... wanted to get to know you a bit better. You're a part of Harry now after all, and not a part he talks about openly on his own."

"With reason." He muttered darkly.

She furrowed her brow, staring at him for a moment. "What's bothering you?"

"He's still planning on leaving you at the end of the holiday. You know that, right?" He said softly.

There was a little flash of pain in her eyes, but she quickly looked away to hide it. "Yes, well that's what we agreed to, isn't it?" She said offhandedly.

He rolled his eyes. "I don't understand why he's being so hard headed about this. Why should my presence fuck up both of your lives?"

She looked over at him, surprised. "What do you mean? We'll both be fine."

He folded his arms across his chest under the quilt. "He won't be... and I'll wager you won't either."

"Oh honestly! We've only been together for all of a few days! It's not like we're married!" She said, rolling her eyes.

"Mmhmm. Ok. Whatever you say." He said in a tone that made it obvious he didn't believe a word of it.

She sighed irritably and shifted some, then winced, trying to cover her discomfort.

"Ask me for help." He said in exasperation.

She looked over at him, surprised, "What?"

"You're obviously in pain, but I can't lay a finger on you without your asking me to."

"Like what kind of help...?" She asked warily.

He rolled his eyes. "Contrary to popular belief, I didn't spent all my time with the Malfoys slaughtering innocent people at their whim and shagging. A number of them used me not unlike a house elf. I tended to their every need, which included their comfort. I can get rid of those aches and pains if you'll let me."

She eyed him for a moment, but if he was trying something dodgy, there was no trace of it in his expression. "Ok..." She said guardedly, "You can touch me, but for medicinal purposes only!"

"That's all I ask." He said, smiling and sloughing off the quilt. "Lay down on your stomach."

It made her a bit nervous having her back to him, but she complied. He shouldn't be able to try anything, of that she was sure... but when he was in close proximity she still couldn't quite banish her uneasiness. She tried hard not to tense as he straddled her. She took a deep breath, reminding herself that it was normal. How was he supposed to work on her evenly if he was sitting to one side after all? She'd taught Blaise to do the very same thing.

He chuckled softly as her muscles instinctively tensed when he placed his hands on her. Then he started gently massaging her neck. She relaxed a little. It felt pretty good... but it was no more than she would expect from a human. She didn't expect a lot to come of it, since he wasn't even using oil, but it was better than nothing. Her eyes started to drift closed, then sprang wide as she felt something cool penetrate her skin. She let out a gasp as a tingle shot down her spine. She could feel the muscles in her neck loosen and relax almost immediately. The coolness was gone again as quickly as it had come and he massaged the neck for another moment before moving down to her shoulders.

He continued that way down the entire backside of her body, massaging and sending little pinpricks of coolness into her muscles, almost like some kind of demonic acupuncture. By the time he finished her back, she felt like she was floating. She was so loose and relaxed that he had to help her turn over. He started at her feet, working his way methodically up her body.

She gazed down at him while he worked. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were burning brighter than the fire that warmed them. Still, his hands never lingered or strayed in the slightest. It looked as if he'd done this a thousand times before. Of course he very well could have.

He worked his way up, finishing up by gingerly massaging her face and scalp. She shivered, a moan of pleasure escaping her as the tingling coolness washed away the last hint of tension in her body. As his hands pulled away, they trailed over her neck. Slowly she realized that there was something hot and firm pressed up against her in a very intimate way. She glanced down and saw that she had somehow managed to shifted her legs up to either side of him, and he had now shifted down, resting on his elbows, his hips 'accidentally' pressing against her. She looked up at him. He gazing down at her with those burning eyes, looking caught in an internal struggle. As frightened as she'd been by the thought of the demon so much as touching her before, she found that she was surprisingly unopposed to the idea now. She knew he might try something at any moment, but at this point she really had no inclination to object.

She closed her eyes as he leaned his head down, capturing her lips in a surprisingly tender kiss. He quickly deepened it, his body settling down on top of hers. His tongue delved eagerly into her mouth as his hands began touching her in an entirely unprofessional way. He broke the kiss with a pained gasp, but then began kissing her again, his hands quickly slipping under her sheer nighty as he ground himself up against her. He shuddered, another pained sound escaping him, but refused to desist. She felt something cool brush her hips and then a slight yank and her knickers were suddenly gone. Her eyes sprang open as she felt tears dripping onto her cheeks. His eyes were clenched tightly shut now.

His body gave an involuntary jerk as he cried out in pain. But he slipped his arms around her, holding onto her possessively, tears of pain coursing from his eyes. Another hard shudder went through him and he finally released her, dragging himself off of her and tossing himself to the hard stone floor, where he thrashed in obvious agony, a shriek of pain escaping his throat.

She sat up, looking down at him in horror, not sure what she should do. "What's the matter?" she asked, reaching for him.

He let out a cry and scrambled away from her, dragging himself quickly to the nearest corner of the room. He dug his shadowy talons into one of the large, overstuffed chairs and yanked it over. It slammed into place, blocking off the corner.

She sat up, staring at the corner in shock. She could still hear his soft keens and sobs of pain. She approached the corner cautiously, then knelt down in front of the chair, lifting the throw that covered it and peering under. All she could see was the red glow of his eyes as he huddled down in the deep shadows the chair created. He looked to be laying on his side, rocking slightly.

"What happened? Are you alright?" She asked worriedly.

"Not... allowed..." He said in a soft, bitter voice heavily ladened with pain.

Her eyes went wide. "That _hurt_ you?"

"You think... we follow orders... because we _want_ to?" He asked in gasps, obviously still in a great deal of pain.

She sat up and looked over as the door burst open. Arthur Weasley was standing in the doorway, looking around worriedly. From the hastily donned robe and slightly disheveled appearance, he had obviously just awoken. He saw her on the floor and quickly started towards her. "What's happened? I heard..." He stopped, noting the gouges the demon's talons had left in the stone floor leading towards the corner. It was obvious he immediately made the connection. "Did it try to hurt you?" he asked, looking her over with concern.

"No... he just... he kissed me... but he's not allowed to... the demon that is... Harry's passed out from the party." She tactfully left off the part about him having been laying on top of her at the time.

Arthur got down on the floor, peering under the chair. The demon was trying to be silent, but it still didn't have itself completely under control.

"Good lord... are you crying?" Arthur asked softly.

"NO!" it snapped angrily, "Demons don't cry!"

"I see." He said, letting it go without contradiction. It was obvious the creature's dignity had been badly bruised. He glanced over at Delse.

She just sighed and got up, going over to the couch. She spotted her knickers laying on the cushion, both sides neatly cut. She quickly stuffed them between the cushions, making very sure her short nighty stayed in place.

Arthur was watching the glowing eyes again. They seemed oddly dim. Despite it's currently rather surly disposition, he couldn't help but feel sorry for it. Having raised so many children, he felt obliged to make some attempt to make it feel better. He decided perhaps small talk would help. "You know... Harry has a tendency to hide in corners when he's upset as well..." He said with a little smile.

"Gee, wonder where he got _that!_" the demon replied sarcastically.

Arthur blinked. It hadn't even occurred to him that Harry's behavior might have been a residual effect of his extended exposure to the demon.

"Harry's just fine." It growled, "So shove off!"

"What's going on?"

They looked over. Ron and Blaise were at the door. They were both obviously still quite liquored up, Ron helping Blaise keep upright, but Blaise's strangely half-turned eyes were fixed on the corner.

"What happened to him?" Blaise asked in concern.

"Apparently, he tried to disobey." Arthur replied grimly.

"Must we inform the _world?_" The demon growled in exasperation from the corner.

"Perhaps we should let him be." Arthur said, rising.

Blaise let go of Ron and made his way a bit unsteadily across the floor. He knelt down on the floor and negligently shoved the heavy chair away as if it weighed nothing. The demon was curled up in the fetal position, flinching away and tucking his head down to hide his face with his arms as the dim light of the room hit him. "I'm fine. Go away." He growled, his voice muffled.

"You lit up like bloody fireworks!" Blaise said, looking at him sadly, "Saw you all the way from my room down the hall. You can't tell me that didn't do damage... I mean look at you..." He said, reaching over and stroking his hand down his back. He could feel the demon trembling slightly.

It was obvious Blaise was seeing something beyond what the others were able to, because on the surface, he looked just fine. Well, other than the scars of course. Arthur stood there silently, but his eyes were fixed on the numerous scars that remained on Harry's back and arms.

Blaise settled down, reaching over and pulling the demon up into his lap, cradling him like a small child, stroking his hair. "You poor thing..." He said softly.

The demon lowered his arm a bit, peering over it at him, his red rimmed eyes looking a bit confused at Blaise's demeanor.

"We need to get you away from this cold floor and where it's warm before you catch your death." He said sternly, but with a smirk. He shifted up a bit, then thought better of it. "Ron... perhaps you should do the honors?" He said with a giggle.

Ron straightened from where he'd been slumping against the wall, but his father reached over, placing a hand on his chest to stop him. "I think perhaps _I_ should 'do the honors', and I think you two need to sleep it off."

Blaise laughed, "I wish I _could_ sleep it off. Haven't slept a wink since I go that bloody jumped up counter curse... well except for a bit earlier when I passed out, but I hardly think that counts." He said, lifting Harry's body up to where Mr. Weasley could get ahold of him without stooping too much. The demon just lay limply in his arms.

"Put him on the bed." Delse said, rising.

He looked at her in surprise. "_Your_ bed?"

"Yes, _my_ bed. It's the only one around, and that couch is hardly comfortable. Besides, it doesn't appear as if he's planning on trying anything else tonight."

Arthur sighed, but took him in, laying him gingerly on the bed. Then he stepped back as Blaise came over, sitting on the bed. The demon didn't even seem to have the strength to settle onto the bed properly. Blaise arranged him on the bed as Arthur stared in silence as the scars on Harry's chest that he hadn't been able to see before.

Blaise grinned down at the demon. "Comfy? I'd take you to my bed, but I think Harry would have something to say about it in the morning if I ended up shagging you, which I just might. I know I'm not supposed to shag anyone else right now because of this whole bloody Re'em rubbish, but right now I'm just drunk enough not to give a shite." He said with a little giggle. "That's why I'm staying out of my bedroom tonight. Poor Pansy's sleeping alone. I'd let _her_ have a go at you, because Merlin knows she could use a good shag, but I think then _my mum_ would have something to say on the matter..." He said with another giggle.

The demon furrowed his brow. "Not that I want to, but... you'd let me have a go at Pansy?" He asked incredulously, "But she's pregnant! Wouldn't you be afraid I'd hurt her?"

Blaise chuckled. "I think we picked up a bit more about you than you realize from those memories. Tell you what... you ever get out of Potter and manage to get yourself your own body, come around to see us. We'll give you a few new memories..." He said with a grin. He leaned forward, lowering his voice, "But then I know why you don't want a go at Pansy... and why you'll probably never show up on our doorstep... I saw the look on your face and the flash in your essence when Bill asked you to share _certain memories_... I find your little crush rather cute actually..." He shifted up, letting his voice return to normal, blithely ignoring the demon's shocked and indignant look, "But you have really got to be careful, you know. You have bits of Draco because he's your master... I can see it in your essence... and it shows up in your personality... like Draco's possessiveness... but bits of Harry are starting to bleed over into you as well... and you seem to be acquiring some of his 'qualities'... like stubbornness... impulsiveness... being a bit unconventional in matters of the heart..."

"I don't have a heart." the demon growled irritably.

"Really?" Blaise said, leaning down and pressing his ear to his chest. "Funny, sure sounds like one." He said with a smirk.

"That's Harry's heart, not mine."

Blaise managed to get back up into a sitting position, smiling down at him, "Whatever you say... but you also seem to have acquired Harry's tendency towards self-destructive behavior..." He said, lifting Harry's arm and running his fingers over the long thin scar that ran down it. "So just be careful, won't you?"

The demon pulled his arm away, holding it to himself and turning his head, looking studiously away from Blaise. "You're wasted Zabini. Go to bed."

> > > > > > > > > > >

The demon awoke sometime later. He didn't remember falling asleep, but the room was now much darker, the fire having burnt down to no more than tiny, guttering flames scattered about the remains of the logs.

He looked over and was quite surprised to see Delse laying beside him. She was just curled up there, watching him silently. She smiled when she saw that his eyes were open.

He sighed. "Just me." he muttered, "Harry's still firmly dead to the world."

Her smile just widened a bit. "I was kind of hoping he would be... we never got to finish talking."

He blinked. That was certainly unexpected. "Um... ok... what did you want to talk about?"

"Well, first how are you feeling? Are you ok now?"

He shifted around a bit, assessing the damage. "Well, I suppose I'm doing a lot better than I was earlier, but overall I've been better."

She nodded, then was silent for a moment before speaking again. "In the shower... when I hugged you... did that hurt you?"

He sighed, "Well... not that precisely... I... well I considered not telling you it was me... that's what hurt me."

"Mere thoughts can hurt?" She asked, surprised.

"If there's a chance I'll carry them out, yes."

"But my touch itself... that didn't hurt?"

"No." He said, studiously trying not to remember it.

"So... you can't touch me, but if I touch you it's ok?" She asked carefully.

He looked at her, furrowing his brow, wondering why she was so interested in the subject, "Of course... I mean what you do is beyond my control and therefore I can't be held liable for it. Why?"

"Just verifying..." She said softly.

Something in the way she was looking at him caught his attention and held it.

"Take your pants off."

"What?" He asked in surprise.

She folded her arms over her chest, "Are you going to make me repeat myself all night, demon?"

He immediately complied, doffing his pants.

She sighed in exasperation, "Skivvies too!"

He pulled those off as well, then lay back down and watched her, already pitching a rather noticeable tent, his eyes glowing brightly once again.

She sat up, pulling off her nighty and crawling over to him. "You should have just told me what was required... it would have saved you a lot of pain..." She said with a smirk, settling down at his side.

"I... I thought you didn't shag demons..."

"Trying to talk me out of it?" She asked with a chuckle.

"No!"

She smiled and reached over, running her hand down his chest and stomach, then flipping the blanket down. She gently caressed him, "A girl has the right to change her mind..."

"Of course..." He said as a shudder of pleasure ran through him, his eyes closing.

"I'm not planning on making a habit of it, understand..."

He quickly nodded, not opening his eyes.

"But it's not as if I haven't shagged this body dozens of times already... and you probably deserve a good deal of credit for the skill with which it has pleasured me... not that I wouldn't have shagged him without you... and I'm sure that would have been wonderful as well..." She said, her grip tightening on him, stroking him, "But I _do_ appreciate your efforts... So I suppose it's only fair that I should give you a little bit of pleasure in return..." He was panting, trying hard not to remain still. "Don't worry... I cast a silencing spell... no one will be interrupting us... Just make sure to tell me if you need me to do anything else first, _before_ you go off hurting yourself for no reason..."

"Yes ma'am." He gasped with a little smirk working it's way onto his lips.

She straddled his hips. "So be a good boy now and let me molest you..." She said with a wicked grin.

He grinned back, his eyes opening, glowing brilliantly in the near darkness, "Seeing as I'm not allowed to hurt you, I can't really see any way of stopping you..."

He let out a groan of pure bliss as she impaled herself on him. She saw his muscles tense, trying to keep him still and grinned. "Push up into me, Demon." She whispered softly. She let out a little cry of pleasure as he immediately thrust up into her.

As she started moving she grabbed up his hands that had lain there at his sides, placing them on her breasts, "Touch me, demon." She groaned. He eagerly complied, his hands roaming her body, expertly drawing moans of pleasure from her.

One of his hands slipped down and started rubbing her. She cried out, moving faster. She shifted down, resting her weight on her arms for leverage. She opened her eyes and saw his brilliantly glowing eyes staring back at her. A shudder ran through her, but she didn't slow. She found herself staring down at the strange eyes. He started thrusting up into her harder, her gaze obviously arousing him even more.

He wrapped his arms around her, coaxing her down on top of him. She saw the look on his face and immediately interpreted what he wanted, kissing him. He kissed her back with breathtaking abandon, shifting his legs up some and bracing them so he could thrust up into her while she lay atop him, the angle grinding him up firmly against her with every thrust, sending dizzying waves of pleasure through her. The next few minutes became a blur of pleasure, gasping for breath, groans and passionate snogging. Finally she thrashed in his grasp, breaking the kiss with a loud cry of ecstasy that echoed off the walls. He looked completely enraptured, staring at her avidly as he thrust hard into her while she tensed and shook, drawing out her peak.

Her mind was still reeling wildly as he pulled her back down, holding her tightly to him. He nuzzled up to her ear, "Pax." He whispered in a voice so soft she could barely hear it, though he was so close that the warmth of his breath tickled her ear. The word sent a strange sensation through her mind... like little pinpricks of hot and cold followed by a rush of warmth. She blinked, trying to gather her scattered senses.

The demon rolled them over, kissing her passionately once again as he shifted her legs into position and started shagging her hard and fast, sending almost blinding pleasure through her. She could do nothing more than hold onto him as took her body. Within moments, her body shook as another peak raged through her body, and still he continued his ardent onslaught. The world around her started losing it's focus, her body overwhelmed by the overload of sensations he was putting it through.

He finally cried out, burying himself in her and spending himself. The rush of heat flooding her sent another wave of mind boggling ecstasy through her, taking with it her last remaining grasp on consciousness.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Delse blinked her eyes open, trying to gather herself. She smiled and let out a sigh as she felt him gently kissing her neck. She ran her fingers through his hair as she tried to sort out what had just happened. It was obvious she hadn't been out long. Her heart rate and breathing had managed to return pretty much to normal, but she could still feel him inside her, and her skin was still damp with sweat.

Her eyes widened as she remembered something. "That was your name, wasn't it?" She said softly.

He lifted his head, giving her a little smile. "Not all of it... but a bit of it, yes... just enough to let me pleasure you properly."

"So... the rules Draco gave you...?"

"The rules of my master _in regards to you_ can be overridden by your desires. If you want me to make love to you, I can."

"If a single syllable could do that, why didn't you just tell me it before?" She asked, puzzled.

Even in the dim light she could see his cheeks darken. "It's not something given lightly, even in part. Even that small bit gives you more power over me than I'm comfortable with." He said softly.

She looked at him intently for a moment. "You didn't mean to tell me, did you?"

He quickly cast his eyes away, remaining silent.

She took that as a yes. She furrowed her brow, contemplating the name, "Isn't that a latin word? Something like slave..."

He clamped his hand over her mouth, cutting her off. "Don't speak of it! And for Merlin's sake, don't repeat it aloud, even when you are sure we are alone!" He said urgently, "Even that much in the hands of the wrong person could be my undoing!" She nodded and he removed his hand. He gave her a little smile, "Forgive me... this is... not a situation I've ever found myself in before... or ever really thought I _would_ be in for that matter."

She slipped her arms around him, smiling up at him warmly. "It's ok..." Her eyes widened as she felt him firming up inside her.

"No, it's not ok..." He said in a low voice as he smirked down at her, "I think I need to apologize properly..."

> > > > > > > > > > >

Harry awoke with a pounding headache. He felt very warm and cozy though. He shifted slightly, then opened his eyes. Delse was snuggled up against him, their bodies entwined and both quite naked. He blinked in confusion. He didn't even remember getting back to the room the night before, let alone getting naked and in bed with Delse. Certainly he couldn't have done anything with her when he was in that state!

Still... he couldn't help but wonder. He reached down between her legs, trying hard not to wake her. She smiled in her sleep, cuddling up more. He shifted back a bit and lifted his hand, smelling his fingers. His scent was unmistakable. He carefully disentangled himself, getting up a bit unsteadily, then quickly made his way into the bathroom.

He shut the door and leaned against it for a moment, then crossed to the sink, liberally splashing his face with cold water to clear it. He shut off the water, straightening up and staring at himself in the mirror. "Demon!" He hissed.

**_Yes?_** Pax replied, carefully neutral.

"What the bloody hell happened?" He demanded angrily, keeping his voice low.

**_What do you mean, 'what happened'?_** Pax inquired carefully.

"I certainly don't remember shagging Delse last night! I didn't, did I? And I want the truth!"

**_No._** Pax admitted.

"You're not allowed to touch her!" Harry said, his voice rising with anger. "Draco forbade it!"

**_Where there is a will, there is a way._** Pax said with a mental shrug.

"You _bastard!_ How could you rape her? After all you've..."

**_I DID NOT RAPE HER! _**Pax retorted angrily, cutting him off and making his head ring.

"Well letting her go on thinking it's me when it's not is pretty much the same thing in my book!" Harry growled.

**_That doesn't work, Harry. Trust me._** Pax replied coldly.

"How _could_ you?" he said, his voice dropping with an ache in it. "How can I ever face her again after what you've done to her?" he said, slumping against the wall and covering his face with his hands.

**_I've done nothing but give her pleasure. Why do you insist on believing that rape or subterfuge are the only ways I could ever possibly manage to have sex with a woman? _**

Harry flinched at the light tap on the door, his already throbbing head feeling ready to explode.

"Harry? You ok in there?" Delse asked with concern.

He sighed, reaching over and opening the door. Delse came in, looking at him with concern. "You poor thing! You look terrible! Your head must be killing you... let me see if I have something..." She said, going over to the shelves near the sink and pulling out a carved wooden box. She set it on the counter and opened it, looking through the many small containers of medicinal potions and ointments it contained.

"Delse..." He said softly.

She looked over at him, "Yes?"

He took a deep breath and sighed it out. He had to tell her. "Last night... when I came back to the room... that... it wasn't me." He said miserably.

She looked at him for a long moment, her cheeks going pink. "I know..." She said softly, turning her attention studiously to the box before her.

He stared at her incredulously. "What?"

She sighed deeply. "I knew it was the demon. He told me almost immediately."

Harry scrubbed his fingers through his hair, sure he must be misunderstanding the situation somehow. "You knowingly shagged the bloody demon?" he asked incredulously.

"Harry... you have to understand..." She said placatingly, reaching for him.

He jerked away. "Oh I get it just fine on my own, thanks! I'm just a little fuck toy to you, so why should it matter who's doing the shagging, right? He was probably a nice little change for you, eh? Why bother waiting until I wake up to get another shag?"

Next thing Harry knew he was seeing stars. He stumbled as he was shoved back hard and fell to the unforgiving stone of the floor as the bathroom door slammed shut with a resounding boom. He managed to sit up, feeling the brilliant red handprint on his cheek, utterly stunned. He flinched as he heard several things shatter against the wall inside the bathroom, and the unmistakable sound of sobs. After a moment, the sobs were drowned out by the sound of the shower.

He just stared at the door numbly.

**_Confused?_** Pax asked in a soft, kindly voice, **_Women can be so hard to understand. Let me help you out, since I have, in fact, been inside the very heads of countless women. What you just said to her translated roughly into 'I think you're a nymphomaniac, and a heartless ice whore at that.'. Women don't take kindly to that. Come to think of it, demons don't take kindly to that either..._**

Harry suddenly found himself sprawled on a cold stone floor with Lucius Malfoy standing over him. He had a sadistic sneer on his face that bordered on maniacal as he raised a Quidditch beater's bat over his head. He swung it down and Harry shrieked, though his voice didn't sound like his own. Lucius struck him again and he felt his arm shatter. He tried to curl up to protect himself, but it did no good as Lucius rained blow after blow on him with bone crushing force. After a while the agony started melding together into a sea of overwhelming, unending anguish, only pulsing slightly with each fresh blow.

When there was no more fight left in him, Lucius flipped him over, smirking down at him. He knelt down beside him. "Well, I can't say it hasn't been fun, but you appear to have outlived your entertainment value..." Lucius said lightly, tossing the small bat aside negligently and acting as if he were merely bidding a tea guest farewell. "You know, I've been told that I have a bit of an anger control problem... can't see as I see what they are talking about, and none who have mentioned it ever repeated the _baseless accusations_, but one suggestion that was made struck my fancy. A healer mentioned it actually. He said I should take up a hobby. Now, hobbies can be such a time consuming process, and I'm a very busy man as you can imagine, so I settled on _collecting_ as a hobby. Seemed like the most practical choice, really. That same healer was kind enough to help me get my collection started as a matter of fact. So... I hope you won't mind if I add to my collection... I truly doubt they will be of any further use to you..." He said, pulling out a long, wicked looking dagger. "Be a good sport and try to stay still. I prefer nice even edges and for the whole set to stay intact of course..."

Another shriek ripped from Harry's hoarse throat as Lucius grabbed ahold of his choicer bits and began slowly, methodically cutting away at them. His body was too thoroughly broken to do more than twitch and jerk. It was agony beyond anything Harry had ever imagined before. Lucius just kept cutting at the same slow, meticulous pace for several long minutes, looking completely unperturbed by Harry's pain.

When he was finally done, he got up and crossed to the sink. He rinsed off his prize, then carefully put it into a waiting jar of some yellowish fluid and capped it. When he was done washing up his hands, he took the jar and left with it, inspecting it like a new treasure, not even bothering to finish Harry off.

Harry just lay there in the dark, slowly bleeding to death...

Harry gasped and sat up, clutching his head. His hand then immediately darted down between his legs. He gave a ragged sigh of relief.

**_Like that?_** Pax asked softly, **_Because I have several dozen more memories just like it. Hundreds if you don't require them to involve castration. And then there are the rapes... but of course I've accidentally given you a taste of those already, haven't I? You know, even I, with my amazing memory, cannot tell you exactly how many of those I've endured. You tend to lose touch with reality after the first dozen or so men have their way with you in one night... often pass out... But don't you worry, it will be enough to keep you well entertained for a good long time._**

"You bastard!" Harry shrieked, wiping the tears from his cheeks angrily, "You're not allowed to hurt me!"

Pax gave a snort, **_That hurt me as well. Never said it didn't. You're absolutely right, master did forbid it... but that wasn't a physical form of hurting you, so it didn't hurt me that much... and that only cost me a couple of seconds of pain. That level of pain I can withstand for a good long while. You hurt Delse again and I'll prove it to you! Now get in there and apologize to her you little bastard! _**He hissed angrily.

"You do anything like that to me again and I swear to God I'll make you pay!" Harry growled.

**_Oh yeah? Well FUCK IT! You can't touch me without hurting yourself, which would suit me just fine, and by the time master's powers finished me off I will have filled your bloody loaf with so much pain, suffering and horror that you will spend the rest of your days curled up and rocking back and forth on one of the nice little white beds in the spell damage ward of St. Mungo's!_**

"You wouldn't kill yourself just to get back at me!"

**_Try me!_** He hissed.

Harry sat brooding silently for several long minutes, listening to the impassive rush of the shower.

**_She's in love with you, you insufferable jackass. Not that you deserve her, but she seems to want you._** The demon whispered irritably in his mind.

Harry rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah, right. That's why she shagged _you!_"

**_Oh for Merlin's sake! We got to talking and I'm just such a bloody pathetic creature she felt sorry for me. For Merlin's sake, it was a pity fuck! She would have told you as much herself if you'd let her! _**

Harry mulled that over for a minute. "Still... she's not in love with me. We only just met like a week ago!"

**_So? Only took you about two days!_**

"I'm not in love with her!" Harry retorted angrily.

**_Yes you are._**

"NO I'M NOT!" He growled.

**_You can't honestly be this bloody deluded._** Pax said disgustedly.

"Fuck off!" Harry said, rubbing his throbbing head.

**_Fine. Probably best you aren't, really. _**Pax said offhandedly.

"And why is it best?" Harry asked in exasperation.

**_Well, I don't know about you, but I haven't heard much out of that bathroom but running water for a while now._**

Harry lowered his hands, looking over at the door in question, "What's that supposed to mean?"

**_I'll let you figure that out yourself,dumbass. I just hope your happy now._** Pax ended softly, then fell silent.

Harry started getting a very uneasy, anxious feeling in the pit of his stomach. The demon was just fucking with him. He was sure of it.

He got up.

He couldn't stand just looking at the door and wondering.

He went up to the bathroom door and turned the knob. It came open. He took a deep breath and pushed it open. The steam of the shower swirled around him. There were several shattered bottles near thefar wall, filling the room with the pungent odor of fragrance oils. He walked slowly over to the shower stall. The glass was thickly frosted and clouded with steam as well, but he could vaguely make out out a form crouched down in the corner. He opened the door and the steam flowed out, temporarily blinding him. When it dissipated, he looked down at her.

The bottom suddenly fell out of his world.

Delse lay there, slumped in the corner, eyes open and sightless. There was a large piece of broken glass laying beside her hand, long gashes down both arms, though there was barely enough blood left seeping from them to tint the water that rained down on her.

He let out a cry of anguish, dropping down and grabbing ahold of her. Sobs wracked him as he clutched her lifeless body to him. She just lulled against him like a ragdoll, feeling unnaturally cold despite the heat of the water.

He clutched her body to him, rocking back and forth and trembling, sobs wracking his body, "NO!" He cried, "Please no! You can't leave me!" He sobbed wretchedly, "I love you! Don't leave me!"

**_That's more like it. _**Pax whispered softly in his mind. **_But I'm not the one who needs to hear that._**

Harry gasped, sitting up and looking around, his mind in chaos. He was laying on the bedroom floor, and he was dry again. He sprang up and ran to the bathroom door. His heart caught as it opened when he turned the knob. He looked around, trembling with fear. The fragrance oil bottles lay shattered against the wall, the steam flowing around as the cloying scent assailed his nostrils, just as it had before. He felt numb as he approached the shower. His heart caught in his throat as he saw her vague form in the corner of the shower through the glass, a few bright drops of blood coloring the stone just outside the shower door.

He slid open the door, waving away the steam as it swirled out. His heart gave a wild lurch as he saw two beautiful dark, red-rimmed eyes looking up at him in surprise.

He dropped to his knees, not caring in the slightest that the action bruised them. She let out a surprised sound as he snatched her up into his arms, pulling her into his lap as he slumped down against the wall.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." He sobbed, holding her so tight it was almost a struggle for her to breath, "I never meant to... I was just jealous and hurt, but it was no excuse... oh Delse..." He said hoarsely, sobbing into her hair.

"What happened Harry?" Delse asked, alarmed.

"I came in... and there was broken glass... and blood..." He sobbed, still unable to stop trembling.

Her eyes teared up as she realized what he must have thought. She slipped her arms around him and held him as he sobbed against her. "One of the bottles cut my shoulder... I'm alright..." She said soothingly.

He pulled back, looking at the cut on her shoulder and letting out a slightly giddy laugh, then gave her a breath stealing kiss. When he finally broke it, he held her to him again, "I love you Delse... I'm _in love_ with you... please forgive me..."

She let out a little sob, holding him closer. "Of course I forgive you... I love you too..." She said in a soft, aching voice.

Harry captured her lips again, kissing her fiercely. When she finally broke the kiss, she smirked at him, "But if you pull that shite again, I'm going to have to kick your arse, got it?"

Harry grinned, kissing her again.

**_You tell him!_** Pax whispered mirthfully in his mind, **_You know, you should be glad I actually like you Potter. I could have made that _traumatic_ if I wanted to..._**

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - that took a bit longer than I thought. Will be more variety in the next chapter ;) It's after 1am now, so I'm looking at less than five hours of sleep as it is, so this will have to do. Sorry if there's errors. Itis REALLY fusking with my upload too, so if there's any missing punctuation or stupid stuff like that, chances are it's not my fault ;)

**Tinas74 - **If Delse, the demon and Bill had a threesome and Molly found out, I do believe she might well spontaneously combust! (giggles)

**Gjess86 -** everyone disliked the demon before because Lucius was his master, which made him a bit of a sadistic bastard and he was trying to kill them. Therefore, I'd say that they had pretty legitimate reasons to dislike him.

**Flower444 -**The game... yes, the demon had possessed a great number of people, and he has a photographic memory, so in essence, when he was playing the game, he effectively 'uploaded' the memory of one of his experiences. So they would suddenly remember with perfect clarity, for example, being Goyle and shagging the Hufflepuff girl. It would be as if they actually had , sensed everything he had at the time, etc.. They were only observing and couldn't change anything of course, since it was a memory, but they got the 'full effect'.

**XxTimesStopsxX - **"heheh i love blaise, i want one" ... I was just wondering... are you commenting on Blaise wanting a demon being amusing, saying _you_ want a demon, or you want a _Blaise_? (giggles) Personally, I'd pick all of the above ;P

**SomethingsWicked -** could you spell out those site addresses or email them to me? It wiped them out.

**Erised - **Though 'swooped' sounds past-tense (sounded wonky when I tried making that part conform), the remainder of the sentence is present-tense (collecting, gathering, looking) so I stand by 'flying'. If I had said collected, I would have put 'flew'. And I usually _do_ eliminate repetitious words, but I did that chapter in like two days with a hyperactive kid bugging me the entire time and while sleep deprived. Just curious, you're a Virgo, aren't you? Not a knock, mind you. As I've said, I'm a Virgo. That's why I couldn't _not_ reply to that. ;)

**Sukara Zala - **Yes. Well, it _will_ anyway. Whenever these bloody teens will let me get there already! It was originally planned to occur around chapter 10 or 11! ;) Though I really _should_ get to it soon. I have been trying... but I'm just the writer. It's not like I have much say in it ;) This site has been getting progressively harder to work with though, and the number of chapters may be to blame. Now, when I finally get the chapter UP and FIXED (cause it likes screwing with stuff) then I can't edit the story to add the chapter until I not only close the window, but actually close my link to the internet entirely, and then dial back in! That is seriously the only way it has let me post the last few chapters. Still, I've been told that there are stories up here with over 100 chapters, so more _must_ be possible (not that I'm getting anywhere _near_ that number!)


	59. Chapter 59

A/N - Potentially disturbing stuff. Also adult stuff. Kinda. A little bit. Near end.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Chapter 59

A knock came at the door. Harry tried to ignore it, hoping that whomever it was would take the hint and just go away. They just lay there, lost in the kiss as her tongue caressed his lovingly.

He started slightly, breaking the kiss as a blanket was draped over him.

"Not that I mind looking at you naked, understand..." Ron said with a smirk, "But I thought you might want to cover up your little girlfriend. Besides which, it makes me feel a mite odd, seeing as I'm shagging her son..."

Harry looked over at him sharply as he sat down on the edge of the bed, then flinched at the suddenly movement.

"Head hurt?" Ron asked, holding out a small vial.

Harry quickly rolled over off of Delse, then sat up, careful not to uncover her. He snatched the vial out of Ron's hand. "Feels like the band from Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party is playing in my head!" He grumbled.

"Thought it might." Ron said with a smirk.

"You know," Delse said, carefully arranging the blanket around her, "Blaise has been a bad influence on you! You're already picking up his barging-in habit!"

Ron grinned, "I _did_ knock."

Harry finished off the small draught and recapped the empty vial, letting out a little sigh of relief as it started to go to work. He grinned at Ron, "You're lucky mate! If you'd have walked in about a minute earlier I would've had to give you a right pasting."

Ron chuckled. "I know. The silencing spell made knocking at the main door useless, but once inside the suite I could tell you were 'otherwise occupied' at the time, so I waited."

Harry gave a snort of amusement as Delse blushed. He reached out, swatting Ron on the arm, "Don't listen to us shagging!"

Ron just grinned. "I don't know what you were doing to her right there towards the end, but whatever it was, you've got to tell me how to do it!"

Harry rolled his eyes, "You don't need me. I'm sure Blaise can teach you plenty." He said, then settled back down, slipping his arms around Delse and cuddling up to her. "Well, thanks for the potion, but I believe we'll be having a bit of a lie-in today." He said with a smirk as he nuzzled up to her.

The mirth slipped away from Ron's face. "Listen... that's why I'm here... there was an article in this morning's Daily Prophet... mum's in a right state... I really think you need to get down there."

Harry sighed deeply, burying his face in the flow of Delse's hair that covered the pillow. "When are they going to get rid of that bloody bumph?" He muttered irritably. He sighed, lifting his head and looking over at Ron. "Honestly, if your mum's in a state I don't think we should be there. I mean she's already sore at me, so it'd probably just make things worse..."

Ron looked almost grim, and was no longer meeting Harry's gaze. "You need to come down. They're in the dining room off the kitchen." He said, rising. He looked down at Harry and sighed, "The article's about you, mate."

Harry's eyes widened, then closed as a groan of irritation emerged from his throat. "What did they say now?" He sighed.

"Just come and see." Ron said simply, then turned and left without another word.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Harry felt serious trepidation about going to the dining room as requested. He was sure whatever it was, it wasn't good at all, that much was easy to tell... but he couldn't think what that wretched Rita Skeeter could have possibly dredged up on him now. He wasn't even somewhere that she could watch him like a vulture, waiting for any slip or out of context quote on which to base an expansive and highly scathing exposé, which was her usual style of 'investigative reporting'. In the end, it was his curiosity that made him go. That was undoubtedly why Ron had refused to tell him... he knew Harry all too well.

He took a deep breath and gave Delse's hand a squeeze, then pushed open the door. The first thing he saw was Arthur and Molly Weasley standing near the end of the long table. Arthur was holding his wife and stroking her bright copper hair comfortingly while she leaned against him, her face pressed to his chest, obviously crying though she remained silent. Despite the woman's apparent distress, Harry couldn't help but feel a little wave of relief to see her in Arthur's arms once again. That was one upside to this at least. The others were all sitting around silently, no one wanting to make a sound. It was like walking in on a wake.

Arthur spotted them entering, then looked down at his wife, "Molly, dear..." He said softly.

She immediately looked around, her eyes red rimmed and her cheeks splotchy and damp from extended crying. The second her eyes fell on Harry she let out a cry, all but running over and wrapping him in a hug so tight he could hardly breath. She just held him and cried on his shoulder. Harry looked around, hoping someone would clue him in.

"Oh Harry dear!" She cried when she was able to master herself enough to speak. "I'm so sorry... I had no idea... how could I have been so wretched to you? You poor, poor thing! Can you ever forgive me?"

"I... I forgive you!" He said, beside himself on how to handle the distraught woman, "Just... calm down... I'm sure it's not as bad as all that! It's probably a load of lies anyway!"

But Molly wasn't listening to his reassurances. When she finally released him, she moved over and seized Delse, wrapping her in just as tight a hug as she had Harry, starting to apologize to her as well.

Harry had seen enough. He wanted to know what the Hell was going on. He spotted the Daily Prophet laid out on the table and hurried over to it, not giving Molly a chance to latch onto him again. As he looked down at the paper, he blinked in surprise. The headline across the front page read, "**Ministry of Magic or Minions of He Who Must Not Be Named?**" Below it, the page was divided in half lengthwise, taken up entirely by two lengthy articles. Shockingly, neither article bore the name Rita Skeeter. In fact, they bore no author's name at all. The only picture to be seen was one somewhat small picture of Harry that appeared to have been taken the year before. It made him look young and particularly sad and vulnerable.

The left half of the page was dedicated to what appeared to be evidence of the Ministry's hand in blocking the cure for Blaise's curse. There were no pictures, as apparently they didn't possess stock photos of Blaise (and it wasn't as if they could get onto his grounds to snap off few unless they wanted to get themselves eaten by Merlin knows what!). There was, however, what looked like a copy of an official memo signed by Cornelius Fudge himself commanding the immediate recall of the Erumpent tail supplies from all retailers, as well as interoffice listings of Auror duty schedules which mentioned surveillance of Dumbledore, Snape, the twins, Arthur, and even Molly for signs that they might be attempting to make a cure, with orders to take them into custody immediately if any solid proof was found. There was also what appeared to be a log of Delse's attempts to get a fair hearing on the subject, on the bottom of which was a hand written note from Fudge detailing his orders on what to do should more requests arrive. The orders consisted of various ways to 'lose' the paperwork by shunting it into dead ends. After that, the author wrote a detailed description of the effects of the White Wraith curse on its victims. It described exactly what stage Blaise reached before they were able to cure him as well. It brought haunting memories into his mind of Blaise laying there, little more than a withered husk. The description was quite disturbingly detailed... and accurate.

Well, that explained Molly's change in attitude towards Delse. No matter how she might feel otherwise, she was first and foremost a mother, and there is no way reading about how the Ministry had done them wrong, and what they had been forced to endure wouldn't hit straight home for her. Especially since Blaise had only been afflicted with the curse because he'd been blocking Ron. If he hadn't, her _own_ son would have been the one to be afflicted by that horrific curse. When Harry glanced up, he noticed that Blaise was oddly absent. Pansy was sitting on Ron's lap, the chair beside them empty.

He hesitantly shifted his eyes over to the other side of the page. The side with his picture. He was dying of curiosity, but at the same time had to force himself to look, fearing what it might say. It immediately explained, in no uncertain terms, exactly why Molly had gone to Harry first.

He stared down in shock at a very detailed listing of the testing done on him by the Ministry of Magic. Each entry listed the substance being tested, its properties, the historical basis for it being used to test Harry, and a very detailed description of Harry's reaction to the test. Many were followed by quotes of Fudge's comments as well.

Harry felt sick as he looked down the entries. He flipped the page and stared down numbly as the list continued, filling pages two and three entirely. He noted distractedly that the section on the historical basis for the tests kept getting smaller and smaller, then that category disappeared almost entirely by the bottom of page three. He flipped the page again. Harry looked over the pages incredulously. Page four was completely filled as well, the test descriptions finishing up about quarter way down the fifth page... but what drew his attention immediately was what took up the rest of page five.

Diagrams.

Harry stared down at the general outline of a human male, front and back. The little person was covered with neatly drawn lines indicating incisions, each numbered to correspond with its entry on the previous pages. It was all extremely thorough...

Arthur came to stand beside him, putting his arm across his shoulders comfortingly. "I can't tell you how very sorry I am, Harry. I should never have let them make me leave the room. I would never have thought them capable of such..." He trailed off, shaking his head as he gazed down at the diagram, at a loss for words.

"How did they get ahold of this?" Harry asked, still numb from shock, "I thought the Ministry said the notes were all lost..."

"Yes, well apparently not _all_... there's also a closing note on the next page..." he said, flipping the newspaper closed.

Page six was mostly taken up by a scathing editorial by Rita Skeeter, attempting to whip the Wizarding community up to get Fudge out of office even sooner than the election (Rather wishful thinking in Harry's opinion). That looked to be the theme of the entire remainder of the paper in fact. The top of page six, however, contained a small, plain note that looked to be penned by the anonymous author of the two articles.

I'm sure the Minister will write a scathing reply to these articles, denouncing  
them and finding some way to try to prove they are rubbish, but I assure you they  
are nothing but the complete and honest truth. I am _not_ running for Minister of  
Magic in the upcoming election, and in fact I doubt that my career in the Ministry  
has much chance of continuation at all at this point. That thought would have once  
horrified me, but now I see it as inevitable. I don't regret it in the slightest in  
fact. Not after seeing what I've seen.

On a personal note, I'd like to apologize to Harry Potter for airing his pain in such  
a public forum, but there really was no other way. People must know the truth or  
Fudge will never be brought to justice for what he has done. I have my doubts  
that it will really happen, even now, but at least I gave it my best shot. My  
conscience is clean. You will notice that that wretched Rita Skeeter woman has not  
set a single over-polished fingernail on either of these articles. After seeing what  
she did with my last comments, I made sure that would never occur again. For my  
part in that atrocious article, I once again apologize. Her libelous aspersions about  
Harry's character and sanity were wildly unfounded and I encourage him to pursue  
legal action, which is now provided for under the Author's Accountability Act. This  
time I was sure to obtain a blood oath from the publisher that my articles would  
be printed without alteration before handing over the information.

If, or actually I suppose I should say _when_, something happens to me, I have given  
the Daily Prophet permission to publish my name. This is feeble protection at best,  
but should the worst occur I want it known why. The highly confidential nature of  
this evidence will make the Ministry's list of suspects for the leak a short one at  
best. The paperwork on the testing was ordered to be destroyed the moment  
Fudge found out about Dumbledore's Administrative Accountability Act. A great  
many documents met their quiet end that day, let me tell you. It is by luck alone  
that I was able to procure and secret away the contents of these articles, the last  
remaining written record of what occurred on that day. I know full well that I  
have no real hope of avoiding their wrath much longer. Until then, I will keep my  
name to myself, hoping that this meager effort will protect those I love from the  
Ministry's retribution. I have done this _entirely_ on my own, without the  
permission, or even knowledge of my friends and family, and accept full  
responsibility for my actions. I pray the Ministry will take this into consideration  
and that their thirst for vengeance will go no further than myself.

Harry closed his eyes, trying hard not to cry. He knew that if he did, Mrs. Weasley would lose it entirely. "I can't believe he did this..." He said with an ache in his voice.

Arthur looked at him, his eyes widening, "You know who wrote this?"

Harry sighed, folding his arms across his chest and hugging himself, "I have a fairly good idea. He was there during the testing... He was the only one who looked upset at all by what they were doing. He hid it well from the others... but I could see it in his eyes... admittedly, I stared at him almost the entire time... I needed something to focus on... I'm sure it didn't help him remain detached... I suspected it was him from the comments in the last article, but this... it has to be him..."

"Who?" Arthur asked softly.

Harry shook his head. "I can't be sure it was him."

Arthur sighed and patted him on the back, seeing he wasn't going to divulge his theory. "Well, whoever it is, I hope he's being very careful. A thing like this could get someone in deep trouble. I've no doubt Fudge will call for him to be thrown into Azkaban straight away. Probably call it treason or some such thing."

"It didn't sound as if Azkaban is what he saw awaiting him." Harry said thoughtfully. He looked around at the others. They were all just watching him silently. Ron shifted Pansy over into an empty seat, then rose, walking over to him.

They stood there looking at eachother in silence for a moment, then Harry looked away, unable to watch the sadness in Ron's eyes. Ron stepped up to him and wrapped him in a gentle hug. Harry sighed, letting his head shift forward to rest against Ron's shoulder, but studiously held back his tears. The tears that seemed to be begging to fall were more of frustration than anything else. After the testing, he had felt he deserved what they'd put him through... now that he had finally started to regain at least a vague sense of self-worth, he had hoped it would all just be swept under the rug. The Ministry wasn't talking about it, and Harry could hardly bring himself to either. Overall, he'd been almost happy when they had said the records had been lost. It had seemed to almost make it as if it had never happened. Still, he knew Fudge should be made to pay... what made it most frustrating was knowing that now everyone would be looking at him differently, pitying him... well pitying him even more anyway... and yet in all likelihood Fudge would _still_ get away scott free.

Harry felt the demon stirring uneasily inside him. It had been oddly subdued ever since he'd apologized to Delse. The whole time he'd been with her, 'making it up to her', the demon had been silent. He had supposed it was just giving him the illusion of having some privacy, but it was very unlike him not to offer 'suggestions'. He'd also been feeling something... but it was vague and unnamable. He knew it was coming from the demon, but what could the demon be feeling so strongly that it bled through, even vaguely, and from what he could tell, without the demon even realizing it? It was almost a relief when he heard its voice once again.

**_I just wanted to note..._** Pax whispered in his mind, **_I only suggested numbers two through six. Amusingly uncomfortable, but overall harmless, _and_ with considerable historical precedence. Not to mention they actually would have _worked_ if I had been in you. Pomfrey was able to get those marks on the first try. I may be sadistic, but even _I_ wouldn't have suggested most of those... well, unless it was on Lucius. Fudge is one sick fuck. _**

Harry stifled a snort of amusement. Fudge was being called a sick fuck by a _demon_. Now _that_ was saying something.

After a minute, Ron released him, but he'd barely drawn a breath before Molly had him in her motherly embrace once again. It wasn't that he minded being hugged, but he was a bit too embarrassed at the moment to take much pleasure in it.

"Mrs. Weasley?" Draco said gently, coming to a stop beside them. "Might I have a word with Harry?"

Harry managed to catch sight of him. He was looking at them with a carefully neutral expression. Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about being hugged senseless if he went with _Draco!_ "I... I should talk to him..." He managed.

Molly released him with great reluctance. He glanced back as he followed Draco out of the room. She gave him a brave little smile, but he was almost certain she'd be back sobbing on her husband's shoulder at any moment.

The door closed behind them and he and Draco were alone in the vast kitchen. Well, except for the many house elves, who were looking at them curiously as they worked, cleaning up the breakfast dishes.

"Toddle off." Draco called over to them, taking a seat, "We'd like to have a private word."

The house elves all quickly set aside their work and scurried for the door.

Harry took a seat at the end of the long counter, looking over at him, trying to discern the reason for Draco's sudden interest in him. Suddenly something occurred to him. "You called me Harry."

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes. "It is your _name_, isn't it? And with the way she was carrying on she might well have thrown a wobbler if I'd called you Potter. I'm not _stupid!_"

Harry fell silent. She probably would have. Well at least _he_ wasn't treating him with kid gloves.

Draco looked back at him once he'd assured himself they were completely alone.

"What's this about, then?" Harry asked as Draco looked him over.

"I want to have a word with the demon actually." Draco replied.

"Oh..." Harry said. He got the odd feeling the demon was in trouble.

A smirk slid across Harry's face and he grabbed up a plate, depositing several biscuits from a nearby platter on it and pulling over the jam. "So what's the crack, master?" He asked mirthfully, slathering liberal amounts of blackberry jam on one of the biscuits, "You seem awful hot and bothered about something." He said with a grin, then took a generous bite of the biscuit.

"I heard about last night. You tried disobeying me." Draco said, watching him closely.

Pax gave a little shrug and smirked, taking another bite.

Draco narrowed his eyes, "So it's true then."

Pax swallowed the bite he had in his mouth. "Well it had to have been Mr. Weasley that told you. Blaise and Ron were so pissed they probably don't even remember, and Delse hasn't left my sight since. Surely you didn't think _he_ would just pull your leg, did you?"

"You knew what disobeying would do to you, didn't you?"

Pax sneered at him, "Don't be daft! _Of course_ I did! You think we demons just start out whipped and obey blindly for no reason? Believe you me, that is not something you forget! Haven't tried to resist that hard for a good three hundred years, but I knew full well what was coming. I had hoped I was strong enough to handle it now, but I guess I'm not quite there yet."

"Why would you do that to yourself just for a moment's pleasure?" He demanded angrily.

A little smile crossed Pax's lips. "Some things are worth it." He said softly.

Draco just sat there, watching in silence as Pax consumed another jelly covered biscuit with obvious relish. When Pax was done with that, he poured himself a glass of pumpkin juice and lounged back in his chair, drinking it and eyeing the rest of the food left over from breakfast. After a moment, he sat his glass down and snatched up a pair of tongs, using them to deposit a good dozen pieces of bacon on his plate. Then he picked up a piece, taking a bite. He let out an appreciative sound, quickly devouring the rest of the piece, then snatched up another.

Pax glanced over, noticing Draco's stare. He grinned, holding out the piece of bacon to Draco. "Want some? It's bloody brilliant! Just the right crispness!"

Draco shook his head silently.

"Your loss." Pax chuckled, settling back again and munching on his bacon, looking completely contented.

"You shagged her, didn't you?" Draco said. It wasn't really a question.

Pax's cheeks actually colored slightly, though he grinned at Draco guilelessly. "Quite thoroughly." he admitted openly, barely missing a beat.

"How?"

Pax's smile faltered, then he forced it back into place, "Does it matter? Didn't hear _her_ complaining, now _did_ you?"

"I want to know how you got around my very clearly stated command." Draco insisted.

Pax looked extremely uneasy now. He tossed the rest of the piece of bacon he'd been eating on the plate and grabbed up a towel, wiping his hands. "Don't worry. I don't plan on getting around your other commands." Pax said briskly, carefully not meeting Draco's eyes.

Draco set his jaw. "Tell me, demon. Now."

Pax glared at him, then winced. He drew a ragged breath as the splintery pain of disobedience filled his chest. He slid out of the chair, huddling down beside the counter, glaring up at Draco angrily, his eyes burning and full of pain.

Draco stared down at him, trying hard not to remember what his father had done to this creature already. He forced himself not to waiver in his determination. "I don't want to hurt you, demon." He said softly, "But you _have to_ _tell me._"

After a drawn out, and obviously very painful minute for Pax, he finally relented. "She started it. I just didn't stop her." He gasped.

Draco watched him suspiciously, "And she knew who you were at the time?"

Pax quickly nodded, still not meeting Draco's eyes.

"Well if that's the whole reason, why are you still in pain?" Draco asked shrewdly, noting the tremors running through him.

Pax let out a pained sound. He'd been hoping Draco would be satisfied with that partial answer and release him. "I told her part of my name..." He finally admitted in a whisper.

"What?" Draco asked, shocked.

"I TOLD HER PART OF MY BLOODY NAME!" Pax growled angrily, then drew a deep breath as the pain finally started to subside.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes, Draco staring at the demon as it glared pointedly away from him.

"You love her." Draco said softly, a hint of wonder in his voice.

Pax's eyes darted up to him and narrowed angrily. "_Demons don't love!_" He hissed in furious exasperation. "Why do you bloody humans constantly try to assign your own bloody feelings to us? We are completely incapable of such frivolous emotions. The only thing motivating me was _lust_. Carnal pleasures are one of the few things we understand. We're just _beasts!_ Malicious creatures who's only 'feelings' are anger, hatred and betrayal! From birth til death we bring as much chaos, destruction and pain as we are allowed, and nothing more. We have no redeeming qualities! Anything you think you see in us worth saving is nothing more than a reflection of our master's will."

Draco watched him for a moment before replying. "I don't believe that." He said softly.

Pax narrowed his brightly glowing eyes angrily, "Don't fool yourself into caring for me, _master_, because despite what I may have said before, I'd kill you in a heartbeat given half a chance. If you _ever_ find a way of killing me without hurting poor, precious Potter, I highly suggest you _do it!_ You'd have to be a complete, blithering_ IDIOT_ not to! Because we both know that as long as I'm alive there is an ever growing probability that I'll be in Lucius' control again. When that happens, you'll never forgive yourself for what I'll do." He said, glaring at him with poisonous promise.

They both stared at eachother in silence for a long moment, then they looked over as the door to the kitchen opened.

"Harry!"

"Oh bloody Hell." Pax growled as Hermione ran in. He looked up at Draco. "I'm not sticking around for this shite. Discussion over."

Harry blinked, then looked around, puzzled as to why he was crouched on the floor. He got up just in time to nearly be bowled over as Hermione flung her arms around him. He looked down in surprise, hugging her back. The subtle signs on her face of recently ended crying didn't pass his notice.

When she eased up on him, he looked over, seeing Snape and Dumbledore standing by the door, watching him in solemn silence. He could see Blaise through the open door, making his way over to Pansy and Ron. Well, that explained where he had been. As master of the house, it would have been rude not to meet them and welcome them in.

"I didn't think you were coming until tomorrow!" He said in surprise.

Dumbledore nodded, giving him a little smile, though there was a hint of pain in his gentle eyes. It was obvious not even Dumbledore had been allowed the knowledge of what had been done to him in the room. "Plans change." He said softly.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Draco walked down the hall, glad they were finally out of the dining room. It hadn't even been him they had been fawning over and he felt the need for escape. It was almost enough to make him feel sorry for Harry. Almost.

He smirked as he watched Dobby hurrying to keep up with Harry. There was a frail looking female house elf that had come with them as well. He recognized her as Winky, Crouch's dismissed house elf. He'd only seen her once, in the top box at the World Quidditch Cup, and she was so gaunt and wasted looking now she was hardly recognizable, but the fact that she was with Dobby and wearing clothing Diamond had most definitely not made gave her away. He certainly hadn't expected Dobby to take him up on the part of the invitation about bringing a guest.

He looked over in surprise as he felt a hand touch his shoulder. Dumbledore was walking beside him. "I was wondering if we might have a word?" He asked softly, making sure the others didn't hear.

Draco nodded, feeling a bit uneasy. The look on Dumbledore's face, though closely guarded, didn't bode well. Draco changed course and stopped at the nearest door. He opened it for Dumbledore, but Dumbledore paused, watching the last few others passing, then reached out and touched Narcissa's arm as she passed. She looked between him and her son, who stood holding the door, and caught on, going into the empty sitting room. When they were all in, Dumbledore turned and cast silencing and impervious spells on the door. Draco felt a coldness growing in the pit of his stomach.

When Dumbledore returned his attention to them, his expression was grave. "The unfortunate circumstances prompting that article were not the only reason for our early arrival. I'm afraid there has been a... _development_..." He put his hand on Draco's arm as he tensed, his wildly swirling eye widening in alarm. "It has nothing to do with the wedding. If it did, Ginevra and her parents would be here as well... this has to do with..." He took a deep breath and sighed it out, pulling his hand away, "The incident at the farmhouse." He said, dropping his eyes.

Narcissa quickly turned away, hugging herself and looking studiously in the other direction. It was obvious she had also been informed of the incident.

Draco felt his chest tighten. "The father?" He asked immediately.

"No... thankfully it looks as if he has a good chance of pulling through, though the medical procedures to restore him to his former health will be long and tedious. Cullis Tirova has dedicated almost all of his time solely to his care since you sent him over. I truly believe Cullis' dedication is all that has gotten the unfortunate man this far."

Draco swallowed, dropping his eyes. "What is it then?"

Dumbledore took a deep breath and sighed it out again, "The mother. It appears she is with child." Draco looked up sharply. "The child appears to be of Malfoy decent."

"What?" Narcissa asked, turning so fast she nearly overbalanced, clutching the back of a nearby chair in a death grip. "No. No, it can't be! It's not _possible!_ That bastard wears that bloody ring so nothing like this would happen while he's off committing atrocities and molesting children!" She said, sounding near hysterics. Draco tried to take her arm comfortingly, but she jerked it out of his grasp. "No! They've made a mistake." She said as firmly as she could.

"Narcissa, please." Dumbledore said softly. "The tests were conclusive."

"How could they know that?" Narcissa insisted. "They didn't exactly have him around to cast a Lineage spell on, now did they?" She was starting to sound like she was grasping at straws.

"There are other ways, Narcissa." Dumbledore said gently, "He attended Hogwarts. There are certain tests that all students go through upon entry. Records are kept. _Samples_. His blood was enough. If you still have doubts, you are free to test it yourself. If Lucius is in fact the father, a Lineage spell will show a sibling link between Draco and the child."

"I'm going to have a sibling...?" Draco said softly, still a bit shell shocked.

Dumbledore looked at him, his eyes filled with an intense sorrow. "No, Draco. You're not." He said, dropping his eyes, unable to meet Draco's gaze. He turned, walking over to the window and peering out it. "She wants to abort the child." He said softly, "As the child's closest legal blood relation, she just needs you to sign a document waiving your right to a blood debt for the child's death. Since you are still a minor, your mother's signature will also be necessary."

Draco sat abruptly, his mind in turmoil. He didn't understand the pain that knowledge caused him. The woman had been horribly wronged, and she had the right to get past it in any way necessary... He took a shuddering breath, his eyes oddly blurry. "It's not the baby's fault who its father is!" He said with an ache in his voice. "Why should it have to pay for what that bastard has done?"

"I talked to her myself." Dumbledore said softly as Narcissa went over, sitting beside Draco and wrapping her arms around him. "I tried to persuade her that it was not the solution. I pleaded with her to merely bear the child, and I would see that it had a home... but she is adamant. She's angry and distraught... she believes the child is an affront to her and her family and should die. In all honesty I cannot refute her right to her belief. Her girls... well they appear to be recovering. It's slow, but in time I believe they will be very nearly back to normal without much in the way of permanent damage... but the boy..." He sighed, falling silent for a moment before continuing. "Memory charms don't work on everyone equally... he has great magical potential... or rather he _did_... his own natural defenses are preventing the charms from being fully effective, and there is no way around them. It is obvious he retains most, if not all of the memories. He hasn't spoken a word since _the incident_. He spends most of his time curled up at his mother's side... the healers have tried everything. They admitted to me that it is almost certain that he will end up spending the rest of his days in the trauma ward. He's only eight..." he said with a slight catch in his voice.

Draco leaned forward, burying his face in his hands. After a moment, he took a deep, shuddering breath. "Is there nothing we can do to save the baby?" He asked softly without lifting his head.

Dumbledore sighed deeply. "You can try talking to the mother yourself if you wish. Her husband has just started a new treatment, which should run until Christmas day. She has requested the papers be signed so she can have the procedure done then. He should wake within a day or two after that, and she wants the child gone and her memory wiped before that happens. She says she can't face him while carrying the child of the man responsible for that tragic event."

Draco stood abruptly, "Let's go then." he said, his resolve firming.

Dumbledore turned back to him, his eyes looking very watery. He walked up to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. "I will take you on Christmas. In the afternoon after the festivities. She is unlikely to be receptive to your request before her husband is out of danger. I'm truly sorry this news comes at such an inopportune time. With the articles about Blaise and Harry, I have no doubt Fudge will try to find any way within his power to distract the members of the wizarding community. When he was at Hogwarts, he took all of our records. It was he who provided the samples for identification, so he is well aware of who the father is. If this doesn't make a late edition of the Daily Prophet, it will almost certainly make tomorrow's edition. I couldn't let you find out that way, especially since I have no idea how much truth will get into the article. I hope you will not let it ruin your wedding. You have the right to enjoy your union with Ginevra without the cloud of your father's misdeeds hanging over your head. What he has done to others is truly grievous, but I believe that over the years he has wronged you far more than any other. Don't let him steal the joy from your heart on the eve of the day you have waited so very long for."

Draco dropped his eyes, giving him a little nod. His eyes just wouldn't seem to clear, no matter how much he blinked. How many lives was his father going to ruin? And now it would cost yet another completely innocent life. The life of his first sibling. It may only be the bastard of his deranged father, but it was his little sister or brother as well, and he wasn't about to see his blood being murdered without doing everything in his power to stop it. How many times had he wished he had sisters and brothers? The moment news of the child had left Dumbledore's lips, his heart had latched onto the idea of no longer being an only child... of no longer being alone. In seconds he had become inexplicably attached to the tiny life that grew inside the belly of a woman he'd never even met... and in a few days that life would be extinguished without regard or mercy.

Dumbledore reached for him again, but he backed away, then turned and walked across the room, staring down into the fire that had sprung to life in the fireplace when they entered the room. "I... need some time alone." He said softly.

He stared intently at the flames as silence reigned for a few moments, then he heard them going to the door and leaving. The door closed behind them. He just stood there, trying valiantly to gather his emotions and store them neatly away, just as he'd always done before. He'd been finding it harder and harder of late. He idly wondered if he was simply running out of room in which to store them.

He started slightly, his eyes darting over as he heard something behind him. Snape was standing there, watching him, a great sadness filling his dark eyes.

Draco quickly looked back into the fireplace. "Get out. I said I wanted to be alone."

"No." Snape said softly, "I don't think I will."

Draco spun around angrily, giving Snape a hard shove in the chest. "GET OUT!" he shouted, half blinded by unshed tears. Before he could even blink them away, he found arms around him, holding him gently but firmly. He struggled to free himself, but the fight quickly died out of him.

"It's not much, but it's all I have to offer." Snape said with a little smile as he held him.

Draco just couldn't seem to stop the tears as they spilled over. He found himself holding on to Snape, sobbing on his shoulder like a child. They remained that way for several long minutes before Draco was able to get himself back under control. He sighed, pressing his forehead against Snape's now damp shoulder, wondering if this was what it was like to have a father who really cared for him. Snape may be sarcastic and emotionally reserved, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Snape had shown him far more paternal warmth than his own father _ever_ had. What he would have given to have Snape as a father instead. "Don't suppose you shagged _my_ mum?" He said in a half hopeful voice, a little smirk working onto his lips.

Snape just chuckled softly.

> > > > > > > > > > >

"Ow!" Blaise said, his hand jerking in Snape's grasp.

Snape rolled his eyes. "Stop being such a baby, Zabini. It's just a small cut. Besides, you're the one who was so insistent."

"There's got to be a better way than dicing people up!"

Snape just shook his head, carefully collecting several drops of blood in a vial, then casting a healing spell on the cut. "There. Now stop whining." He said, taking the vial over to where he'd set up his little portable testing kit on the table.

Blaise stayed perched on the counter, watching him intently.

After a few moments of adding carefully measured ingredients, Snape capped the vial, then shook it vigorously. When he stopped, the contents swirled, then turned a brilliant shade of purple. He held up a little color chart beside it, carefully matching the color, then sighed, setting them back down on the table. "I don't understand it." He said in exasperation.

"Understand what?" Blaise asked immediately, hopping down and crossing to the table, snatching up the chart and the vial, comparing them. He matched the color, but the entry beside it was just a number that was meaningless to him. "What does forty five hundred mean?"

Snape rubbed the bridge of him nose tiredly, "It indicates the concentrating of Re'em blood in your body."

Blaise set down the vial and chart, looking over at him pensively, "What was it before?"

"Forty _seven_ hundred."

Blaise looked from him to the vial and back again. "What's the safe level?" He asked anxiously.

Snape took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Fifty."

Blaise stood there, staring at him, completely dumbfounded. "But... but you said a week..." He said when he found his voice.

Snape sighed again. "I'm sorry Blaise. Your body should be purging it from your system, but it simply doesn't seem to be. At least not nearly at the rate it should be. I've never known it to stay in someone's system in this concentration for this long."

"But... I'm starting to feel tired! I am!" He said desperately.

"Your mind requires rest, even if your body doesn't. It is overcoming the initial rush of strength and should shortly be restoring your normal sleep patterns. I'm afraid tiredness doesn't mean it's going away."

Blaise started pacing, looking desperate and aggravated at the same time. "How do I get it out? How do I get rid of this bloody rubbish?"

"Who knows? It may continue to decrease at this rate, in which case it may well be a good several months or so... or you may eventually start maintaining a level, whatever level that is. It's entirely possible that you may simply have to get used to it."

Blaise spun on heels staring at Snape incredulously. "Like Hell! You said I can't be with Pansy until this shite was out of me!" he said, his voice rising angrily.

"Well I'm sorry if this puts a dent in your sex life, but there is..."

"_My_ sex life?" Blaise asked, looking a bit insulted at the implication he was just concerned about himself. He strode up to Snape, "I can shag Ron all I like. _My_ sexual gratification is not what's at stake here. Your _daughter's_ is!"

Snape looked away uncomfortably.

"I love her, Snape." Blaise said softly.

Snape sighed. "I know. I've known that for a good long while now. Any fool could see it when the two of you were together."

"She's not happy, Snape. _I can't please the woman I love._" he said achingly, "I can't live with that. I can't handle seeing that disappointment and longing in her eyes anymore. If there is no chance that I will be able to please her... I'm going to have to let her find someone who _can_... even if it kills me." He said, his voice breaking as tears started slipping down his cheeks.

Snape looked up at him sharply. One look in the boy's eyes told him he was being completely serious. He sighed, packing away his kit. "Let's not do anything rash. Some of us will be visiting St. Mungo's on Christmas. We'll take you with us and see if there's anything the healers there can do or suggest." He looked up as he clicked the case closed. "Will that suffice?"

Blaise sighed sadly, hugging himself. At length he gave a little nod. Snape just watched in silence as he walked slowly away.

> > > > > > > > > > >

The atmosphere for the remainder of that day was full of excitement and happiness over the upcoming nuptials, but at the same time subdued in the wake of the newspaper articles. Both Blaise and Harry seemed less than pleased at the extra attention the paper was getting them, and the others seemed to pick up on that quickly. Even Molly. By the time lunch rolled around there was a kind of unspoken agreement not to discuss it further.

Molly's demeanor towards Harry and Delse remained considerably better at least. With a bit of coaxing, the twins had even been able to convince Kulia to attend dinner with the family. Far from the hostility she appeared to expect, Molly made a special point of doting on her. Kulia didn't seem to know quite how to deal with that. At least with the help of Molly's tea and several soothing potions, she looked to be feeling almost normal again.

Dobby had been given the cold shoulder by most of his relatives initially, but after Draco gave them an angry glare, they warmed to Dobby a bit. They did seem rather confused by their master's attitude, considering Dobby had betrayed the family and been disgracefully _freed_, but they weren't about to cross him. Despite being technically guests, Dobby and Winky had insisted on eating in the kitchen with the other house elves during meals.

As Dinner began to break up, they moved to the sitting room again. The conversation was kept studiously light. After no more than ten minutes, Blaise patted Ron's leg. "I'm heading to the room." He said, keeping his voice low so he wouldn't interrupt Charlie's story.

Pansy sat up from where she'd been lounging on Ron's lap. Blaise quickly held out his hand to keep her from rising. "You two stay. Really. I'll see you later." He said, getting up and heading out.

Pansy looked at Ron, but he just shrugged, just as confused as she was. Pansy sighed, then settled back down, nestling up to him again as Charlie's story drew them back in.

They all hung around for about another hour before they came to the general consensus that it was time for bed.

As the house elves hurried in, eager to led their charges to their rooms, Delse went over to to where Snape and Hermione were standing. "You two will be in the Viridian suite. One of my elves will show you the way."

Snape's eyes widened and darted over to where Molly stood, just a few paces away. She saw the furtive glance and smiled grimly, walking over. "'Fraid the twins let the kneazle out of the bag the other day." She said, folding her arms over her chest.

Snape dropped his eyes looked decidedly uncomfortable, obviously bracing himself for a classic Molly Weasley outburst. Hermione turned beet red, glancing worriedly between them.

Molly took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Hurt her, and you'll have me to answer to! Hear?" She said firmly, then turned, making her way over to where an elf was waiting to take her and her husband back to their suite.

"Well now, that was relatively painless." Delse said with a smirk as Snape and Hermione stared at Molly's retreating back incredulously.

> > > > > > > > > > >

"What do you think is up with Blaise?" Ron asked worriedly as he and Pansy followed their guide back towards the room.

Pansy sighed, "I don't know. He's been withdrawn all day. It's just not like him."

"I think maybe we should talk to him..." Ron said a bit reluctantly. Blaise had a tendency to slip into his shell when confronted, so he didn't want to make him feel like they were ganging up on him, but there was definitely something troubling him.

They fell silent as they reached the room. They made their way straight into the bedroom. Blaise rarely used the other rooms. Ron came to a sudden stop as his eyes fell on the bed. Pansy let out a worried squeak as she spotted Blaise. He was sprawled out on the side of the bed wearing only a towel. She hurried over, checking on him, then gave a little relieved laugh. "He's asleep." She said quietly, brushing his damp hair away from his face.

Ron came over and smiled, feeling greatly relieved. "He must have just been getting tired today." He said, keeping his voice low to keep from waking him. "Gotta admit, I'm feeling a mite tired myself."

Pansy beamed. "About time I got my bedmates back!" She said, getting up and quickly doffing her clothes, pulling on her favorite little silk nighty.

Ron grinned, stripping down to the silk boxers Blaise had bought him. He went over, carefully removing the damp towel and pulling the covers out from under Blaise. He covered him up as Pansy crawled up from the other side, flopping down and snuggling up to Blaise with a contented sigh. Ron circled around and flicked his wand at the nearest torch, making the lights dim, then crawled into bed with them, cuddling up behind Pansy.

> > > > > > > > > > >

He was surrounded by blissful warmth. A throbbing, pulsing pleasure filled him as hungry lips kissed his. Soft warm skin pressed against him, filling his senses. Soft moans filled his mind as the pleasure intensified and sharpened.

Reality started invading his mind in a rush as pain shot through his back. Suddenly it crashed in on him as a voice cried out practically in his ear.

He jerked his head up, opening his eyes and trying to blink away the blurriness and sleep that clouded them. It was dark, and he was gasping slightly.

"Don't stop!" A voice panted pleadingly in his ear.

He shook his head, trying to clear it. The hot flesh beneath him undulated, thrusting up against him. Realization dawned abruptly.

Blaise scrambled up, feeling himself slipping out of her. He scrubbed his eyes, trying to make sense of what was happening. She was laying there, blinking groggily and looking around to see where he'd gone. Even in the dim light of the fireplace he could see a slight red mark on her hip where her knickers had resisted, but the strap had been snapped, the remains of her knickers hanging uselessly by their remaining strap on her opposite thigh.

She let out a piteous sound, reaching for him, but he jerked back out of her reach, then scrambled off the bed and ran from the room.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Blaise wasn't hard to find. Ron spotted him the moment he walked out into the Common Room. He was curled up on the hearth rug, still quite naked. Ron blinked in surprise, coming to a stop when he was close enough to see all of him. There was a house elf kneeling near his head, stroking his hair and murmuring to him softly, its squeaky voice as soothing as it could manage. Blaise barely seemed to notice it, staring intently into the fire, fresh tears still trailing down from his eyes.

Ron came over, sitting down behind him. "Blaise?" He asked softly.

Blaise curled in on himself, burying his face in his arms. "Go away." he muttered miserably.

Ron sighed, "Come on, Blaise. She's fine. It was an accident. She says it happens all the time when you two sleep together..."

"But it never used to be _dangerous!_" Blaise said, his voice aching and muffled. "I could have hurt her! I could have hurt the babies!"

"You didn't. She's fine. All three of them are." Ron said soothingly, stroking his hand down Blaise's back, carefully avoiding the scratches Pansy had left.

"We don't know that! What if that wasn't the first time tonight? She could have Re'em essence seeping into her as we speak!" He said, dropping his arms down to hug himself.

"It was the first time. You didn't finish in her if that's what you're worried about."

"How do you know?" Blaise asked in exasperation.

Ron blushed, "Um... just trust me..."

Blaise glanced up at him questioningly.

Ron sighed, his blush deepening. "Well you kind of left her in the lurch there... so I... um..." He cleared his throat, glancing uneasily at the house elf.

Blaise followed his gaze, then looked back at him, "What?"

Ron blushed brightly. "Um... don't you think you should... um... put something on?"

Blaise snorted, then lay his head back down, staring back into the fire. "Vincent diapered me. It's nothing he hasn't seen before." He said distractedly.

The small house elf gave Ron a bashful grin.

"Diapered you?" Ron asked, surprised, "Didn't your mum do that?"

Blaise gave a snort of amusement. "Father insisted it was unseemly for a woman of her social standing to take too much personal interest in the 'courser aspects' of child rearing. Vincent diapered me, fed me, bathed me, clothed me, watched over me when I was sick, later helped patch me up after father and I had our little rows... he pretty much raised me, just like Dobby did for Draco. Course I never ended up blaming Vincent for things he couldn't control like Draco did. I've always known there's no excuse for my father."

Ron's eyes went wide. "Dobby was _Draco's?_ I thought he was Lucius' servant...?"

"Only after Draco got mad and gave him the boot just before second year. He never would tell me what that was about, but I suspect it had to do with something his father did to him. That's where most of his issues come from. At least seeing Draco's life always made me feel a little better about having to deal with _my_ father. He was a wretched, evil, abusive bastard... but at least he wasn't _Lucius..._" he said with a faint smirk.

Ron shivered. It was chilly, despite the fire crackling away in the fireplace. "Come back to bed, Blaise. We can talk about this in there. I don't want you to catch your death."

Blaise sighed and shook his head. "I'm not going back to bed with you, Ron. Not until it's safe. If I ever did anything to hurt the babies, intentional or not, I'd never forgive myself."

Ron sighed deeply, "Blaise..."

"No." Blaise said softly before he could finish his argument. "Don't leave Pansy in there all alone. Go to bed, Ron. I'll see you in the morning."

Ron stared down at him in silence. He couldn't stand seeing that aching sadness in his eyes, but he could think of nothing to say that would make a difference. He couldn't deny that it would pose some threat to Pansy and the babies, and he knew by the slight tenseness in Blaise that he was ready to argue it if necessary. Blaise could be quite immovable if he wanted to be. At length he decided to just let it be for now.

Ron leaned down and kissed Blaise's cheek, then rose, giving Vincent a little nod and returned to the bedroom. Pansy was curled up on the bed, already fast asleep once again. He returned to his place at her side, spooning up behind her and laying there thinking, unable to recapture the tiredness that had let him sleep before.

They would definitely have to talk to Snape in the morning to see when Blaise would be back to normal. Ron had been feeling his own strength waning quite quickly in the last couple of days, and truth be told, he had nodded off briefly a couple of times the night before while Blaise was reading. Of course Blaise hadn't shagged him since the night before they left Hogwarts, so he wasn't sure if Blaise had stopped exuding the essence yet.

He lay there for a long time, just thinking over Blaise's problem, what tomorrow would bring, and life in general. Eventually he found himself in that somewhat dazed place between waking and sleep. He kept gazing around the dimly lit room, but his eyes seemed to droop lower and lower with each blink.

He watched, still half dozing, as Blaise walked back into the room. He was dimly aware of him standing beside the bed, staring down at them, and thinking he must be returning to bed...

... Ron blinked his eyes open. He looked around, wondering how long he had dozed. He looked on the other side of Pansy, but that side of the bed remained empty. He sat up, careful not to wake her, and looked around, ruffling his fingers through his hair. No Blaise. He blinked, trying to recall. He was sure he remembered him coming back into the room. He thought hard and found a vague, disjointed memory of seeing Blaise walking away, but not towards the door.

He looked over, trying to remember. He looked over in the direction he had gone, but there was nothing but the small closet door there. He squinted and made out a very dim light coming from under the door. He blinked in surprise. Did he keep it lit all the time? Surely he'd been asleep far too long for Blaise to still be picking out his clothing for tomorrow.

He slipped out of the bed, his curiosity drawing him on. He crossed to the closet door, then turned the knob as quietly as possible. It made a sharp clicking noise and he flinched, quickly glancing back, but Pansy barely even stirred. He turned his attention back to the door, pulling it open a crack and peering in. It was a closet, alright... and what a closet! There were rows of clothing hanging all along each wall, and another clothes rack running down the middle of the room. There was also a multi-tiered shoe rack under the row of shirts with at least forty pairs of shoes. He opened the door wider, looking it over in awe. The whole thing was lit by small, hovering spheres of bluish light scattered around.

Ron's curiosity drew him in. He closed the door behind him and wandered in further. It was like a very well stocked clothing store, the only difference being all of these clothes were in Blaise's size. There was just so very much to look at. Banks of ties and belts, robes of every color and cut imaginable, a thin chest of drawers (which one drawer that had been left ajar revealed to contain his skivvies and the like), and even some odd hats and boxes of who knew what sitting up on top of the shelves above the clothing racks. Not only were the clothes impressive, the walls were also stunning. Every inch of exposed wall was covered in amazingly intricate bas-relief images of dragons, castles and all manner of magical creatures and objects.

Ron moved to the back of the closet to peer at the only large open stretch of wall that wasn't above his head. He reached out and touched the snarling image of a dragon. He could swear he could feel each tiny scale carved individually on it's back. He started to turn back around to start heading back for the door, but paused. There was a small section of clothing that looked completely out of place. He reached out, pushing the clothes apart so he could see them better. He stared in shock at the completely muggle t-shirt. He slipped that shirt out of the way... the next was much the same, depicting what looked to be a muggle band. He flipped to the next one and clapped his hand over his mouth, stifling a laugh. It was a black t-shirt with bold writing across the front that read 'Just wink... I'll do the rest'. He kept snickering softly as he leafed through the others. In total, there was roughly a dozen muggle shirts. After that there were several pairs of what appeared to be plain muggle blue-jeans. He leafed through them. The last pair was faded and looked rather worn. He smirked, flipping it around to look at the back, trying to imagine Blaise wearing them. He got half a stock just thinking about it. He smirked. He would definitely have to talk Blaise into wearing them sometime!

He was about to push the pants back when he saw the carving on the wall behind it. It was a truly impressive male unicorn standing on the edge of a cliff, looking almost as if it was staring back at him defiantly. He reached out, stroking his fingers over it.

He started slightly as part of the wall popped open. For a split second, he thought he'd somehow broken something, but then he noticed the clean edges. He reached over, cautiously pulling on the slightly ajar panel. It came open easily, obviously on well oiled hinges. He peeked in, then blinked in surprise. There was a small room hidden behind the wall. He was even more surprised when he spotted Blaise. He was sprawled out on a pile of cushions on the floor, apparently sound asleep.

Ron stepped into the little room. The moment he crossed the threshold he jumped, startled as sound suddenly blared around him. It sounded like some kind of instrument wailing and someone who was obviously very angry practically shrieking somewhat to a beat. He looked at Blaise, but he slept on, completely oblivious. After a second, he realized he had crossed through the barrier of a silencing spell. He looked around, spotting a small device that appeared to be the source of the... _noise_. It was obviously an attempt at some kind of music, but it was so abrupt and raw sounding he wasn't sure it qualified.

He stared down at Blaise incredulously. How could he possibly sleep through this? It was so loud he could practically _feel_ it! He looked around a bit more. The walls and ceiling were covered with posters and apparently randomly dispersed shelves holding all manner of crystals. There were enormous points that looked to be almost too big to put his hands around and still be able to touch his fingertips together, all the way down to clusters of minuscule crystals that seemed to glitter even in the pale light. The floor was covered in quilts and blankets with several very impressive crystal specimens in the corners. It was even smaller than Ron's room at the burrow, but the crystals made it impressive none the less. Other than those, there wasn't much more than the pile of cushions Blaise was laying on, the strange device with small glowing lights on it perched on an ancient looking heavy wooden trunk, and the two large black rectangular objects that were attached to it by cords and seemed to be the noisy part of it. Several of the floating spheres lit this space as well, but these flickered in a way that made the light appeared to come from a candle or small torch, setting off dancing reflections in the crystals.

He looked down at Blaise again. He looked so peaceful laying there. He quickly decided that it was best to just leave him here to sleep. As tempting as it was to cuddle down in those cushions with him, he couldn't imagine actually sleeping with all the shrieking going on... and besides, what would Pansy think if she woke up completely alone? He went over, picking up an extra blanket and draped it over him. Blaise snuggled down in it a bit, but didn't wake.

Ron went back to the door, then gave him one last look. He couldn't help but smirk at the irony of it. Blaise was the very last person Ron would have expected to be _'in the closet'_...

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - My real life tends to color my work, so you may have guessed this already, but my life's just slightly _fucked up_ right now. As a result I'm going to have to ask people to cut out the demands. I truly appreciate hearing that you like this, and what you liked about it especially, and that kind of thing, but I'm a bit of an emotional rollercoaster right now, so please don't be making a whole bunch of requests and picking nits and such. I know where this is going, and will get there when and how I get there. Far from motivating me, constant requests to update and quibbles about tiny errors and meaningless shite like that turn into nagging, and sometimes it makes me say 'fuck it' and put it off even longer. You'll get updates when I'm bloody well done with them and not a moment sooner. Don't mean to be bitchy, but I'm trying to stay sane here. Push me and I might just let Lucius out to play. You've been warned.

(Can anyone tell I'm not in the greatest mood?)

Before you all ask, yes, couples that sleep together at night can have sex while asleep. They often wake up during, but not necessarily. I hear it is a not uncommon cause of pregnancies with couples that sleep together but use one-time forms of birth control (contraceptives, foam, etc.) And for those of you wondering, I did not make up that shirt logo myself. I saw it the other day and couldn't help but picture Blaise wearing it. It was just too _him! _Oh, and so no one asks (cause it annoys me to no end when they do when I feel it's _obvious_) 'in the closet' is a slang term referring to concealing one's homosexuality.

**Bigreader -** bare feet don't make a lot of noise on stone floors, and his head was directly under the water. I don't know about you, but I can't hear jack when my head's under the shower. Not to mention if he had heard her, she wouldn't have startled him, now would she? Oh, and you can say her name. If anybody actually reads these things other than me, I'll wager they read the chapter first, so you won't be giving anything away talking about what is already written. Besides, I'd like to know for sure exactly what bit you're talking about. They were in the bathroom several times in that chapter. I assume I guessed the correct instance?

**inky -**It can. I was consulting an online Latin dictionary, not being able to speak Latin myself, but feeling that his name should be in Latin. One entry I saw for Pax listed "a slave's name" as one of the possible definitions. That is what Delse was referring to. It could have been referring to a derivative of the word Pax though. I swear, even the parts of the dictionaries that are supposed to be in english need some kind of translation code! I have a full name picked out, but if some of you people who actually Latin would like to make suggestions (keeping Pax as part of it of course) I'd be willing to consider them, provided they are suggested in email! Please provide a translation of the suggestions as well... I don't want to have to attempt to fathom those dictionaries again!

**Kurayami** - Aw... now I feel guilty for killing a tree ;) Seriously, how many ink cartridges did it take to print this thing? On my editor it's over 450 pages, and that's single spaced, only half inch border all around, size 12 font (I have my screen set for high res, so smaller is illegible) without any author's notes!

**Narwing835** - _CHILL!_ See A/N above. And no, I'm NOT putting off the wedding. It is on exactly the same day as I first planned it. I can't control how long it takes to get there. (starts planning 'Play Time with Lucius' just in case)

**Ophelia -**No, kneazle blood acts nothing like giant blood. Giants absorb magic like sponges without being effected by it. Kind of a magical ground. Being in a giant would kill a demon by draining off its power until it ceased to be. Kneazle blood gives Crookshanks just enough magic to let it survive possession, and his cat blood makes him non-magical enough to play host. And just how exactly is that other story 'shockingly similar'? Cause if it really that similar, I wanna know when they started publishing, because I never read that, never even set cyber-foot on that site in fact, and this shit is way too bizarre to be 'shockingly similar' to without it raising some questions in mind.


	60. Chapter 60

A/N - incredibly long a/n at the end. You may wish to read it anyway in case I stop posting.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Chapter 60

Ron stirred. He wasn't sure exactly what had roused him. He lay there, trying to figure it out. He could feel Pansy curled up beside him, but from the sound of her deep, even breathing she was fast asleep. He blinked his eyes open and realized they weren't entirely alone. He immediately spotted the candle at the side of the bed, held by a small elf that was currently trying to peek over the edge of the bed, though it was a bit short for the job.

"What ya need?" Ron asked groggily, keeping his voice low.

The elf's eyes darted up, noticing he was awake for the first time. He quickly backed away from the bed, bowing his head in apology. "Begging your forgiveness sir." He quickly said. "Vincent is not meaning to be waking you, sir. Vincent is just looking for his master."

Ron sat up, careful not to wake Pansy. "What ya need Blaise for?" he asked, ruffling his fingers through his hair.

"Vincent is supposed to be waking master early so master can check on the wedding preparations."

"Ah. Ok. I'll tell him."

Vincent darted his eyes around, obviously still wondering where his master was. Ron wasn't sure if he even knew about the little closet room, and didn't want to clue him in in case Blaise wanted it to stay a secret.

"I know where he is. I'll go tell him right now. I got it, really."

Vincent reluctantly nodded and scurried out.

Ron got up, shivering as the cool air hit him. It had been rather warm and cozy cuddled up to Pansy. He grabbed up his wand and started across the room, the icy coldness of the floor urging him to move a bit more quickly. He paused long enough to put several logs in the fireplace and cast a softly muttered fire spell on them (Blaise had assured them using magic was alright on his grounds). They caught and the fire quickly spread.

That done, he tucked away his wand and went to the closet. He opened the door and went in, walking straight back to where the secret door was hidden. He brushed his fingers over the unicorn and the panel popped open, just as it had before. When he entered the little room, the 'music' assailed him once again. It sounded like a different band at least. The music was more melodic, but the singer's voice was almost rough, and the lyrics had a definite edge of defiant anger to them.

Blaise was cuddled down in the blanket Ron had put on him, not much more than a bit of black hair showing. Ron crouched down next to the cushions, shifting the blanket down a bit. Blaise looked so completely shaggable it was all he could do to keep from slipping out of his skivvies and giving him a _proper_ wake up call!

After a moment of fighting the urge, he shifted around and settled down next to Blaise, looping his arm around his waist and gently pulling Blaise closer, keeping the blanket between them. Blaise sighed happily, leaning back against him without waking. Ron grinned, then started gently kissing his neck and shoulder.

Blaise shivered and let out a moan that was nearly inaudible, despite the relative lull in the pulsing music. Encouraged, Ron slipped his hand under the covers, running it down Blaise's still naked body. Blaise let out a gasp and woke immediately as Ron's hand trailed down his stomach. Blaise seized his hand, stopping it, then he blinked around, trying to get oriented.

Ron withdrew his hand as Blaise released it, sitting abruptly and looking around at him dazedly.

"Ron?" He asked in surprise, snatching an odd little black device off a nearby shelf, pointing it at the source of the music. He pressed a button and the room instantly fell silent. He set the device back on the shelf in front of an impressive citrine crystal and scrubbed his fingers through his already tousled hair, looking over at Ron in askance, still looking rather tired and groggy. "What the Hell are you doing in here? How'd you even find this place?"

Ron sat up, his cheeks coloring slightly. "Sorry... I kind of stumbled across it last night when I went looking for you..."

Blaise sighed, "'s ok." he said, folding his legs up and casually pulling a small pillow into his lap. "'s just no one's ever been in here but me. Mum's never even been in here. She knows it's here of course. She was bound to notice when my closet lost a significant amount of room. Father was thankfully oblivious, as usual. I put the muggle clothes over the entrance key because I knew he'd never deign to touch such things. He only let me keep them because muggle clothing is necessary on some occasions, like the Quidditch world cup. Should have known they would actually draw _your_ attention though..." He said with a little smirk.

Ron grinned. "Is that Muggle music?" he asked, looking towards the odd device on the trunk.

Blaise grinned. "Ya... Draco and I spent a couple of days in Muggle London once..."

"_Draco_ went into _Muggle_ London?" Ron asked, shocked. Draco had always given every appearance of hating Muggles with a passion.

Blaise's grin widened. "I bet him he couldn't handle being in the Muggle world without magic for even a day. He bet I couldn't either... it went back and forth for a bit and we ended up spending like four days there. Hung around some of their music shops quite a bit, hit a couple clothing stores of course... had a bit of a laugh going through their 'electronics' stores... actually it's pretty amazing what they've been able to do without magic. I mean talk about overcoming a handicap! Their hotels aren't bad either... and bloody Hell do those Muggles know how to party!" He chuckled, gazing sightlessly, obviously lost in the memory. He sighed happily, "Glad Draco talked me into wearing one of those bloody contraceptive rings for the trip, though. Trying to cast contraceptive spells on them while they weren't looking would have been a real pain... not to mention the Ministry would have been able to detect us using magic off our own land."

Ron's eyes widened. "You _shagged Muggles?_"

Blaise rolled his eyes. "We were there for _four days!_ Of course we shagged Muggles! Some of them are quite open minded actually..." He said with a mischievous grin.

"_Draco_ shagged Muggles too?" Ron asked, shocked to his very core.

Blaise sighed blissfully. "Yep. We even shared one of them in fact. This really hot girl who had to be at least nineteen... and come to think of it, she had red hair. I think we both have a bit of a thing for redheads." he said with a snicker. Then he let out a little sigh of longing, "Too bad he wouldn't even strip until I turned the lights off. I would have really liked watching him. Probably about as close as I'll ever get to shagging him." he said wistfully.

Ron smirked. "You still have it bad for Draco, eh?"

Blaise rolled his eyes. "I don't want to be his boyfriend or anything. I just... I mean for one thing I know how intense he is in the sack and I'd really like to give him a try. I mean I woke up while he was giving her another go later... well, there was no chance I could have slept through that, I mean honestly! You should have heard that girl!" He said, letting out a little groan. He pushed the cushion in his lap back down, blushing slightly, then looked over at Ron with a smirk. "Oh come on... don't try to tell me you've never wanted to give _your_ best mate a good shag!"

Ron blushed and grinned. "Point taken."

Blaise sighed, shifting over and laying his head in Ron's lap. "Actually, I think the desire is more about intimacy than sex really..." He said thoughtfully. He sighed again, then decided it was time for a change in subject, "So... how do you like my meditation room?"

Ron blinked, then let out a laugh, looking around, "This is your _meditation_ room?"

"Of course. What better place?" Blaise said, looking up at him questioningly.

"Well... ok... I mean the crystals I can understand... but how is that... _music_ meditative?"

Blaise chuckled, "It's cathartic."

"But it sounds so... _angry!"_

"It helps to know there are people out there who's lives are just as fucked up as mine. The way they vent their anger and pain... in a way just listening to it helps me vent my own. Sometimes I just have to crank it up and immerse myself in it. When the music fills my mind all I can feel is _their_ emotions... and for a while at least, I can forget my own..."

Ron looked down at him, stroking his hand tenderly down Blaise's cheek. "Why are you angry and hurting?" He asked softly.

Blaise shifted his eyes away from him, but didn't deny it.

"Just tell me, Blaise! Pansy and I are both worried about you. We love you and nothing you say is going to change that. Why do you feel you have to keep secrets from us? Whatever it is, we can handle it. Just trust us."

Blaise's eyes teared up. He finally let out a deep sigh, "It's not going away." He said softly.

Ron blinked, "What isn't going away?"

"My strength and this ruddy Re'em blood shite. Snape checked. It's barely gone down at all! It could be months or even longer before I'm back to normal... or I may _never_ be!" He said, his voice tinged with anguish. "Snape is going to take me to St. Mungo's tomorrow to see if there's anything they can do... but I could tell from the look in his eyes that there's little chance they will be able to tell me more than he has."

Ron looked down at him in shock. He knew his own strength had been waning far faster than Blaise's, but he hadn't even considered the possibility that Blaise's wasn't going away at all!

"I love you, Ron... you know I do..." Blaise said, turning on his side and nuzzling against him, "But living with the constant fear of hurting Pansy is killing me. I mean not shagging Pansy... it's like the _sun not rising_..." He said, tears spilling from his eyes. "I don't know how much longer I can go on seeing that longing in her eyes and knowing I can never fulfill it. I noticed my strength didn't seem to be waning, though your obviously _was_... that's why I stopped shagging you. I figured at the very least it was going to take a bit longer than anticipated to wear off, and I wanted at least _one_ of us to be able to shag her... Maybe... if it goes away from you... maybe you two should just be together..."

"WHAT?" Ron said, taken aback.

Blaise sighed, "It's not like I can shag either of you in my current condition. Why should you have to deal with being with someone who can never_ be with_ you? It'd be best if you two just went it on your own... it would save you a lot of heartache... I mean I'd give you all the money you needed and visit the baby and all..."

"You selfish bastard!"

They both looked over in surprise as Pansy rose from where she'd been crouching and listening unnoticed in the doorway. She shoved the door the rest of the way open and stormed in. Blaise sat up, then blinked, stunned as her hand whipped out, slapping him soundly across the cheek.

"Who do you think you are, deciding who I should love?" She demanded angrily.

"I just... it would be best..." Blaise stammered.

"_I'll_ decide what's best for me, thank you very much!" Pansy snapped. She shoved him hard in the chest, knocking him back against the cushions.

Before he could even react, she had straddled him, dropping down on top of him and kissing him passionately. They quickly settled down into an ardent snogging session. It was a few minutes before she finally let up a bit. She sighed, nuzzling up against him. "When are you going to realize that I love more than that wonderful hampton of yours?" She asked with a smirk.

"True..." Blaise said thoughtfully. "You also love my hands and tongue... and I believe you've mentioned you think I have a great arse..."

She chuckled, nipping at his neck. "True, but I love more than that as well. I love _you_, my silly little lummox! How many times do I have to tell you that? And I'm not about to let you run off just because you're a bit sexually impaired. So you can't shag me right now... ok, I can't honestly say I'm not disappointed, but that doesn't mean I want to leave you! We'll find a way around this sooner or later, and I'm willing to wait. Luckily I shagged you about twenty times at that party, so I think I can hold out for a little while..." She said with a mischievous smirk.

He blinked. "You had him show you memories of being shagged by _me?"_ he asked, a bit stunned. He was sure she would have gone for something more exotic or at least people she hadn't been able to bed yet...

Her smirk widened. "Well... yes... and I actually _was_ you a couple of times... I must say, you are a damn lucky boy! I'm an absolutely _brilliant_ shag!"

He let out a laugh, "You shagged yourself?"  
She giggled and nodded, then affected a serious, thoughtful look. "Is that technically masturbating?"  
He sighed and snuggled up to her, "There that wanton little witch I love so..." He murmured.

She kissed him on the nose, then smirked again. "Well, so I guess I know what you're missing out on... so I can see why you're so upset... but don't worry, we're not going to have to be practically celibate much longer..." She looked up, then smirked as she eyed Ron, who had been sitting by silently. "Ron will just have to be the one doing all the shagging!" She giggled.

Ron's eyes went wide, then he blushed and grinned. Once his extra strength was gone he would indeed be the only one who could shag whomever he wanted in this little group. He liked having Blaise shag him, but he got the feeling he was soon going to be a bit too preoccupied to dwell on that much...

> > > > > > > > > > >

Draco woke to overly bright sunlight and a particularly loud and obnoxious bird twittering away right outside the window. He grumbled, grabbing up his wand and hitting the window with a silencing spell. The bird kept right on opening its beak, but he was blissfully unable to hear it.

He set his wand back down, then turned away from the window. He sighed. He couldn't get back to sleep. Actually, he wasn't even sure he wanted to. His dreams had been disjointed and disturbing. He still hadn't thought of an argument that would be good enough to keep the woman from aborting his tiny sibling. Even he had to admit that she had every right to want it gone, and he wasn't even sure he could bring himself to ask it of the woman. She'd been through so much already. If only he could just find some way for it to survive without having to impose on the woman... but he'd never heard of a spell that could do that.

He sighed again, then opened his eyes. Ginny was laying there, still quite soundly asleep. The sunlight had starting to creep through the window and had found her, lighting up her rich red hair like a halo. A warm feeling started in his chest as he watched her sleep.

His eyes widened as he suddenly realized what day it was. A rush of tingling pleasure flowed through his entire body as a brilliant smile slid over his lips. By dusk, this ravishing creature would be his once and for all. This thought alone was enough to wash all the worries and bad thoughts from his mind.

He shifted over closer, slipping his arm around her and gently kissing her soft, warm lips. Her eyes blinked open and she smirked against him, then her eyes fluttered back shut as he deepened the kiss.

After a few moments he eased up some, then broke then kiss, looking down at her adoringly. "And how is my blushing bride on this glorious morning?" He asked softly.

Her eyes widened slightly as she obviously just remembered what day it was as well. She let out a happy, contented sigh. "You think Dumbledore could just meet us in the dining room and get it over with now so we could get to the consummating and living happily ever after?" She asked with an impish smirk.

Draco laughed. "Not bloody likely! Patience, love. Mother would kill me if I tried to push it through! She's probably got the entire day planned..."

They looked over as there was a little knock on the door, followed almost immediately by it opening.

"Oh good! You is being awake already." Diamond squeaked happily, "Very good... Diamond is bringing you your robe. Diamond is having to work on the wedding clothes, but the other house elves is waiting for you. Hurry hurry! We is having lots to do!"

Ginny looked a bit stunned as the diminutive elf stood on her tiptoes to deposit a neatly folded and immaculate white robe on the side of the bed. "But... but the wedding isn't until five this evening!"

"Yes indeed!" Diamond said, nodding so vigorously her ears flapped slightly. "I is knowing we should have been starting earlier, but I was wanting you to be well rested, so I is giving you a bit of a lie-in, but now we really must be getting you ready!"

Draco smirked, giving Ginny another lingering kiss, then rolling off of her. "Mustn't keep Diamond waiting. You run along. I wager I'll be seeing you again today." He said with a smirk.

Ginny got up and put on the robe, tying it in front. Diamond then grabbed ahold of the trailing ends of the tie and started leading her off as if she were on a leash. She looked back at Draco with a little grin and waved goodbye as Diamond led her briskly out the door.

"Until then, I think I'll just go take a very long, very _cold_ shower." Draco muttered ruefully to himself when she'd gone.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Hermione looked up as she heard someone at the door. She spotted Pansy standing there, looking hesitant. She blushed, quickly shifting away from Snape and standing. "Um... I just remembered I was going to help Mrs. Weasley in the kitchen..." She said, sensing Pansy's desire for a private word with her father.

Snape looked over, noting Pansy as well. He gave Hermione a nod and a little smile.

Pansy watched her go, then let the door drift shut once more. The others had gone out for another Quidditch match (she'd made excuses to stay behind), and the other adults were off working on wedding preparations, so they were alone in the sitting room.

"Something on your mind?" Snape asked gently, seeing her troubled expression.

Pansy came over, sitting down beside him on the couch. She sat there in uneasy silence for a few moments, unsure where to even begin.

"I imagine this is about your boyfriends?" Snape asked, making her blush and nod. "I tested young Mr. Weasley earlier. He should be back down to a safe level by this evening."

She looked up, surprised. "This evening? I didn't expect it to be so soon. I mean he still seems so strong..."

"Yes, well his level never went over about four hundred. He'll probably still have some lingering increased strength, and in fact it wouldn't be unheard of for him to keep a small portion of it permanently, but he won't be passing on enough essence to be worrying about. He was down to about a hundred and fifty this morning, but the last bit generally burns off quickly, especially if he remains active. I suspect that's why he suggested that Quidditch match." He said with a rueful smirk.

Pansy furrowed her brow. "What's Blaise's level?"

Snape's smirk flowed away and he looked hesitant.

She sighed. "He's already told us what you said the other day about it taking a lot longer."

"Ah... well yes, his level is much higher. Since his initial testing, he has only managed to drop by about two hundred. I'm afraid he's still hovering around forty five hundred."

Her eyes went wide. "But Ron seemed just as strong as Blaise before! How could Blaise have had more than ten times the amount in him and not been stronger?"

"Well, the human body can only have its strength increased so much. Maximum strength is achieved at around three hundred to three fifty. Any more than that is just excess. If it continued to increase despite bodily limits, Blaise would be crushing everything he touched, so be thankful."

Pansy shivered, trying to imagine Blaise ten times as strong as he already was. The thought was indeed frightening. She looked over at Snape again, "Is it going to go away?" She asked softly. "Please tell me the truth."

He looked at her for a long moment before answering, "I'm not sure." He said with a sigh, "Usually the body will recognize it as foreign and flush it out within a week, no matter what the concentration. For some reason, his body doesn't seem to recognize the foreign aspect of it. It seems intent on retaining its strength. What he has... _passed on_ so far is just the normal distribution of it in his bodily fluids. Even his saliva is most likely carrying some of it." He smirked as her eyes widened. "Don't worry, I very much doubt it is in a concentration that poses any kind of danger. I'm not going to tell you to stop kissing him."

Pansy released the breath she'd been holding. Then she looked puzzled. "But you said Ron had four hundred in him, but Blaise's level had only gone down by _two_ hundred... how could Ron have gotten more than Blaise has gone down?"

Snape gave her a little smile. "You catch on quick. My tests only measure what's in their bloodstream. I suspect he started storing it in his tissues before he was even stable enough for me to test him the first time. That's very unusual for Re'em blood, but not unheard of in other substances. Usually it just gets in the bloodstream and stays there until the kidneys filter it out or it is secreted in other bodily fluids. The blood distributes it to the muscles like it would oxygen and it enhances the muscle until the blood carries it away again. The body then filters it out and it's gone within a couple of days. Even with as high a concentration as the tests showed he had, which I'll admit I've never heard of any person achieving before, it shouldn't have taken more than a week... a week and a half on the outside. But if his body has accepted it and it has gone deeper, settling into his bones..." He took a deep breath and sighed it out. "As I said, it's somewhat common for a relatively small increase in strength to remain, especially if the person used their strength a great deal, thus acclimating their muscles, but... I'm sorry to say, Blaise may retain the _full extent_ of the strength, and it may not go away. Not for years at the very least. Between the test I did yesterday and the one today, the reduction was barely measurable, and to be honest, there's no way for me to be sure that even that amount has actually been eliminated. Perhaps he just stored away that much more. With the tests I have, there's no way for me to tell how much his body truly holds."

Pansy looked away, but he caught a glimpse of a distinct wateriness in her eyes.

He sighed and took her hand in his, patting it comfortingly with his other hand. "Even if it doesn't go away... it's still possible, and rather _probable_ actually, that his body will stop secreting the essence at some point, and then he'll just have to learn to control his strength. I can't tell you it will be easy... for any of you actually... but he should be able to return to having a normal life eventually, even in that scenario. He just has to learn to restrain it properly. He's already doing a rather good job of it actually. I haven't seen him hurt anyone unintentionally. Well, other than Draco at first, but he didn't know then."

She looked over at him warily, making sure he wasn't just saying it to make her feel better. She sighed, then shifted over, resting her head on his shoulder. "I just want my Blaise back..." She said sadly.

"I know..." He said gently, "I'll do what I can."

> > > > > > > > > > >

"Hermione..."

Hermione turned, looking over in surprise as Narcissa approached her with a little smile on her face.

"Yes?" She asked, setting aside the sprig of flowers she had been about to add to the centerpiece she had been arranging for the table.

Narcissa looked it over, "That's lovely, dear."

Hermione's cheeks tinged slightly, "Oh... um... thanks..." She said a bit awkwardly. She hadn't expected a compliment from her. She had always seemed so aloof and... well, frigid. But then Lucius had been at her side when she had seen her before.

"Should have known Molly would have put you to work." She leaned a bit closer, lowering her voice and glancing over to make sure Molly wasn't within hearing distance. "She's had me in the hall we're preparing for the wedding. I've been casting since breakfast!"

Hermione smiled at her. "How is it coming along?"

"Just about done. At least I hope it is! They get any more elaborate and we won't want to even go in there for fear we'll ruin it!" She straightened a bit as Molly came over to look through the extensive spice cabinet nearby. "Well, I was just helping Diamond locate you. She's been searching high and low."

"Oh! I forgot! Sorry!" Hermione said, darting a glance over at the clock. She was about five minutes late for her robe fitting.

"Diamond went to look where the other elves said they'd seen you and Severus earlier. To be honest, I expected you to still be with him." She said with a little smirk.

Hermione's cheek got a shade darker. It was strange having everyone know about her and Snape. They had kept it such a closely guarded secret for so long it would take some getting used to not to have to hide it anymore. Well, at least while they were at the Manor. "Yes... well... Pansy looked as if she wanted a bit of alone time with him, so I figured I'd make myself useful. I'm not much into playing Quidditch..."

"Why would Pansy want 'alone time' with Severus?" Molly asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

Hermione's eyes widened as she realized Molly didn't know about Snape and Pansy. She glanced over at Narcissa and Delse, who had started over curiously upon hearing the slight tension in Molly's voice. It was blatantly obvious that none of them knew. Her jaw dropped slightly as she realized perhaps she'd said too much. She had no idea how 'public' they wanted that knowledge to be at the moment. "Um..." She said, feeling decidedly nervous as all three women stared at her expectantly.

"Why _wouldn't_ she want alone time with me?"

Hermione turned and let out a sigh of relief as Snape entered the room with Pansy at his side and trailed by a small house elf that she assumed was most likely Diamond.

"Is it so hard to believe others might actually seek out my presence now and then?" Snape asked with a little smirk.

"I just don't see why she would have to be _alone_ in 'your presence'." Molly said, eyeing him a bit warily. They had never gotten along well, and his relationship with Hermione, though she had to retain the appearance of being perfectly fine with it, seemed to confirm suspicions she had long held about his character.

Pansy glanced between the two, sensing the long-standing tension and a little mischievous smirk slid across her lips, but then she quickly hid it, looking completely serious once again. "Oh... well I've just been having some issues with my love life lately, what with this whole Re'em blood thing. Isn't safe for me to be with either of my boyfriends right now, and it was obviously making me a bit _anxious_... but Snape was nice enough to help me sort out some of my issues..." She said, beaming up at Snape, who smirked back. She moved over and wrapped an arm around his waist, nestling her cheek against his shoulder affectionately. "Thank you so much... it _really_ helped..." She sighed happily, then stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.

Molly looked thoroughly scandalized, but at the same time was obvious afraid to blow up at him for fear of upsetting Hermione or that word would get back to Kulia and she'd be upset.

Snape wrapped his arm around Pansy's shoulders and they watched Molly's reaction with obvious relish. He enjoyed it for a moment longer before letting out a little chuckle. "We were just talking, Molly."

Molly narrowed her eyes suspiciously, obviously not buying a word of it. "I see. She just likes chatting with her teachers privately about her love life...?"

He smirked. "She's my _daughter_, Molly." he said softly.

Molly's jaw dropped, her eyes going round.

"Your _daughter?"_ Delse asked, openly shocked.

"Yes... we just found out a couple of days ago actually. Fudge performed a Lineage spell. Came as a bit of a shock to everyone involved, believe me... but then..." He looked down at Pansy, "I've probably been more of a father to her than Sulla _ever_ was since she came to Hogwarts, so I don't think it will be that difficult a transition..." Pansy grinned at him and hugged him tighter.

Delse let out a happy laugh, hurrying over to hug him as well. "We're going to be family!"

Snape returned the hug, but kept watching Molly as his smirk widened. She was still staring at him in numb shock. "Yes... _one big happy family_... isn't that _wonderful?"_

> > > > > > > > > > >

Ginny looked over and blushed as she heard an appreciative whistle. Blaise came to a stop a couple of feet away, looking her over as Diamond worked diligently on the trim of her dress. "Absolutely brilliant, Diamond." he said with candor, "Draco is one lucky bastard!"

Ginny blushed brightly. Even Diamond's cheeks looked to have gotten a slight blush, though she didn't so much as look up from her work.

"If he ever forgets that, you know where to come!" He said roguishly, then chuckled. "Course I mean that in an entirely _brotherly_ way..." He said with a smirk.

She rolled her eyes, though her blush did deepen. "Sure you do, Blaise." she said sarcastically.

He sobered slightly, "All kidding aside, you are probably about the only lovely young lady who never has to worry about me. No offense of course, but I wouldn't touch Draco's girl with a ten foot... um.. wand." He finished with an impish grin.

She chuckled, "What are you doing here anyway? I doubt you broke through Diamond's privacy wards just to get a sneak peek at my dress..."

"Ah yes, well you appear to have missed lunch, so I brought something. It wouldn't do to have the bride passing out from hunger while walking down the aisle..." He said, turning a bit and indicating the tray of exquisitely arranged fruits and finger foods that Vincent was setting on a nearby side table. "Draco would have brought it himself, but he wanted to live to see his own wedding... which might not have happened if Narcissa had found him anywhere near you and that precious dress!" He said chuckling, "She's a force to be reckoned with when she's sober!"

Vincent looked decidedly uncomfortable now that the tray was deposited and his duty done. He started drifting towards the door, but Blaise would have none of it, snapping his fingers to catch his attention and waving him over. Vincent hesitantly scampered over, then effectively disappeared behind Blaise's legs.

Blaise rolled his eyes. He waited a moment as Diamond finished the trim of the dress, her tiny fingers working with amazing speed and expertise, then cleared his throat as she gathered up her supplies. Diamond shot a glance at him, then snatched up a spare length of lace and stood, looking over at him.

"Is you needing something, sir?" She asked, noting that his eyes were on her.

"I realize this must be an awful lot of work for one elf, and I'm sorry I didn't think to do this sooner... but I've brought you some help..."

Vincent was peeking around Blaise's legs, staring up at his master in open shock, then darting a glance over at Diamond, his cheeks definitely getting darker.

"Diamond can manage, sir..." Diamond said as she put her things back on the low table obviously put there specifically for her supplies.

"Oh, but I insist. Especially since the last of the guests have just arrived! There appears to be a couple more than we planned on, and with only a couple of hours left it's going to be a rather tall order for a lone elf. In fact, if you need more than Vincent, just say the word. He's just my first pick for the job." Blaise said, reaching around and shoving Vincent out into view, then crouching down behind him, resting his hands on his shoulders to keep him still (and to keep him from escaping!). "This is Vincent. He's a very capable helper... and very _artistic_..."

Diamond looked up, blinking her large eyes at him, then glancing at Vincent. That was probably not a word she'd heard used to described any house elf other than herself.

"He likes to paint." Blaise continued, seeing he'd caught her interest. "You might have seen one of his paintings around actually... I believe it's in the suite you and Narcissa are staying in... a great big dragon and boy who happens to look a bit like me." he said with a smirk.

Diamond's eyes lit up as she obviously remembered the one he was talking about. She looked over at Vincent appraisingly.

Vincent's eyes were about as wide as they could get. He twisted around in Blaise's grasp, trying to look at Blaise, "Master is putting up my painting?" He asked in a horrified voice. "But it is not being nearly good enough to be hanging! Vincent is just a house elf! He is not making _real_ paintings!"

Blaise gave a little snort and rolled his eyes. "I don't care what species you are, Vincent, you're good. You gave me the painting and I chose where I wanted to hang it. I don't recall any requirements coming with it."

Vincent's ears drooped and he fixed his eyes on the floor. "Begging your forgiveness, master. Vincent is wrong to be questioning you..."

"Oh stop!" Blaise said with a smirk, "Now I want you to help Diamond here with whatever she needs, got it?"

Vincent was practically trembling with nervousness as he looked timidly up at Diamond, but he nodded his head obediently.

Blaise smirked, then looked back over at Diamond. "That's settled then. He's all yours, Diamond. If there is anything you need, anything at all, Vincent's your man." He said, releasing him and rising. Vincent looked up at him with trepidation. Blaise just smirked again, "Make me proud, little man." He said warmly, patting him on the head, then turned and left without another word.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Draco stared up sightlessly at the canopy above him, absently fingering the fine material of the suit Diamond had fashioned for him. His calm, sedate exterior was in complete contrast to what was going on inside his mind. He held up his hand, noting the way it was trembling and tried to will it to stop. He gave up after a minute and dropped it back onto his stomach, sighing deeply.

"You should not be laying down, sir. You will be wrinkling your finery."

Draco started, his eyes darting over to the door. He took a deep breath and let it slowly out, mentally willing himself to calm down. "You should know better than that, Dobby. Like Diamond would make a garment she hadn't thoroughly charmed against wrinkling, tearing, getting dirty, or anything else she could think of. What do you want?"

Dobby hesitantly edged into the room more. "Dobby is just wanting to see you..." He said in a quavering voice. When Draco just went back to staring up into space, not telling him to go away, Dobby grew bolder and went up to the side of the bed, peering over it at him. "Little mas..." Dobby clapped a hand over his mouth, looking embarrassed for his near slip.

Draco looked over at him for a moment as Dobby stood there, hand over mouth and apparently at a loss for what to say, then rolled his eyes. "My name's Draco, Dobby. You're not mine anymore."

Dobby's eyes were wide and he trembled slightly, pulling his hand away from his mouth hesitantly, "Draco..." He said in a quavering squeak, as if sure speaking his old master's first name aloud would get him smitten from some unseen force. When nothing happened, Dobby straightened, "Draco." He said more firmly.

"Yes. Wonderful. You've mastered my name. Now will you tell me what you want?" Draco asked in a bored voice.

"Dobby is just wondering how... _Draco_ is doing, sir. You was looking... off."

Draco sighed, turning his head the other way. "I'm fine."

Dobby bit his lip, watching Draco worriedly. He seemed to take a moment to gird himself, then went over to the bedside table and tapped it on the side. Two steps, made for when the house elves were cleaning and had need to get on the bed, popped out. He used them to clamber up onto the bed, then hesitantly eased closer to Draco, watching him carefully for any indication he wanted him to go away. He crouched down once he had gotten near, watching Draco. He reached out, touching Draco's hand, noting the slight trembling. Even when he was younger, Draco had rarely given any outward indication of what he was feeling inside except in the most extreme cases. Even something so apparently minor as a tremble was grounds for alarm in Dobby's experience.

"Is Draco nervous about getting married?" He asked softly.

"No!" Draco snapped immediately and vehemently.

Dobby drew back slightly, but Draco didn't lash out at him as he once might have. "Then what is being the matter, sir?" He asked gently.

Draco lay there in silence for so long Dobby didn't think he was going to answer. Then he let out a soft sigh. "Father."

Dobby's eyes widened and he drew back a bit more, his eyes darting around fearfully, searching the shadows for his dreaded ex-master.

Draco caught the furtive look and gave a little snort of amusement. "He's not here, Dobby." he said, then the amusement in his expression died. "But I keep expecting him to be. It seems the sole purpose for his existence is to spread misery and pain..."

"You is not being your father, sir." Dobby said gently.

Draco flashed him a little smirk, then sat up. "I know that. That's not it either. It's just... He's managed to ruin everything worth having in my life so far. I keep expecting him to break in at any moment and do something horrific... To hurt these people, my new family... or Ginevra, the only woman I ever have, or ever _will_ love... It gets to feeling like every minute that passes, he's somehow that much closer to snatching it all away from me. Good things just don't happen to me. He makes sure of that." he said with a slight ache creeping into his voice.

Dobby looked close to tears. "He will not be stopping this wedding, sir. Dobby will not be letting him!" He said firmly.

Draco let out a little snort. "No offense Dobby, but standing up to father has never been your strong suit."

Draco rose up, standing very stiffly. "Dobby is not _his_ house elf anymore! If he is trying to be stopping this wedding, Dobby will be reminding him of that!" He said, defiant anger creeping into his normally submissive voice.

A smile tugged at the side of Draco's mouth. He reached out and slipped his arm around Dobby, pulling him closer. Dobby was wary, but didn't resist. His eyes went wide in shock as Draco wrapped his arms around him, hugging him, his cheek coming to rest against Dobby's shoulder. "I've missed you..." He admitted, his voice barely a whisper.

Dobby's lower lip quivered, but he refused to let himself cry. For a moment it was like it was when Draco was small... no more than a toddler... before his father had stolen the light from his eyes and taught him that emotions were weaknesses to be eliminated. Dobby closed his big eyes, holding Draco and gently stroking his hair as he had when he was still that happy, innocent little child. "Dobby is missing you too..." He said achingly.

After a moment, Draco spoke again softly. "If you're ever between employers again... I mean... I'm getting married... I can't imagine children will be too far behind..."

Dobby drew back, his big eyes springing open. He stared at Draco for a long moment, his lower lip quivering once again. "But... but Dobby is a free elf... I... I is not wanting..." he trailed off, his voice bordering on regretful.

Draco rolled his eyes, his emotionless facade once again in place. "Oh please! You were a piss poor excuse for a slave. Going off and warning Potter!" He said with a hint of disgust, getting up and going over to the full length mirror, straightening his suit and looking it over. "And that bludger! You very nearly got _me_ with that bloody thing, you know!"

Dobby wilted, staring down at his feet. "Dobby was not meaning to get you, sir! Never you..." He said earnestly.

Draco glanced over at him, "Then again, bludgeoning Potter wasn't such a bad idea. Seeing him laying there in pain was amusing at least. Too bad he caught the bloody snitch first... and while father was there..." He winced at the memory of what had followed. Father had been most... displeased. He had been hoping to hide out in the Hospital wing until his father had left, but Pomfrey had given him the boot too quickly, giving his father a good twenty minutes before he had to leave for a meeting to express his disappointment... "Maybe the bludger wouldn't have been too bad actually..." He muttered darkly.

Dobby winced as well. He well knew what had befallen Draco whenever he lost to Harry, and he had been there that particular day, obviously. Lucius had suspected Dobby's hand in the incident, though he couldn't be sure... still, he'd made a point of making Dobby watch.

Dobby glanced up at him in confusion, "But if Dobby was so bad... why is you saying...?"

"I never said I wanted to _own you_, Dobby!" He said irritably. He shifted a bit uneasily, and after a moment he continued, but in a much more subdued tone. "I just... would like someone to be there that I could trust to help us out when we needed it. Chores and cooking and such, the other elves are fine for that... but..." He trailed off.

Dobby wrung his hands, sorely tempted, but obviously still very hesitant to even consider it.

Draco turned, looking him over. "One thing I can promise you... I will _never_ lay a hand on my children! I refuse to let them live in fear of me." The seriousness on his face eased a bit, his mouth turning up a bit at the edge, "So as you can imagine, they'll probably be the world's most spoiled brats, and Ginny and I will need all the help we can get!"

Dobby gave him a shy little grin.

"Awww! That was _so sweet!"_ Blaise said, strolling in and flopping down on the bed, startling Dobby.

Draco sighed irritably, "Bloody Hell Zabini! How long have you been spying on us?"

"For a fair bit... I do hope this comes out... there looked to be enough light, even without the flash..." He said, fiddling with the muggle camera in his hands.

Draco's pale cheeks flushed. "That's it! Either tell your bloody elves to stop oiling those bloody hinges so well or I'm putting bells on the bloody doors!"

Blaise actually giggled. "They do oil them on a regular basis, but actually the real secret is the permanent silencing spells cast directly on all of the hinges..."

Draco rolled his eyes, then glanced over at Dobby. "You best go get dressed before Diamond plays merry hell!"

Dobby nodded fervently, then hopped off the bed and scampered out of the room.

"So, you here for a specific reason, or just to bug me?" Draco asked, snatching up his brush and starting in on his unruly hair.

"Just to bug you." Blaise said flippantly with a smirk. Then he sighed letting the smirk fade away, "Ok, to tell the truth, I guess there _is_ something that's been nagging at me... why didn't you tell me you were going to the Hospital tomorrow?"

The brush in Draco's hand froze for a moment, then continued on as if it had never been interrupted. "How did you find out about that?" He asked, his face and voice studiously indifferent.

"I'm going with you. Snape told me yesterday."

Draco closed his eyes and let out an irritated growl. "I'm not a bloody child! I don't need anyone to hold my hand! It isn't a big deal!"

Blaise sat up on the bed, eyeing him shrewdly, "_What_ isn't a big deal?"

Draco lowered the brush, looking around at him in surprise. It was obvious by the look of concern on Blaise's face that he really didn't know. Draco cursed himself silently. He shouldn't have assumed Snape would have told someone Draco's private business, even Blaise. Snape never had before. But he _had_ assumed and spoken rashly, and it was quite obvious there was absolutely no way to brush it off as unimportant now. He quickly diverted the conversation, "Why are you going then?"

"Snape wants them to have a look at me. Why are you going?"

"Have a look at you? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing life threatening... except perhaps to those around me..." He said dismissingly, "Now are you going to tell me or do I have to hurt you? I can still toss a Hippogriff around like a quaffle, so I suggest you start talking." Blaise said, folding his arms across his chest, his face more serious than Draco had ever seen it.

Draco sighed resignedly, then gave him a brief overview of the situation. Blaise had actually already heard about the incident, though not in any great detail. Everyone had. It had been in that morning's Daily Prophet, but then you usually had to take anything that paper wrote with a grain of salt. They hadn't shown the paper to Draco or Ginny though. No use upsetting them today of all days.

Blaise stared at him in silence for a moment, then stood up, crossing the room to stand behind him. Draco tensed, expecting him to hug him and get all emotional. Blaise reached his arms around him, but just straightened Draco's collar while looking in the mirror over his shoulder. "You really want a sibling, huh?" He asked gently, picking a small feather from the down pillow from Draco's collar and straightening the material across his shoulders, though it didn't really need it.

Draco dropped his eyes. "It doesn't really matter I guess. She doesn't sound very likely to agree to it. If it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. It's not like I'm going to tie the poor woman down and force her to play incubator." He said, trying to keep the sorrow out of his voice. He wasn't completely successful.

Blaise rested his head on Draco's shoulder, watching him in the mirror. "I could be your brother." He offered softly.

Draco sighed and closed his eyes, "Blaise... you don't understand... it's not just... I mean..." He sighed again, gathering his thoughts, "I'm shortly going to have six brothers through Ginny. It's... it's not in-laws or adopted siblings that I was looking for... I mean..." He turned, looking at Blaise face to face, "I have no doubt you would be the greatest brother a bloke could ever ask for... but... this baby shares the same blood as me..." He seemed to be getting a bit frustrated at his own inability to articulate his feelings. Blaise just stood by, waiting patiently.

At length, Draco met his eyes again. "It's like me... fathered by the same fucked up, demented excuse for a man... and mother won't talk about it, but probably conceived in a similar fashion as well... the circumstances of its existence are beyond its control... and yet it is going to be held accountable for our father's actions. I just... I feel like I need to protect it... to give it a chance as _I_ was given a chance..." He dropped his eyes then, turning back to the mirror and fussing with his clothing distractedly, "It's most likely a lost cause anyway. Just one more innocent life lost... one more notch for father." He muttered darkly.

Blaise skirted around, slipping between Draco and his reflection. He stared at him for a long moment. "I believe I was promised one hug..." He said with a little smile, "It's true I still have my strength, but I'd like to cash in my voucher anyway. I promise not to hurt you."

Draco rolled his eyes, but reached out and pulled him into a hug, which Blaise returned gently, as promised. He'd never have admitted it, even to Blaise, but at this point he desperately needed one. He couldn't wait until this day was over. He'd never felt so emotionally unstable in his whole life. It felt like he was on one of those Muggle roller coasters. The one they had ridden on their little 'outing' had been enjoyable, but when the roller coaster was _emotional_... not so fun. He found himself holding Blaise tightly, reluctant to let go and return to having to deal with his currently chaotic life.

"Sure I can't get in any groping?" Blaise asked hopefully after a minute, smiling impishly against him, "Just a little?"

Draco let out a laugh and released him, giving him a little shove. Blaise chuckled, then reached up, tousling his freshly brushed hair. He took a step back, tilting his head to the side as he surveyed his handiwork, then reached up, giving the side one more fluff, then smirked. "There you go. Perfect. You'll be the most shaggable guy there. Well, other than me of course, but then that's why they call me the 'best man'!"

Draco rolled his eyes, looking over his hair in the mirror, then shrugged, leaving it. Ginny always said she liked it better that way anyway.

They looked over as there was a light tapping at the door. "Yes?" Draco called over.

The door opened and Dumbledore stood there smiling back at him. "It's time." He said softly, his eyes twinkling happily.

Draco felt his chest tighten with excitement. He gave himself one last look in the mirror, then looked around, quickly. "Am I forgetting something? I feel like I'm forgetting something..." he said a bit nervously.

Blaise rolled his eyes, calmly picking up the wand that lay on the table and slipping it in Draco's pocket, then taking the fresh rose from the vase next to it and flicking his own wand at it, trimming off the thorns and cutting the stem to the proper length. "Calm down, Draco." He said with a smirk as he neatly tucked the flower in Draco's lapel. "Just relax and enjoy the evening. It's only the rest of your life we're talking about anyway..." he said with a wicked smirk.

Draco rolled his eyes, taking a deep, calming breath, trying to convince himself that his father was NOT about to appear out of thin air and ruin everything. He then reached over, snatching up the small sheath of paper bound in twine. "Oh... here..." He said, going over and handing it to Dumbledore.

Dumbledore peered down at it curiously.

Draco caught the inquiring glance and felt a bit flustered, realizing he hadn't even told him about it yet. "Oh... um, that's the translation of the elvish journal. Whatever the Dark Lord has planned, it's in there somehow. The demon told me... well... after a fashion. There's a list of the ingredients that were in father's box as well, as well as a list of spells in from the journal that require two or more of those ingredients. I don't see how any of them could relate, but then that's why I'm giving it to you." He said, flashing him a smile.

Dumbledore's eyes were now peering down at the parchment avidly. "I see." he said calmly. He made it disappear into his robes, somehow not even leaving so much as an odd bulge in the fine, flowing royal blue material. "Shall we?" He asked, smiling at Draco.

> > > > > > > > > > >

"You're going to wear out your shoes." Hermione said mirthfully as she watched Ginny pacing.

Ginny stopped, blushing. "Sorry."

Hermione got up and walked over to her. "You sure you're ready for this?" She asked, noting Ginny's anxious expression.

"Close enough." Ginny said, starting to pace again.

Hermione stepped in her path, taking ahold of her arms. "Ginny, if you're not ready..."

"I am. I'm getting married." Ginny said resolutely.

Hermione sighed, "Ginny... I just don't want you to feel you have no choice in this. If he really loves you, he'll understand if you're..."

"Of course he loves me!" Ginny snapped, then took a deep breath and let it out, regretting her harshness and the way it made Hermione pull back. She sighed in exasperation. "I love him, Hermione. It's a bit sudden, yes..." She admitted, dropping her eyes. "But... he's right. It doesn't matter _when_ we get married. He's the one. The _only_ one I ever want to be with. I'm not going to let him get forced into marrying someone he doesn't love because I'm nervous! Not to mention Ron and Blaise wouldn't care for it much either..."

"That's what everyone else wants. What do _you_ want, Ginny?" Hermione asked gently.

Ginny bit her bottom lips, then sighed. "I just want Draco."

Hermione gave her a little smile, "Ok then, let's get you ready. The ceremony should be starting any moment."

Ginny flashed her a little smile and nodded. Diamond had wanted to be there for the last minute primping, but one of the extra guests was taking quite a bit longer to get properly attired than the others had.

Hermione helped her carefully remove the robe she had been wearing over her dress. As she threw the robe over her arm and stepped back, her jaw dropped. The gown was... amazing!

"What do you think?" Ginny asked pensively.

Hermione blinked, snapping out of it. "I think you'll be lucky if Draco can still talk after getting a look at you!" she said with a smirk.

Ginny blushed and grinned.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Draco stood by Dumbledore, waiting for the ceremony to begin. The surroundings were just as lavish and breathtaking as he would expect from his mother. One of the large halls had been remade using the transfiguration skills of the twins. It looked for all the world as if they were in a large clearing in the middle of a forest. The effect was amplified by the way they had subtly worked in the windows, letting them show here and there through breaks in the trees so it looked like it just continued on into the distance.

As he listened, he could hear the calling of songbirds and everywhere there were lovely, delicate flowers. Even the benches that had been set out for the guests had vines covering the sides and legs, covered in softly scented blooms. The lighting was still relatively bright, but it was obvious that it was on the verge of sunset, even here. The sky had only soft wisps of clouds... just enough to catch the changing light and turn brilliant colors. He had no worry that there wouldn't be enough light though. Already there were swarms of brightly glowing fairies fluttering around on the gentle breeze.

He watched as the others took their seats. He had to admit, the dress clothing Diamond had provided seemed to make the guests look much more unified. Well, the cut was uniform, but the colors were varied. Dumbledore was in royal blue of course, as was Blaise. He'd heard Hermione was as well so they would match. He was in traditional black, as were a number of the other men... though he noticed that the clothes of the two elder Weasley boys that she'd put in black had a definite green tint to them. The only other purely black robes he could see were worn by Snape. He had to smirk at that. He wondered if Snape had informed Diamond he only wore black, or if she'd deduced that on her own. Draco's heart gave a little lurch as Snape took the seat beside Narcissa, the one normally reserved for the groom's father. Snape caught his eye and gave him a warm smile before being distracted by Narcissa.

Narcissa was wearing clothing of a very light powder blue. Not a color he'd ever seen her wear before, but then father had never approved of anything even remotely like pastel. He decided the color actually suited her very well. He smiled as he saw Kulia come in and take her seat. She was wearing brilliant Periwinkle that matched her eyes perfectly. She looked up and smiled at him as she took her seat between Fred and George, both of whom were wearing deep forest green. Her eyes stayed on him, and it almost seemed as if she could sense his unease. She gave him another little smile and tilted her head ever so slightly towards the door, her eyes going to it as well. He followed her gaze.

There, on either side of the only entrance to the hall, were her gargoyles. Charlie's work had obviously paid off, as they both looked whole, strong and rather impressive once again. They had settled gracefully down in the soft grass, the picture of casual repose, but he could tell by the way their eyes carefully looked over each guest who entered, they were most definitely 'on duty'.

He looked back over at Kulia and smiled broadly, wondering if she knew just how reassuring the gesture was.

His eyes were drawn back to the door as something massive moved through it. His eyes widened a bit. It was Hagrid. At least... he was pretty sure it was. He didn't know anyone else with that stature, but what a difference! Gone were the layers of crudely fashioned clothes made of mystery animal hides, replaced by the largest dress robes Draco had ever seen. He was dressed in dark brown, and from the cut, was definitely one of Diamond's creations. Draco marveled that she'd managed such a task. And if she was responsible for the rest, he was definitely going to have her checked for wizarding talent. Hagrid's hair, usually no more than a wild bush, had somehow, miraculously, been tamed. It was now smooth and straight, pulled back into a neat club at the back of his neck. His wild beard, too was gone. It had obviously been trimmed some, but that couldn't account for it entirely. It wasn't completely straight, but fell halfway down his chest in long smooth waves, like someone who had let their hair dry in braids. For the first time since he'd laid eyes on him his first year, Hagrid looked more like a wizard than a wildman.

Even from across the 'clearing', Draco could hear Hagrid exhale in adoration as he caught sight of the gargoyles. McGonagall, who had been following him, quickly hurried up, taking his huge hand as he started towards the nearest one and leading him firmly over to the bench in the back row (which had obviously been set up specifically for him, looking more like a reinforced picnic table than a bench). McGonagall then gave him a stern glance, obviously silently warning him to stay put, before going up to take her own seat. The rich burgundy of her robes suited her well, though it was unusual to see her without a hat.

The Thestral mares followed, going over to stand on either side of the gargoyles (staying under the shade of the trees). They took up their positions, standing there with their heads held high, as if it were their assigned positions.

"Whoa..." Blaise muttered softly, elbowing him.

Draco looked back towards the door. He wasn't sure who Blaise was most impressed with. Ron and Pansy had just walked in arm in arm, both looking very sharp in shades of green. Pansy was wearing almost the same shade as the twins, while Ron's clothing was of a bright, almost grass green. Draco smirked. Diamond was obviously of the same opinion about redheads and green...

And then of course there was Breanna, who was following close behind her daughter. She was wearing a vibrant shade of red with just a hint of orange. Draco was surprised Diamond would have used such an eye catching color, but he had to admit it was ravishing on her. Molly was wearing orange, but it was of much more subdued, earthy shade.

Draco reached over, covering Blaise's eyes as they locked onto and started following Breanna. "Down boy." He muttered with a smirk before dropping his hand.

Blaise looked over at him with a smirk, rolling his eyes. "Killjoy." He muttered under his breath to Draco.

Draco flashed a little smile as Dobby hurried in. He was wearing dark purple, which made Winky's daisy yellow clothes look even more pronounced. They hurriedly took seats. The ceremony was just about to begin.

Diamond and Vincent came in, obviously having had to hurry to get themselves ready after finishing with the guests. They split up, Vincent going over and slouching tiredly down on the other side of Winky. He was wearing blue to match his master, though of a slightly lighter shade. Diamond went over to Narcissa, who lifted her up onto the bench beside her. Diamond was wearing sky blue to match her mistress. Draco smirked as Diamond slumped against Narcissa, who reflexively draped her arm around her as if she were a child, obviously thinking nothing of the familiar gesture.

Harry and Delse hurried in, taking their seats last. Delse was in a sapphire blue, Harry in black tinted slightly blue to match.

Draco felt his heart start beating faster as soft music began to play, seeming to come from the air around them. Hermione entered, going up to take her place opposite Blaise. Draco barely even noticed that Hermione had her hair sleeked and pulled back again, as she had when she attended the yule ball with Victor Crumb. They all fell silent, craning their heads around in anticipation.

Draco had to smirk as Tiger pranced out, a shallow basket of rose petals clamped tightly in his mouth and he trotted down the aisle, head held high, and his feet raising higher than normal in a sort of formal march he supposed. The shaking of the basket this caused combined with the slight breeze, making the petals flutter out of the basket, falling to the dense moss on the ground in a little trail behind him. When it reached him, it went over to Blaise, rubbing against Draco's leg affectionately in passing. Draco smirked down at the small colt as he settled down at Blaise's feet.

Draco looked up as the Stallion entered, led by Arthur Weasley. Perched side-saddle on the Stallion's back was Ginny. The mere sight of her took his breath away. He could hear the others making appreciative sounds, but everything else was quickly fading from his awareness. Ginny had always been gorgeous in his eyes, but now she made the finest depictions of angels and goddesses look pale in comparison. Her hair was up in an intricately woven style, leaving only strategically places spirals of hair free to delicately brush her neck.

The dress... what could he say? It was beyond compare. Simple, and yet elegant, just as his mother had told Diamond. The cut was simple, yes... no puffs or unnecessary frills. The skirt of it covered most of the Stallion's back, hiding one wing almost entirely, but had no ostentation train. The waist angled down into a v shape at her slender waist, every line of the dress accentuating her femininity. The neckline followed suit, though remaining well high enough to be properly modest. It was, overall, amazing, but the most eye catching part about the dress had to be the intricate embroidery that flowed up one side. It was gold, catching the light of the setting sun with a warm fire. The central shape seemed to almost like an elongated paisley in shape starting at the v at the waist and curling ever so slightly as it flowed upwards to run parallel to the neckline as it ended, graceful swirls of gold radiating out from it and all but covering that half from breast to waist. She was also wearing a brilliant blue gemstone the size of a thumbnail on a thin gold chain that rested just perfectly on her breastbone.

The Stallion came to a stop once it reached him, and Arthur went back, taking Ginny by the waist and gingerly lifting her off and setting her on the ground. Draco stroked the Stallion's snout absently, his eyes never leaving Ginny. Once his part was done, the Stallion moved to the side, going around to sit behind Blaise. Draco nodded numbly as Arthur released Ginny's hand, letting her take Draco's, then took his seat next to Molly.

Ginny smiled at him shyly. A broad, warm smile spread itself over his lips. They turned to face Dumbledore, who was beaming at them.

"I cannot tell you..." Dumbledore began warmly, "How truly proud and honored I am to be the rule one to preside over this ceremony. For some of you it may seem that this is very sudden... but I, for one, have been looking forward to this day for a very... _very_ long time. Today, we join together two souls destined to be as one. Fate has endeavored to keep them apart, but true love cannot be denied."

Draco felt his cheeks burning. It was almost reassuring to feel Ginny's hand shaking just as badly as his own was.

"I feel, in this case, long winded speeches and recitals will not be necessary. Any who look upon them can tell how very deeply their love runs. I have, therefor, chosen a more... _traditional_ venue. A ceremony such as this has not been performed in nearly a century, but I believe this occasion warrants it."

Dumbledore slipped his hand into his robes and produced a small glowingly white object that seemed to shimmer in the light of the setting run. Draco stared at it. It was a tiny sculpture of a man and a woman embracing. As he studied it more closely, he could tell that the man and woman were, in fact, perfect replicas of himself and Ginny. He felt a sense of wonder as Darien's memory allowed him to recognize it for what it was.

"This has been waiting a good long time to serve its purpose. For those of you unfamiliar with the old ways, this... is unicorn horn." There was a bit of shifting and glancing around by the older members of the group who remembered at least tales of such ceremonies. Molly and Arthur looked at eachother, shocked.

"With this," Dumbledore continued, "The purity of their love for one another will be confirmed for all to see, and seal their union beyond any contestation. Draco, if you will..."

Draco reached out, taking ahold of the tiny sculpture without hesitation. He could feel its power vibrating in his hand, sending tingles through him as it came into contact with his wedding band. He turned to face her, and at his glance, she lifted her own hands. He moved them, placing the hand with her own ring around the sculpture, placing their hands around it so they were both in direct contact with it, trapping it between them, then he placed his other hand over hers and she followed suit, covering his.

He looked up at her and gave her a warm smile. "I love you." He said gently, but loud enough for his voice to carry to the guests. "I always have, and I hereby swear that I always will."

She glanced at Dumbledore nervously. He smiled and nodded encouragingly. "I love you too." She said, following Draco's lead, "Always have, and I hereby swear I always will." She felt relief as Draco smiled at her. She was afraid she wouldn't do it right. It wasn't exactly a ceremony she was familiar with.

"What we forge here today, not even death shall tear asunder." Dumbledore recited solemnly, though with a twinkle in his eyes. "You may kiss your bride."

Draco leaned forward, and Ginny eagerly met his kiss. As their lips touched, their rings began to burn, but not in a painful way. A wild rush coursed through them as the statue pulsed in their hands. The air seemed to shimmer and grow brighter around then, but the couple barely even noticed, closing their eyes and losing themselves in the kiss. The light around them grew, dazzling the eyes of the guests, building until it was impossibly bright, then with a clap and a flash, it released, flowing over all who were gathered in a dizzying wave of pure love.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - I know. Took forever. Read further if ya wanna know why. I haven't had time to do more that one proofread on the last part, so oh well if there are errors. If they are glaring, I may repost the chapter, just so you know in case you see the same chapter being posted again. Oh, and it's fucking with my punctuation again in case anything looks really wierd.

Bigreader - No, I wasn't talking about you specifically. Pretty much everyone was doing it. As for the scene with Lucius, yes it was abrupt. Pax wasn't going to give Harry a chance to brace himself. He thrust him into the middle of a memory without warning so he was completely taken by surprise, which made it all the more frightening for Harry, since it didn't give him time for his mind to understand what was happening to him. That wasn't the same as what he did later with faking Delse's death. With Lucius, it was a memory, in a different place and in a different body. There was no way Harry would have mistaken that for reality. Pax was just lashing out at him in the only way he could, and as hard and fast as he could for impact. He was much more subtle later because he knew a lighter touch was required make Harry admit his feelings, and that was Pax's imagination, so Harry could move around in it on his own which made it feel real. As Nicolaus said, Pax has a very _vivid imagination_.

Ophelia - Kneazle blood - the giants absorbing magic is from the book. See OOTP, when they are trying to take Hagrid into custody and he just shoves them outta the way and runs for it, despite being hit by like a couple dozen stunning spells. Crookshanks being half kneazle is not from the books (yet) but it _is_ from J.K. (interview I believe) but how that works to allow the demon to use it as a host... well J.K. doesn't have any demons, so that would have to be mine ;) About the couples shagging at night... it was a long time ago that I heard about this, but I believe I did not read about it myself... if I recall correctly, it's how one of my friends got knocked up and her doctor told her that he saw that sometimes, and it wasn't uncommon... and I believe he mentioned some kind of study at like one of those sleep centers, but I of course have absolutely no solid source to provide you for that. You could probably look it up on the internet. As for the reviews... well at least you didn't imply you thought I was _on the rag_ like a _certain other reviewers_. (the reply to you ends here, Ophelia. The remainder is not aimed at you, just so you know)

Let me give you a hint people - it is _never_ a good idea to so much as _insinuate_ that you think there is even a _chance_ a woman is menstruating when she's upset. Believe it or not, there is more to women's lives and emotions than menstrual cycles! Let me explain why you should never indicate you think this is the 'problem': If she _isn't _menstruating, she gets royally pissed (and justifiably so!) because that's just a sexist insult; a way that men (and women too sometimes) can write her opinions and feelings off as some 'hormonal female problem' and not take her seriously... and if she **_is_** menstruating... well guys, you've just handed her an excuse that has gotten more than one woman acquitted! Think about it. (you should thank me if you didn't know this before guys... cause I may well have just saved your life!)

Just so you know - I'm in (and was in the previous chapter as well!) the _first_ category. You best thank the Gods for that, because let me tell you... if I _had_ been in the second category Lucius would have had a killing spree the likes of which would have left you with nightmares! _Believe it!_

Cizzy - Where do I even start? I don't usually quote my reviewers, but there are just too many things I need to respond to here. All quotes are copied directly with no alteration other than italicizing them so they are easier to differentiate from my responses. The full review is undoubtedly still relatively near the top for any who wish to read it all. _"My only negative comment, and it definitely annoyed me, is all the "sacred baby" reference stuff to fetuses."_ Who the HELL was making a bunch of sacred babies references? I don't know what you were reading, but it sure the Hell wasn't _my_ fic. I quite literally thought you were reviewing the wrong fic here! I checked and I used that word **ONCE** (out of well over 270,000 words!) in reference to Kulia's babies, saying that identical twin snow elves were considered sacred by _other snow elves_ and that reference was in the sense of something being greatly respected and protected since they were so incredibly rare and powerful. Never have I revisited that aspect and never have I said it was just because they were babies. It was a passing reference in a special case, and you're making it out to sound like I've been fuckin preaching about the sanctity of life or something! You of course then went on to say fetuses aren't babies until they would survive outside the mother... you made it sound like they don't even _matter_ before that! Now that's just fucked up! If you're talking about how R/B/P or K/F/G feel about their babies... they _want_ their babies. They _love_ their babies, no matter how small they currently are. This appears to be a foreign concept to you, which I find profoundly sad. Draco's desire to keep his little sibling had nothing to do with 'sacredness'. He is an only child who has always wanted a sibling. I don't see what your problem is with the idea of him wanting to keep the baby despite its origins. No matter how it was created, it's still his sibling. _"I feel it's incredibly hyprocritical that everyone in this story is having incredibly promiscuous (sp?)sex, or has in the past, and that all the sudden its somehow justifiable to want to talk to a woman who has been raped repeatedly about keeping her pregnancy."_ It would be hypocritical if they wanted her to keep it when they had been aborting their own children. They may have been promiscuous, but they acted responsibly, using protection at all times, and the pregnancies that did occur were intentional! Not to mention they have every intention of keeping the babies. Now if they had been criticizing someone for having loose sex, yes that would definitely be hypocritical. Loose but completely 'safe' sex and aborting children are in _no way related_. Hypocrisy is criticizing someone for something that you do yourself. I think you need to go check a dictionary before calling me a hypocrite! _"I don't care if it will add to the plot. Its offensive."_ Well, please stop reading then. Especially if you aren't even going to take the time to read what I'm _actually writing_ without jumping to conclusions that are wildly unfounded. _"Adding in that part with the raped mother feels not only like a political statement, but a plot detractor."_ Let me see... I'd have to say **fuck you** to that one. The attempt to keep the child is a personal desire of Draco's, not some stupid political statement. Fuck political statements! I fucking HATE politics! _"If flagrant and unapologetic gay sex is okay in your story..."_ **UNAPOLOGETIC?** What the _fuck?_ Why should it be apologetic? If you're one of those fucking homophobes, what the HELL are you doing going into this story in the first place? It's clearly marked! Love between two people should never require an apology! Any who say differently can kiss my ass. _"This isn't exactly a biblically acceptable story."_ Well no-fuckin-duh! I'm not religious, and that is a can of worms you don't want to open! _"But the mantra: Bloodlines are nothing, actions are everything etc. does pervade." _Correction here, blood relations DO matter! The Weasleys are as close as any family could hope to be. Snape cares for Pansy, even though he didn't raise her himself. Draco feels compelled to save this child because it is his sibling above all else. Blood matters. _Family_ matters. They may not judge people based solely on their bloodline, but it doesn't mean it is meaningless. If there is a pervasive theme, it's that being a _pureblood_ doesn't matter. I never said that woman was a pureblood. She was a witch, yes, but she might be muggleborn for all we know. Draco never even asked, now did he? It was never a consideration in his mind. _"Draco shouldn't even care,"_ I sure as Hell hope you don't have any siblings! That is one cold ass opinion! 'Oh who the hell cares if it's my brother? It's just a fetus and my deranged father's, so lets just kill the little fucker. It couldn't survive outside its mother yet, so it's not like it's a _real_ baby!' Real fuckin considerate! _"or be suprised (my opinion..obviously). Lucius sounds like the type to have many bastards but only one heir."_ If you weren't paying attention (which I'm getting a very strong feeling you must not have been!) Lucius usually wore a contraceptive ring. ANY offspring he would have fathered would have been a legal heir with legal claims on the Malfoy fortune, thus why he would make sure he fathered no children other than with his own wife. "_Sorry to make this so long, but after sticking to and enjoying your story for so long, I feel I have grounds for complaint."_ Ok, you know what? That right there pissed me off the most! I have spent pretty much every free moment I have working on this story for the last _five months!_ Am I getting paid for this? NO! You're sure as hell not paying me. If you were I wouldn't be in such a fucked up financial situation right now on top of everything else! So let's see here... I have slaved away to provided you with hours and hours of entirely free entertainment, which you claim to have enjoyed, and for that you feel entitled to _bitch at me?_ And after I stated in no uncertain terms that I wasn't going to put up with this shit anymore? Well fuck you! If I could find a way to block you from reading my story, you can bet your ass I would! The very thought that you might get more pleasure out of reading what my hard efforts have produced after THAT review _offends me._ If you want someone to criticize and taunt while they are emotionally unstable, you can go find some of those people who spent ten minutes jotting down shit with bad grammar and spelling like a second grader and bitch at them!

That's it people! I have just about had it! I ask you nicely... I even WARN you and still I get this shit! I can't handle being 'nice' anymore! You have no idea how many scathing replies I have either deleted or castrated before posting! No more. If I keep getting reviews from people with sticks shoved so far up their asses that they're spitting bark, I'm going to _stop posting!_ I'm not fucking around here. How am I suppose to write when I'm getting so pissed off? I was fuming for an entire fucking day over that last one! And it _still_ pisses me off whenever I think about it. And they keep doing it in the stupid fuckin anonymous mode so I can't even bitch them out in private. Noooooo... they make me rant here and look like a total bitch!

Oh, and if you're upset with how long it has taken for me to post, you can thank Cizzy! How the fuck am I supposed to write something like a _wedding_ while in such a foul mood? The minute I read that, my muse stomped right out the fuckin door. You know how excruciatingly hard it has been for me to keep focused on this one story for this long? It is completely unheard of for me. I've had to give up reading other fanfic and books, and even watching tv or going to movies, because I simply can't do any of those things without diverting my interest and making it impossible for me to continue writing on the same story. I've quite literally left stories mid-sentence and not been able to write another word on them for YEARS. After that review I just sat there, staring at what I had finished of the chapter... and nothing. I spent days going back and rereading the story, trying to get it back, then started watching movies and tv, hoping something would make a spark, but the will has fled. It's been like ten days since that review, and I only was just able to make myself finish.

Since we're not allowed to write just author's notes as a chapter, I suggest you check reviews if you don't hear from me for a long time again to see who it is you have to thank for it.


	61. Chapter 61

A/N - warning, 'adult content' near end.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Chapter 61

After the ceremony there was a feast, which the house elves served right in the hall. Draco was so giddy with relief that it was finally done that not much of the meal even registered. Before he knew it, glowing spheres of warm, subdued light were sent up, hovering in the air above the clearing as the tables the elves had conjured were removed, the benches shifted to the sides in order to leave the clearing free as music began pouring from the air again.

Draco and Ginny, of course, shared the first dance. Never had it felt so good just to hold her. He looked down into her beautiful eyes and could not believe his good fortune. He was sure he would wake at any moment and find it had all been yet another blissful dream that only left him feeling empty and alone, as had his dreams over the summer.

And yet he didn't wake. The song ended, but they didn't care. They danced on through several more as others began joining them on the 'dance floor'. He smiled as he saw Snape dancing with Hermione. Their eyes met, and Snape returned the smile without hesitation. Draco could never remember seeing Snape look so... open. Usually he had his stern or sarcastic masks firmly in place, but as he spun Hermione around the dance floor, he looked like a different man.

Suddenly he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked over to see Arthur standing there with a little smile on his face.

"Mind if I cut in?"

Draco smiled and relinquished her, then watched as they began dancing. He made his way back over to the side where most of the guests had gathered. He smirked as he saw Hagrid. He was sitting a bit behind and to the side of the benches, playing with the gargoyles. For all their age, they were acting like puppies. He had apparently taught them how to fetch, and kept casting a stick for them to fetch... if they _could_ that is. Draco couldn't hold back the little snicker that escaped him as he saw Tiger prancing proudly back, happily dragging the stick that was nearly as long as he was. The Stallion and mares were just watching from where they lay between the bordering trees, looking somewhat bemused.

Draco took a seat next to Blaise. He followed Blaise's already slightly opalescent gaze and saw Ron and Pansy dancing. "Beat you to it, did he?" He asked with a smirk.

"Naw... not that _you_ would have noticed, but I danced with her for the last song." Blaise replied with amusement. "Would have taken Pansy's mum for a spin, but she dragged Charlie off before I had a chance..." He leaned closer, "Check out Molly..."

Draco looked over and spotted Molly. She was watching Breanna and Charlie dancing with great trepidation. All she really knew of the woman was that she had gotten herself pregnant by Snape while she was married to another man... (and had somehow not even known it was Snape that got her that way!) and had just finished getting divorced, so Draco supposed her opinion wasn't the highest at the moment.

"Watch this..." Blaise said, setting down his now empty glass and getting up. He walked a little ways down the row of benches and stopped in front of Bill. "Care to dance?" He asked, bowing his head slightly and holding out his hand.

Bill chuckled, but took his hand and let Blaise lead him off onto the dance floor. Draco savored the shock on Molly's face as she saw them begin to dance. It was a slow dance...

"Oh come on, Harry..."

Draco looked down, spotting Harry and Delse on the other end of the bench. Delse was cuddled up to him, looking up at him hopefully.

Harry's cheeks were a bit pink. "I... I don't really dance... I mean I have once, but it was rather abysmal..."

She sighed, but relented, looking out to watch the others dancing.

She looked up in surprise as Harry rose. He turned to her and smiled warmly, offering her his hand. "Shall we?"

Delse blinked up at him, "I thought you said..."

He smirked. "_Harry_ can't dance. So I say let's leave him out of it..." he said as his eyes began glowing.

"Oh..." She said, then smiled, "As long as he doesn't mind..." She said, taking his hand.

Draco watched as Pax led her onto the 'dance floor' and slipped his arms around her. He was indeed a good dancer, moving with much more grace than Draco had ever seen Harry display. He watched their faces as they danced. Pax's eyes continued glowing, but he wasn't sure it was a conscious effort anymore. If Pax was fooling anyone about his feelings for Delse, it was only himself. Draco wondered if Delse even had a clue. He couldn't help but feel strangely sorry for the demon.

He looked up as his mother came over to sit beside him. "Isn't this lovely?" She sighed happily. He looked her over and sighed. She'd obviously been imbibing. She caught it and gave his arm a playful smack. "It's a _party_, Draco! And how often will my only little boy be getting married?"

"Only once." He replied immediately.

She chuckled, "See! My point exactly. Besides, there were all those toasts at dinner..."

"You only need to _sip_ for those, you know..." He replied with a grin.

She went on as if she hadn't heard him, "And then after that... well it would be a shame not make use of _that_ after Blaise obviously put so much time into it..."

Draco looked where she was indicating and let out a laugh. At the end of the hall the greenery was broken up by what appeared to be a muggle bar, complete with red topped bar stools. Draco had been rather engrossed in Ginny, but he couldn't believe he'd somehow missed seeing _that_ being erected. It looked authentic as well... he idly wondered if Blaise had somehow gotten it from a real Muggle bar. Knowing Blaise, it was more than likely. He couldn't help but smirk as he looked it over.

Kulia and Dumbledore were sitting on two of the stools, Kulia sipping tea from a delicate tea cup, Dumbledore holding a large glass mug of what appeared to be Muggle beer as they were deeply engrossed in a conversation, tiny fairies flitting around over their heads. The twins were down at the other end of the bar, their wands out. They appeared to have fashioned crude paper dragons out of napkins and had bewitched them to do battle. From their overly boisterous laughter, it was pretty obvious they were doing more than just playing with paper dragons at the bar. The house elves tending the bar left them be, just keeping an eye on them lest they break something. One was occupying itself by wiping down the glasses in an entirely bartender-like fashion. The floor behind the bar had obviously been raised for them, as they were able to walk around freely, while the bar remained at about waist height to them. Dobby was standing on the stool beside Fred, watching the napkin dragon fight with obvious amusement while Winky sat perched on the next stool, nursing a pumpkin juice and staring longingly at the bottles of butterbeer on the shelves around the big mirror behind the bar. Overall, Draco couldn't remember ever seeing a more surrealistic sight.

"Aren't you going to give me a dance, dear?"

He looked back over at her and smirk, "But of course." He said, rising and giving her a hand to her feet (which she _needed_ from the feel of it).

She paused, spotting Diamond sitting in the grass a little ways back, watching the dancers and swaying slightly to the music. She then started looking around. Draco caught hold of her arm to steady her as she spun around a little too quick, searching the area with her eyes. She spotted Vincent going down the row of benches on the other side of the clearing, gathering up some empty glasses.

She snapped her fingers to gain his attention as he started towards the bar with the glasses. He saw her and hurried over, setting the glasses down on the bench and clasping his hands in front of him. "Is you wanting something from the bar, ma'am?" He asked helpfully.

"You're this Vinny I've been hearing about, right?" She asked, looking him over.

His ears dipped slightly in embarrassment. "Vincent. But you can be calling me anything you like!" He quickly added, feeling correcting her may have been construed as rude.

She smiled at him. "Vincent. You helped Diamond with the clothes?"

He quickly nodded, "For the last few."

"You're the one who figured out how to work in that little borrowed item of Draco's, weren't you?"

Vincent blushed and nodded bashfully.

"Borrowed item?" Draco asked, confused.

Narcissa looked over at him, "It's some Muggle rhyme... or tradition.. some such. The bride has to have something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue. Whatever. I was willing to humor her. It's her wedding day after all. I gave her grandmother's blue diamond, so that was old and blue in one... then the dress was new... and of course what she borrowed from _you_ took care of the last requirement.

Draco looked over to where Ginny was, watching her as she danced and trying to fathom what he was missing. He knew from his mother's mischievous smirk that she wasn't going to tell him. He let his eyes trail down her searchingly. After a moment, his eyes widened. "You didn't..." Then he started laughing. He would never have even imagined it without the hints... it was right there in front of him, in the exquisite embroidery...

...the golden snitch wing.

He just stared at it, still chuckling. It had been worked in with such skill that it was almost completely unrecognizable. It was the long thin paisley shaped center, the embroidery radiating out from it elegantly, incorporating it seamlessly. "You did that?"

"Vincent is just having the idea... Diamond is being much better at embroidery than Vincent." he said demurely.

Draco looked down at him and smirked, "You really are an imaginative little thing, aren't you?"

"Yes... you certainly are... wonderful job, dear." Narcissa said, smiling at the elf warmly, "I was just curious... what exactly were the orders your master gave you when he left you with Diamond?"

Vincent blinked. "He is saying that Vincent is to be helping Diamond with whatever Diamond is needing."

Narcissa nodded. "Did he tell you to _stop?"_

Vincent shifted uneasily. "No..."

"Good. Right now I believe Diamond 'needs' to dance."

Vincent's eyes went wide, darting over to Diamond. Diamond had heard the conversation as well, and was now staring at her mistress in shock.

Narcissa saw the stare and gave a little amused snort. "Oh come along! You've both been working your little fingers to the bone. Go. Dance. Share a butterbeer. Whatever. Have some fun! I think you both deserve it."

Diamond got up, looking between Narcissa and Vincent uncertainly.

Narcissa sighed impatiently, "I command you to have fun!" She said imperiously, but with a grin.

Diamond rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation, then walked over and grabbed ahold of Vincent's hand, dragging the startled elf off towards the dance floor.

"Well, that's taken care of, let's dance!" She said negligently.

Draco chuckled, offering her his arm and leading her over. As they started to dance, he managed to catch a glimpse of the elves. Neither looked like they had danced much before (unsurprisingly) but it was another slow song so they were able to hold their own relatively well, though they were both blushing.

Narcissa sighed wistfully. "I wish I could have known love like that..." She said with a little smile.

"What do you mean?" Draco asked, pulling his eyes back to her.

She smiled. "The love you feel for Ginny... and she for you. During the ceremony I felt it... we _all_ did. I've never felt its like. Well, obviously I love _you_, but that's not the same _kind_ of love, now is it?" She sighed again and rested her head on his shoulder, "What I would have given to marry for love..."

Draco smiled, giving her a little squeeze. "Oh come now. You're still young. You can still do that."

A fleeting smile drifted over her lips. "I just... try as I might, I can't really imagine it actually happening... I mean... I can't help but believe deep down that I'll never be free of Lucius... he'll never allow it, no matter what the Ministry says about our marriage being dissolved."

Draco smiled, "I'll tell you what... I'll kill him, then you go find your love. Deal?"

She giggled, but held him tighter. "I'm definitely willing to give that idea a go. You go kill him off and we'll see if it'll work. Even if it's in the stars that I have to spend the rest of my days alone, it'd be better than with him at my side!"

"It's a deal then." He said, smiling.

"Hmm..." She murmured in soft contemplation.

"What?" Draco asked, feeling her head shifting.

"In the mean time, you suppose Molly would mind if I borrowed one of her boys? Just for the night?" She asked mischievously.

Draco looked over, following her gaze. Bill was still dancing with Blaise. They both appeared to be quite enjoying Molly's shocked stare. As they watched, Bill slipped his hands a bit lower, letting them rest squarely on Blaise's bum. Molly went pink and Bill and Blaise were barely concealing their snickers.

Draco couldn't help but chuckle. "Um... I think perhaps she _would_ mind actually..."

She sighed, but it was with a smile on her lips. "You're probably right..." She glanced over, then giggled softly, "Good thing Blaise's keeping her attention on them..." She whispered conspiratously.

Draco glanced over and smirked. Charlie and Breanna were looking very... _chummy_. They were dancing a lot closer than really called for by the music, and both of them looked slightly flush... though somehow Draco doubted it was from alcohol. His smirk widened as Charlie whispered something in her ear. She giggled, her cheeks getting much darker, but her body pressing noticeably closer.

"Now what is that little cheeky chappy up to?" Narcissa mused softly.

Draco turned a bit, following her gaze. Blaise had stopped dancing with Bill, who was making his way towards the bar. Blaise was now heading unmistakably for where Ginny and Arthur were dancing. Draco shifted his mother around some so that he could watch him without being too obvious. Blaise spoke to Arthur briefly, both looking in the direction of Molly, who's gaze had shifted to Breanna and Charlie. Arthur looked back at Blaise, shot him a smile, then gave his daughter a kiss on the forehead and hurried off towards his wife. Blaise then bowed to Ginny, and took Arthur's place.

"Well hopefully that will calm her down a bit..." Narcissa said softly as Arthur led Molly onto the dance floor and they began to dance.

"Mmhmm..." Draco said distractedly. Blaise had started whispering in Ginny's ear. Her eyes suddenly shot wide, her cheeks blushing. She looked over at her father quickly, biting her bottom lip and looking distinctly apprehensive, then whispered in Blaise's ear. He nodded and they started dancing over towards the far end of the hall.

Now this definitely bore investigation. Draco started moving in that direction as Ginny and Blaise reached the edge and stopped dancing. Blaise glanced around and caught his eye. He subtly tilted his head towards the trees, then led Ginny in that direction, disappearing from sight.

"Something's up..." Draco whispered softly to his mother.

She nodded, looking towards where the two had gone worriedly. They did as Blaise and Ginny had, dancing over to the edge, then slipping out of sight when no one was looking.

"Right over there..."

He heard Blaise's low voice and followed it. He spotted them despite the darkness. They were next to the window and Ginny was craning around to see something through it.

"What's the matter?" Draco asked as he came to a stop near her.

She turned, grabbing ahold of his hand. "It's Percy!"

Draco let out a sigh of relief, having feared much worse. "Is that all? What's he doing outside?"

She looked back over at him, letting out a frustrated sound, "You don't understand... if he comes in here dad will go spare! Not to mention my brothers! How did he even get on the grounds?"

"Same way the rest of them did I imagine." Narcissa replied, "Carriage from the gate."

"But... but I mean how could he get on the grounds in the first place? How did he even know where we were?" Ginny asked plaintively.

"Well it was pretty clear in the invitation, dear." Narcissa replied, looking at her as if that should have been blatantly apparent.

Ginny's eyes, if possible, got even wider. "You _invited_ him?" she asked, shocked.

"He's your _brother_. Of course I invited him. Really! I'm having a hard time seeing the problem here." Narcissa said, furrowing her brow.

Ginny was rubbing her temples, "He's been on the outs with the family for well over a year now... they won't even talk to him. I can't believe he actually came!"

"Sorry I didn't spot him earlier... guess I should have hit the bottle right from the off, eh?" Blaise asked, smirking. "It's still bizarre when my eyes do this... bad enough telling what's what when I'm sober! Liquor me up and then let me see both ways at once? It's just _slightly_ difficult telling what I'm seeing sometimes." He said with a smirk.

Narcissa was looking back and forth between them, obviously wondering if she'd done something wrong.

"It's ok, mother." Draco said quickly when he saw the look on her face. He took ahold of her gently and turned her, moving her back towards the clearing, "Do me a favor and go and very quietly get me some wards for the grounds and send them back with one of the house elves. Some kind of distraction once I have them might be nice as well. I certainly don't want anyone coming to investigate if they notice we're gone."

Blaise went over, offering Narcissa his arm. "I'll walk you, m'lady. Wouldn't do to go wandering around without an escort."

She took his arm, smiling at him as he led her off.

Once they were gone, Draco moved over to take Blaise's place near the window. He peered out into the sparsely lit grounds. He could indeed make out someone a little ways down, sitting at the base of a tree at the edge of the cobblestone walkway that ran around the hall. He appeared to be just sitting there, watching his family through the window.

"So what's the problem with Percy?" Draco asked curiously, "I know he was a bit of a prat in school, but that hardly sounds like why his presence is upsetting you. Can't he just come in and see you and leave? I mean he obviously came for the wedding..."

Ginny sighed, leaning against the window sill. "Summer before last Percy got this big promotion and became Fudge's personal assistant... when he told dad, dad said it sounded like Fudge just wanted a way to keep tabs on the family... Percy lost his nut and really weighed into him. Left in a right huff. Dad disowned him and you can't even mention his name around dad now. Mum either really, but that's because she usually starts crying." She said with a note of sadness in her voice.

"How do _you_ feel about him now?" Draco asked gently.

Ginny sighed, dropping her eyes. "He may be a prat, and he drove me straight around the twist all the time even before that... but... he's still my brother... just don't tell dad I said that." She said with a wane smile. She looked out into the darkness again, resting her forehead on the glass. "I still can't believe he actually came..."

Draco slipped his arms around her and held her, nuzzling up to her comfortingly. She turned and slipped her arms around him and they just stood there, holding eachother for a time. Finally they looked over, hearing something scurrying towards them. The size alone revealed it to be Diamond before she was even close enough for the exterior lighting to reach her from the window.

"There is only being two here." She panted, holding up the wards, "They is looking for more, but Mr. Zabini is saying you had best be hurrying. He is saying 'Spyke is taking an interest', but Diamond is not knowing who Spyke is being..."

Draco's eyes widened slightly and he quickly stooped down, grabbing the wards and slipping one over his head. "You stay here and keep an eye on the others. I'll go have a word with him. Warn me if anyone comes to investigate."

"But..." She started, but he stifled it with a kiss.

"No time for argument. There's only two wards and he'll need the other one if he's going to make it off the grounds alive." Without further preamble, he reached up, flicking the latch on the window and pushing it open. He stepped out, glad the nearly full length windows started barely two feet off the ground. He pulled his robes closed as he shut the window behind him, thankful for Diamond's foresight in charming the clothing to block cold as well.

He made his way over towards Percy, hoping he wouldn't try to take off. Not that he couldn't catch him easily enough, but he'd rather not have to take too long at this, as the others were bound to notice his absence sooner or later.

Percy didn't run. He didn't even look away from the window, though Draco was sure he knew he was there. He just took a swig from a half empty bottle.

"You really shouldn't be out here..." Draco said, his voice kept low though he truly doubted it would carry into the hall. "There are dragons and such about, and that invitation's powers are very limited."

"I've noticed." Percy replied, his voice sounding almost bored. He reached over with the bottle, spilling out about a cup of the contents onto a slightly concave cobblestone where it settled into a little pool.

Before Draco could even ask him what he was doing, something large in the bushes shifted. Draco just stared as a Peruvian Vipertooth stuck it's head out, quickly lapping up the liquor with obvious relish, leaving no more than the slight dampness of it's saliva on the stone, then the head disappeared back into the shrub.

Draco was slightly stunned. That species was known for its viciousness, especially towards humans, and he knew for a fact that Spyke was no exception. "How'd you do that?"

Percy drug his eyes off the window, looking up at him, his eyes a bit glazed. "They only eat people if they're frightened. It's human adrenaline that they love so much. Without it, we don't hold much interest for them. It's not like we have enough meat on us to make up for all the irritating clothing and bones they have to deal with. We're simply not worth their while."

"I see..." Draco said slowly, "Still..." He reached over, slipping the ward over Percy's head. Percy didn't pay it any attention, his eyes going back to the window.

"Don't worry, I don't plan on trying to go in." he said in a soft, utterly sad voice, taking another swig and setting the bottle down.

A long slender tail slipped out of the bush, wrapping around the bottle and snatching it back quickly. Percy smirked as he heard lapping sounds.

"Great." Draco said, smirking as well, "That's all we need, a drunk Vipertooth wandering the grounds."

Percy let out a little snort of laughter, but his amusement quickly waned. "Treat her right, Malfoy." He said, his voice serious though he still wasn't looking at Draco.

Draco took a seat next to him. "I intend to."

Percy just gave a little nod. After a long moment of silence, he sighed. "You have no idea how lucky you are." He said softly, "That there is the best family in the entire bloody universe, and you've managed to join it. For that, I envy you. Just wish I'd gotten my head out of my arse before I went and fucked up and lost that."

Draco dropped his eyes. It was almost painful to see the slightly deadened look in the young man's eyes. It was as if he could see the void that the loss of his family had left in his heart. It was something he could empathize with all too well. The thought of feeling like that again, as alone as he had been before Ginny, was terrifying.

"What happened?" he asked softly, unable to contain his curiosity. He knew the little bit Ginny had told him couldn't be the whole of it. He couldn't imagine something so simple as a spat could tear apart such a close knit family like that.

Percy looked over at him. He stared at him in silence for a long moment before replying, "Do you really want to know?"

Draco gave him a little smile. "Ya. I mean if nothing else, it would be good to know what to avoid..." He said, trying to lighten the mood.

Percy afforded him a little smile, then gave a slight nod. He took a deep breath and sighed it out. "It all started with a girl..." He said sadly. "Not that they know that. After the fight they never bothered to ask... and I was in no mood to inform them."

"A girl?" Draco asked dubiously.

Percy nodded. "Penelope."

"Clearwater? The Head Girl when you were Head Boy?"

Percy nodded. "I'm not saying it's her fault... the fault's all mine, I know that. She's just where it started..."

"Ok..."

"Her parents didn't really care for me... and her father made no secret that it was because of who I was. Told me straight to my face that he didn't want his only daughter marrying some 'dirt poor Weasley'. Told her she'd just wind up working the rest of her life trying to scrimp up enough money just to put a couple dozen kids through school..." He said softly, dropping his eyes. "We just wanted to get married and start a family... but we couldn't afford to, and her father cut her off completely when she wouldn't give me the boot, so she could barely afford food and the room she was renting. After that mess with Crouch, I was afraid I'd never be able to afford to give her a proper life. When Fudge offered me a promotion it was all I could ever have hoped for. With what it paid I could marry Penelope, give her a proper home and she could stay home and just worry about raising our kids... and our kids wouldn't have to grow up poor... wearing hand-me-downs and getting ridiculed..."

Percy took a deep breath and sighed it out, his voice hardening a bit, "Then I go home to tell my family and dad says Fudge is just using me... says I should turn it down. It was like a slap in the face. He wanted me to give up my only chance for a happy life with the woman I love! He wanted me to stay poor like he did, to make her live in a little hovel somewhere and have to scrimp and save every knut... just like her father said she would. I couldn't bear the thought. I lashed out. I admit the things I said to father were terrible, unfounded and hurtful... I don't blame him for reacting the way he did... well ok, admittedly I did blame him for quite a while there... but not now. I was a bit of an idiot before, I'll be the first to admit it."

"Is that why?"

They both started as part of a shadow separated from the rest and moved forward.

Draco let out a sigh of relief as it moved out where he could see it. "Bloody Hell, Potter! Don't do that!" He took a deep breath, slowing his racing heart. "You shouldn't be out here anyway... you don't have a ward."

Even as he said it, they heard movement in the shrubbery behind them. Spyke stuck his head out, sniffing curiously in Harry's direction. Harry let out an inhuman growl, his eyes suddenly glowing brightly. Spyke let out a hiss, jerking back. Draco smirked as he heard Spyke crashing through the underbrush as it fled, sounding a bit less than sure footed.

"I'm not all that concerned about the local wildlife." Pax said calmly, looking down at them, his eyes still glowing.

"Huh." Percy said as if noting something mildly interesting. "Guess they were right about where you stashed that demon."

"Yep." Pax said, crouching down in front of him, "So... is that why?"

"Why what?" Percy asked, the alcohol he'd managed to consume before Spyke had absconded with the bottle obviously enough to cloud his thinking a bit.

"Why you wrote those articles." Pax replied evenly.

Draco's eyes darted to Percy. Percy was staring at Pax, not denying it. After a moment, he asked, "How did you know it was me?"

Pax flashed him a little smile, "Well, other than the fact that you were the only one in that room who had any chance of growing a conscious? I'd have to say Harry first figured it out when he read that little quote in the article about Hogsmeade. 'It is making me completely reevaluate my work, my life and my family.' It was the family part that gave you away."

Percy groaned and scrubbed his hand over his face. "I was afraid someone would pick up on that. Thought nothing of it at the time, but afterwards I thought better of it, but that Skeeter cow refused to let me change it."

"And of course you were the only one who would have had a copy of the notes from the testing. You were the one they brought in to take the official notes in the first place after all. Arthur probably would have figured it out as well if he'd seen you come in. And since you wrote the notes, Harry knew you had to have a rough draft laying about somewhere. You never even wrote a note to put on the ice box for your mum without a rough draft."

Percy chuckled. "Had two for that, actually. Wrote down everything the first time... but then looking it over later I knew they would have expected me to leave some things out to protect the Ministry. Wouldn't want written records of their disparaging remarks and such... so I made a second draft, omitting those things, and handed it over as the rough for it to be entered into the official books as usual. Never could quite make myself throw the originals away though... The memo about the Erumpent tail came to me accidentally. Friend of mine from shipping and receiving grabbed it out of the refuse bin to write something down for me. Handed it right to me without even realizing it. The minute I read that memo... Fudge would have killed that boy." He said in a near whisper, shaking his head incredulously. "I trusted him implicitly... I was such a fool..."

"Can't disagree with you on that count." Pax said softly. He eyed him in silence for a moment before speaking again, his voice even softer, "You know what's coming, don't you?"

Percy sighed and nodded. "I've learned a lot since those tests. Far too much..."

"Why'd you do it if you knew?" Pax asked curiously.

Percy looked up at him, staring back into his glowing eyes without flinching. "Knowingly or not, I played a role in what is happening. I have to try to put it to rights. No matter what."

"Come inside." Draco said softly, "Explain all this to them. They'll..."

"No." Percy said immediately, "No reason to it. It's best they remain mad at me. I've already sent Penelope off to her mums. I doubt she knows why, and she was upset, but she went."

"So you and Penelope...?" Draco asked.

Percy gave a little ghost of a smile. "Got married, yes. We got a flat together as soon as I left home... got married a couple weeks later... I love that woman with all my heart... I just hope they leave her out of this. I sent her off just in time actually... our flat's gone. Another convenient 'random act of terrorism'." He said with a humorless laugh.

Draco's eyes widened, "The Ministry destroyed your home?"

Percy looked over at Pax, "You're his demon and he doesn't even have a clue yet?" he asked with a hint of amusement.

Pax rolled his eyes. "Tell me about it! Been dropping hints like crazy, even planting them directly in his loaf... he's just being a bit thick on the subject." He said with a shrug.

Percy gave a little snort of amusement and started to struggle to his feet. Pax rose, giving him a hand. When Percy was up, Pax continued to hold onto him. Percy looked at him a bit uneasily now that he was up close.

"I make you nervous." Pax said, amused.

"You're a demon. It's not that unexpected, is it?" Percy replied evenly.

"Point taken." Pax replied with amusement, then he leaned closer, dropping his voice as his amusement faded. "You may fear me now, but some time soon you may find yourself praying to have me there." he said softly.

Percy gave him a little smile. "I know..." He looked him in the eye. "If I ever ask you to... do it." he said evenly.

Pax gave a curt nod. "You have my oath."

"Why is this sounding so grim?" Draco asked, his eyes darting back and forth between the two.

Percy clapped him on the back, "You'll figure it out sooner or later. Until then..." He reached into his robes and pulled out a large, thick envelope. He stared down at it for a moment, then sighed, handing it to Draco. "This is for Ginny. I'd really appreciate it if you'd give it to her, but not tonight. And don't let dad see it. He'd probably burn it or whatever he does with all the letters I've sent him. I know the invitation was probably a mistake, but I... I'm really glad I came. It's good to see them again, even from a distance. And it was good to meet you... _this_ you. You're not the same boy I knew in school anymore. That boy could never have loved my sister like you do. If I can't be there to watch over her, at least I know there is someone else who will. Take care of her. Take care of all of them. They're going to need it, especially now that you've pissed off your father."

Draco dropped his eyes, staring at the plain envelope. "That's why I kept them all here until the wedding. Even sent half a dozen house elves over to help with the Christmas rush over at the twins' shop so they would agree to stay. I knew no Weasley was safe out there until the wedding was over... but now hopefully he will just focus his wrath on me. Had a couple of men looking for you to bring you here as well..."

Percy chuckled, "Ya. Saw them. They're good, but I was able to evade them."

"But why?" Draco asked, puzzled.

"Because my troubles are of my own creation and I refuse to put my family in danger because of them. I shouldn't even be here, but I couldn't resist one last look..." He looked over at the window again and sighed, "I wish they all knew how much I love them... but, as I said, it's best this way."

Draco was taken by surprise when Percy wrapped him in a hug. "Good luck." He said a bit gruffly. Then he released him and started away. He paused a couple meters away. "By the way, I'm glad the ceremony was a magically binding one." He said, not turning, "Not even the Ministry can dissolve that. One last little leak for you... Fudge changed the laws a couple of days ago... though through an 'office mix-up' it won't be reported to the public until New Years day... marriages alone no longer override previously arranged betrothals. Unless there is a verified pregnancy before the regular deadline, the marriage is annulled and the betrothal takes legal precedence. Just his little wedding present to you."

"That bastard!" Draco said, taken aback despite all the duplicity he'd already witnessed in the pompous man.

"You don't know the half of it!" Percy said with a chuckle, "But as I said... you'll figure it out. For now I have an appointment to keep. I'm sure my friend Warner Ross is expecting me."

He left without another word, walking towards the silently waiting coach in the lane.

Pax turned and started back towards the back of the hall.

"What the bloody Hell was all _that_ about?" Draco asked crossly as he caught up to him. He didn't like feeling left out of the loop.

"All what?" Pax asked innocently.

"What don't I know?"

Pax let out a laugh, "That is an amazingly broad subject... I think you're going to have to narrow your question down quite a bit before I can answer you in a single lifetime."

Draco growled, grabbing his shoulder and spinning him around. "What have you been hinting at that I'm 'being thick' about?"

"Hmm... I can't tell you." Pax replied evenly.

"_What_ can't you tell me?" Draco persisted angrily.

Pax's face lit up. "_Very good question_, master! Let's just think about this, shall we? _What can't I tell you about, **master**?_" He purred significantly with a smirk, then turned and continued along his way.

"Are you saying _my father_ would have something to do with terrorizing someone who made the Ministry look bad?"

"I'm not saying a bloody thing." Pax said mirthfully, "I is a _good_ shadow demon! I is keeping my master's secrets!" He said in a squeaky imitation of a house elf.

Draco followed him, his mind spinning as that processed. Why was his father looking out for the interests of the Ministry? Or was it just _Fudge_ he was covering up for? He knew Fudge was a real arse, but could he actually still have ties with his father? The implications were deeply disturbing. He looked up as Pax staggered slightly, stopping and resting his shoulder heavily against a stone column.

Draco hurried up to him. Pax had his eyes clinched shut, his breath panting in his chest and seemed to have a pained edge to it. "What's wrong?"

"Potter's fighting..." Pax gasped.

Draco's eyes widened, "Fighting? You mean you don't have permission to take over?"

"I did..." Pax said, "But... he... he doesn't like my respecting Percy's wishes..." He gasped, then fell to his knees, still obviously fighting an internal struggle.

"Let him go, demon." Draco demanded.

Pax shot him an angry look, but then the red fled from his eyes. Harry immediately got to his feet and started running back the direction they'd come. Surprised, Draco ran after him. He caught up to him as Harry came to a stop, his eyes searching the dark lane for Percy. The carriage had already gone and was well out of sight.

"We have to stop him! We have to get him back!" Harry gasped desperately, still winded from the run.

"What's your problem, Potter?"

Harry spun around to face him. "If we don't get him back here he'll be dead by morning! He knows it as well at the demon does! He as much as told us! He said he's going to meet Warner Ross! Warner Ross was killed yesterday when Death Eaters destroyed the building he lived in! He worked in shipping and receiving at the Ministry! It was in the Daily Prophet this morning!"

Draco shot a worried glance at the darkened lane. "And the demon respected his acceptance of his own death..."

"He may have, but I sure as Hell don't! Percy's may have been a prat, but he's still a Weasley!" Harry said vehemently.

"But we can't just chain him up in the dungeon to keep him safe... and I'm pretty sure that's what it'd take. He avoided my men, which believe me is_ not_ an easy task... We'll just have to find guardians he can't evade..." He said thoughtfully, then smacked him on the arm and starting back for the window. "Come on. Let's get back in before someone notices."

"But..." Harry said, staring at the darkened lane and feeling utterly frustrated.

Draco stopped and carefully tempered his anger before turning back to him. "I'm not just going to dismiss him out of hand, Potter." He growled. "But running after him isn't going to do any good, so let's get back inside so I can get him some help. I don't have time to stand here listening to you whining. Now why don't you just let the demon take over again if you can't control yourself properly, because right now you're looking far too emotional. I do _not_ want the Weasleys finding out about this tonight. No use ruining their holiday with something they have no power to change. Understand?"

Harry glowered at him irritably. "Fine." He growled, "But if something happens to him..."

"It will be because you took too bloody long standing here bitching!" Draco snapped, then turned and stormed away.

It took Draco some deep breathing exorcises and a whole lot of willpower to let him smile convincingly as he slipped in the window.

Ginny was standing there, waiting tensely for his report.

"Anyone notice I'd gone?" He asked, keeping his voice low.

Ginny shook her head. "I don't think so. Fred and George cast an engorgement spell on some paper dragons and Kulia's gargoyles were on them almost immediately. Looked like a snowstorm!" She said with a little smirk. "Everyone got a bit of a laugh out of it. The house elves are having a time cleaning it up... the gargoyles are still romping around through the shreds, pouncing on the bits that are still wriggling. Tiger's helping too of course..." Her smile slipped, "So...?"

"He just wanted to... well... see you. Make sure you were happy. He's left now..."

They looked over at Diamond made a little warning sound, ducking behind a large tree trunk. Draco took ahold of Ginny and kissed her passionately.

The feel of her lips and warm tongue pushed all other thoughts from his mind as the kiss deepened.

After a moment, he broke off, blushing as he heard a throat being cleared nearby. They looked over.

Arthur Weasley was standing there, a somewhat bemused look on his face. "I was wondering where you two got off to. If you're going to disappear, you should probably bid your guests farewell first..."

Draco's pale cheeks warmed more, "Sorry sir..." He said, properly abashed.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Harry settled down at the base of a tree at the edge of the 'clearing', watching everyone. He had to smirk as the little Thestral rolled in the copious amounts of shredded napkin, kicking his little paws in the air and stirring it up. When he righted himself again, he stuck out his little wings and gave them a good strong flap, making swirls of paper fly out and up into the air like a strange dust cloud. It let out an excited trill and sprang after the largest pieces, rearing and slashing at them with his talons.

Most of the others were sitting around the bar, laughing as they watched Tiger frolicking. He carefully peeled his eyes away from Snape and Hermione. Snape was standing behind her, his arms around her, fingers entwined over her stomach. She was leaning back against him is if it were the most natural thing on earth. Harry still had a hard time excepting that particular couple, despite his own peculiar match. Delse, at least, had not been the bane of their existence for the past several years.

He spotted Draco over near Kulia. Harry could see that he was talking to her in a low voice, but they both kept watching Tiger and had smiles on their faces, though upon closer inspection their expressions appeared more like masks than sincere amusement. He saw Draco hand her something, but couldn't see what it was at that angle.

As if hearing a silent call, both Gargoyles lifted their heads and looked at Kulia. Their stances betrayed no urgency, but they both began sidling over to her. No one seemed to notice. Tiger had been trying for a particularly elusive shred of paper and had beat his wings hard, actually managing to get nearly a meter into the air before dropping back down. They all applauded him.

Harry watched as Kulia knelt down, her Gargoyles nuzzling up to her. She slipped her arm around the neck of the larger one, pressing her forehead against his. When she lifted her head again, she held something out, which they both sniffed intently. After that, she gave them each a little hug and rose, slipping the item back to Draco. Harry was finally able to get a good look at it. It was the envelope Percy had given Draco for Ginny. Draco made it disappear back into his robes.

Harry glanced back at the gargoyles and blinked. They were gone. He looked around, sure the departure of two such large beasts couldn't have possibly passed his notice, but they were nowhere in sight. The seething worry inside him eased a bit. If the gargoyles were going to watch over Percy, he had a chance at least.

As his anxiety eased a bit he felt a wave of exhaustion come over him. It had been an arduous Quidditch match earlier. He was sure by now that Blaise had been messing about with his golden snitches. He'd never had to pursue such an elusive, almost intelligent snitch. Not to mention it should never have been fast enough to out fly his new broom. He probably could have caught it in the end with just a tiny bit more effort, but he'd let Draco beat him to it. He liked to consider it the one and only wedding present he had any intention of giving.

**_Why did you just let Percy walk away like that?_** Harry asked the demon silently.

**_I believe he has the right to decide when it's time to just except the inevitable. He made decisions. He knew the consequences, and he accepted them._** Pax whispered softly in his mind, **_It would be disrespectful to completely disregard his decisions just because they don't set well with you. He's right, his presence here would endanger everyone. His decision was tantamount to suicide and he knew it. In fact, I would probably recommend he _does_ finish it himself. There are painless ways. That's more consideration than he'll find in the hands of others. _**

"There you are..." Delse said with a smirk, coming over and sitting next to him. "Was wondering where you'd gotten off to. Something wrong?" She asked, looking over more closely, his smile obviously not completely convincing.

Harry quickly shook his head, but she didn't look convinced.

**_Stop being such a worrier. Smile, take this lovely woman to her room and give her a good shag or two._** Pax whispered in exasperation.

**_I'm not sure I can..._** Harry replied as he looked Delse over, trying to make his smile more convincing. **_I'm just too tired and emotionally drained right now. Think I should just go to bed._**

**_Oh you've got to be joking! Look at her. She's just been to a wedding and is bound to want to at least _imagine_ that she could be loved as much as Draco loves Ginny. She's probably been dying to drag you away and shag you all evening! You can't just go to sleep!_**

Harry gave a mental sigh. **_Fine. I'll shag her then._** He said, a bit irritated to have the demon chastising him on issues of sensitivity again.

**_Oh yeah. I'm sure you'll make it memorable too!_** Pax sneered sarcastically. There was a slight pause, then he went on, his voice taking on a speculative tone, **_Of course... if you wanted, I could take over for a bit... I, for one, am not tired in the least... and I guarantee it will be VERY enjoyable for her. I'll even let you watch if you'd like..._** he said coaxingly.

Harry hated to admit it, but the idea had some merit. He really hated the idea of leaving Delse unsatisfied. He also couldn't help but wonder what the demon did to Delse when he had free reign. The demon was always so confident he could do it so much better... **_But who says she'd even want to shag YOU?_**

**_Let's just see then, shall we? I think this should really be her decision after all. She says no and I'll shut up and we'll go with your plan and I'll just let you rut at her a few minutes and fall asleep._** Pax said with a bit of mirthful sarcasm.

"Harry?" Delse asked, starting to look worried.

He looked up, his eyes starting to glow as his smile became genuine. He reached over, gently taking ahold of her and pulling her into his lap. "Sorry... we were just having a little conversation... see Harry really wants to make this night special for you... but he's really done in from the Quidditch and all... he's afraid you'd be disappointed... so... he said... if you wouldn't _mind..._ he'd let _me_ do a proper job of it and just watch..." He smirked, nuzzling up to her and nibbling on her neck in a way he knew drove her to distraction.

"He... he's really ok with that?" She asked, trying to keep her mind on track as she shivered with pleasure.

Pax lifted his head and looked her in the eyes. "I could never lie to you, even if I wanted to. You know that." he said softly.

She looked at him for a long moment, then a little smirk pulled at the side of her mouth. "Ok then. If Harry wants you to show me a good time, who am I to argue?"

Pax let out a little moan of longing, capturing her lips and giving her a dizzying kiss before leaning back and smirking at her. "We'd better leave soon if you want time for a little nap before breakfast then..."

> > > > > > > > > > >

Draco tried to put worries about Percy, the Ministry and his father out of his mind as they followed the house elf back towards their room. They had bid everyone a good night of course. Many of them had stayed, continuing the party despite their absence. Dumbledore and McGonagall had taken their leave as well, Dumbledore having 'things to attend to' as usual, and McGonagall not wanting to take up a room for the night. Hagrid was staying the night, using Dumbledore's suite undoubtedly. He would be leaving after the festivities the next day, and taking Tiger with him. Draco had grudgingly agreed that trying to make their way back to Hogwarts on Thestral again would be just plain daft, and besides, the Thestrals should be getting back to their families anyway. Hagrid, unable to Apparate, would be taking him back on the huge, enchanted motorcycle he'd rode there as soon as it was dark, the adult Thestrals flying with him.

So it was the Thestrals' last night there... and they weren't flying... but, all in all, there was one thing he loved even more than flying... and she was walking at his side. He looked over at her and smiled, giving her hand a squeeze. She smiled back at him, almost seeming to glow with anticipation.

He released her hand and slipped his arm around her back as the elf opened the door to their room for them. "Well... here we are..." He said, smiling at her warmly.

She let out a little surprised sound and then giggled as he swept her up in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him as he carried her into the room. The elf quickly exited, locking the door behind it, but they hardly noticed. He set her down, not breaking the kiss.

After a long, sensuous snogging session, he shifted back slightly. "You should probably get out of that dress... I wouldn't want to wrinkle it..." He said with a little smirk.

She grinned and turned around, letting him unfasten the back. He worked his way slowly down, unhooking the tiny hooks that let the material hug her form so perfectly. When the last one was undone, he slipped her gown down and she stepped out of it. He picked it up and laid it gingerly across the back of a chair.

His eyes trailed down her body hungrily. As stiff as the top of her dress had been she hadn't needed a bra. Her cheeks tinged pink self-consciously as she stood there wearing only a half slip. She kicked off her shoes and bit her bottom lip. He stepped up to her, running his hands down her sides and easily brushing the slip down. As it pooled around her feet, he smiled at her, then leaned closer, kissing his way down her body. He knelt on the floor before her as he kissed her stomach. He looked up into her eyes as he slipped his finger in the top of one of the thigh high silk stockings, releasing the holding spell. His teased her flesh with feather light touches as he pushed the stocking down, then slipped it off entirely as she lifted her foot obligingly. He then moved his hands over, doing the same to the other stocking, moving slowly and making her quiver with desire. Then he moved his hands around, stroking his fingers down her bum as he pulled her dainty lace knickers down. They slipped down to the floor as well. She stepped out of them automatically, then gasped as he took the opening, shifting his head down and darting his tongue in to taste her.

She trembled as he held her to him, his tongue exploring her until her knees threatened to buckle. He relented, smirking up at her, then licked and kissed his way back up her body. "Let's move this to the bed..." He suggested softly.

She grinned and hurried over, getting on the bed. She smirked, looking over at him as she settled on the bed. He was still completely dressed. He set about fixing that, but in a slow, methodical way that quickly had her squirming with anticipation. As he set his robes on the chair he'd chosen for his clothes, he took something out of one of the inside pockets. "Hold this..." He said, handing her the unicorn horn carving.

She shivered as she took it. It felt warm, as if it were a living thing. "He let us keep it?" She asked happily.

Draco chuckled. "It's ours. It was custom made for us and will work for no other. Besides, the ceremony isn't over yet."

Her eyes darted up to him. "What?" She asked, shocked.

He smirked. "The last bit is usually done in private..." He said, leaving her wondering. He slipped off his shirt and she forgot about it for the moment, watching as he removed his shoes and socks before finally undoing his pants and taking them off, followed by his boxers. Her whole body seemed to twinge with longing as he deposited the boxers on the pile of clothing and walked over to her, his madly swirling eyes burning with desire.

He crawled up onto the bed and lay down at her side, gently taking the carving. "Now... what do you say we get back to the ceremony... we'll need this of course..."

Her eyes darted to the carving as he put his thumb on a delicately drawn symbol on the back of the little 'Draco' and his forefinger on the one on the back of the little 'Ginny'. He appeared to squeeze it slightly and it suddenly glowed and expanded. It was still a depiction of them embracing of course, but just quite a bit larger than it had been. Now she could see more detail as well. The resemblance was indeed amazing. The figures were wearing robes, the liquid lines of them flowing down, appearing to drift around and merge towards the bottom. The carving was roughly cylindrical in shape, owing to what it was made of, now perhaps two inches in diameter at it's widest point and about seven inches tall. "Umm... just what exactly are you planning on doing with that?" She asked with trepidation.

A wicked smirk flitted over his lips as he easily figured out what she was thinking. "Perhaps later, love..." He said wriggling his eyebrows. "For now, this goes here..." He said, laying the carving sideways across her belly.

She looked down at it, feeling a warm pulsing of power radiating from it. "And what do we do now?" She asked curiously.

"Now..." Draco said softly, moving her legs apart and shifting over between them. "We consummate our union."

Ginny's heart gave a flutter, then she cried out in bliss as he pressed into her. Once he had buried himself in her completely, he settled down on top of her, resting on his elbows and trapping the carving between them. He kissed her deeply as he started moving in her. The carving rolled against their stomachs with his movements, but stayed studiously between them, undoubtedly spelled against being dislodged.

They both let out moans as waves of pleasure seemed to radiate from the carving. Draco quickly picked up the pace as she wrapped her legs around him. She twinned her fingers in his hair and pulled him closer, kissing him deeply.

He moaned into her kiss, trying to drive himself deeper. Never had he felt so aroused, his body so attuned to hers. The feel of her beneath him at this moment was more exquisite than anything he had ever even imagined. Making love to her had always been more intense than it was with anyone else, but this left all previous experiences far behind. He didn't know if it was the carving or just the knowledge that he was making her his once and for all. Whatever it was, he never wanted it to end.

It had to end though, as all things must... but as he felt the pleasure grow and sharpen he lost all desire to fight it. He pressed down against her as he drove himself into her. She cried out loudly, jerking up against him as her body seized him. A rush of pure ecstasy flowed through him and he tensed, spending himself with a deep, shuddering groan.

The room seemed to grow suddenly brighter as the carving between them let out another surge of power. The air shimmered and coursed around them for a moment before slowly settling down. They lay there, just panting and holding eachother for a while as the light faded. After a minute, Ginny blinked her eyes open, then let out a little laugh.

"Stars..." she giggled.

Draco looked up and chuckled. Above them, hovering in the air and drifting around in a swirling motion ever so slowly were little pinpoints of light that did indeed resemble stars. He shifted up some, looking down between them.

Her eyes widened as the candlelight caught on something. On his stomach, just below his navel, was a strange symbol that seemed to be painted on with some kind of shimmering paint. It was almost as if some of the unicorn horn had rubbed off on his skin. He braced himself on one arm and reached down, feeling the mark with a smile on his face.

"What's that?" Ginny asked in shock.

He looked up at her, then back at the mark, smirking. "This says I'm yours..." He picked up the carving and set it to the side, then brushed his fingers over the mirror image of the mark that now appeared on her own belly. "And this says you're mine..."

Ginny felt the mark on her belly. It tingled against her fingers.

Draco chuckled, then settled back down on top of her. The marks sent sparks of pleasure though them as they rubbed together. "At last..." he sighed, then kissed her deeply.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - I will end this chapter here cause it's getting rather long, though the night is not quite over yet. Um... I guess I'm posting more. Not making _guarantees_, but since I've received like 130 reviews since my last chapter less than a week ago... to be honest, I'm... well I think I'm getting a much better idea how Ginny felt when she saw that picture of herself hanging in the Slytherin Common Room... (grins) I think I got more reviews on the last chapter in one day than I have for any previous chapter, even if it had a week or so to gather them before the next was posted. Normally I get maybe two dozen or so reviews for a decent chapter... usually the same people (not that I'm complaining if you're a repeat reviewer!)... it almost gets to feeling like they're the only ones out there... it never really seems like there are that many people actually reading this... just a little shocking when that many more suddenly popped up...

Oh... um... and someone apparently someone nominated this story for the Draco/Ginny awards (awards dot magicaltheory dot com in case you wanna look at it). It doesn't appear to be very big... not many fics signed up yet and they still appear to be looking for most of their judges... but I figured I'd go ahead and give it a go anyhow. My only problem is that I'm a bit indecisive, and I have to decide if it should go into the category of "novel-length" or "original". Yes, I know it's _more_ than novel length... in fact by their standards it's like four or five times that already... but I don't think its length should be my sole basis for where to submit it. I mean I'd rather have my work considered original that simply long... (shrugs) anyway, I was wondering what you all thought about where it should go?

I'm thinkin I had best at least _try_ to finish this before the judging... not only would it most definitely help, but if I lose and there's only like one other fic I'm competing against, I'm likely to get really depressed. Can we say 'writer's block'? ;P Don't get me wrong, this story still has a bit left in it (no, I don't have an exact chapter count!), but I'm just hoping I don't lose steam again so I can get it out within the next couple weeks or so.


	62. Chapter 62

A/N - Adult stuff. If you don't like it, drop down past the second divider once it gets to that point.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Chapter 62

"Whatcha doing over here all by yourself?" Ron asked, coming up and taking the seat next to Blaise. Blaise was resting his elbow on the bar, propping up his head with one hand and staring apparently into space with those strangely half-turned eyes, a forgotten drink in his other hand.

Blaise smirked, but didn't look over at him. "Nothin much..."

"Come on, it's almost midnight. Most everyone's left already. Time to head back to the room."

"You two go on ahead. I'll be sleeping in one of the spare rooms tonight." Blaise said casually.

"What?" Ron asked, shocked.

Blaise glanced over at him. "Come on, Ron. You can shag her again. Go. Take her to the room and make me proud. I expect her to be completely contented by morning." He said with a smirk, his eyes going back to where they had been before.

Ron sighed. "Blaise... just because you can't shag her doesn't mean you can't come and be with us!"

Blaise picked up his drink and knocked it back, then sat the empty glass down with a little hiss as the alcohol burnt a fiery trail down his throat. "Nope. Quite frankly, I don't trust myself to be anywhere near her right now. Besides, I'll be happy just knowing she's finally getting some action. It's been murder watching her being all _abstinent_. She probably hasn't had this long of a dry spell in a good long time. I'll just hang out here for a bit, then wander to a spare room. I'd wager Breanna's room isn't going to be used tonight..." he said with a little smirk, then tilted his head slightly and letting out an appreciative groan.

Ron followed his gaze, but saw nothing more than a shelf of liquor. "What the bloody Hell are you staring at?"

A wicked smirk slipped over Blaise's lips. "Just watching Breanna getting a good hard shagging..."

Ron quickly clapped his hand over his mouth, stifling a burst of laughter. He looked around to make sure no one was close enough to hear, then lowered his voice, "Charlie?"

Blaise's grin widened. "_And_ Bill..." He said with a snicker.

Ron let out a little laugh, his eyes going wide. "She talked them into sharing?" He asked, obviously shocked.

Blaise snickered, "Oh don't fool yourself, Ron. Those two have shared before, and more than once. No one could be that coordinated without a _lot_ of practice!"

Ron's jaw dropped. "No way!"

Blaise smirked again, "You kidding? They're teaching _me_ new positions! That one right there for example... saw it in a book once, but I never could figure out how you could really accomplish it in real life without like falling over or hurting someone at the very least... but they seem to be having no problem with it..."

Ron couldn't stop snickering.

"You run along now... you're distracting me from my studying." Blaise said mirthfully. "I'll take notes, and once I'm back to rights, we have _got_ to try some of this out..."

Ron grinned. "Ok then... just don't remind me where you picked it up!"

"Deal." Blaise said, clinking his empty glass lightly against the wood of the bar. A house elf hurried up with a bottle and filled it. Blaise snagged the bottle out of its hand as the elf started to take it back to its place on the shelf. The elf just bowed its head and scurried away.

Ron sighed. "Take it easy on that stuff." He said, eyeing the bottle and wishing the elf had brought one that had less left in it. "I guess I'll see you in the morning then... but feel free to come to the room if you change your mind."

Blaise looked over at him and smiled warmly. "I'll be fine, Ron. All I want you to worry about tonight is Pansy."

Ron sighed and nodded, then slipped off his stool and moved closer. Blaise met his lips eagerly, kissing him passionately before reluctantly releasing him. Ron looked him over worriedly as took a pull on his drink and went back to staring at the wall. He knew Blaise was gagging for some action... he could almost feel the desire radiating from him. Still, he knew how stubborn Blaise could get when someone tried to change his mind once it was made up.

Pansy romped over, looking almost giddy. She, of course, wasn't drinking alcohol, so she hadn't mellowed as the others had over the course of the celebration. "Come on boys! Night's a wastin!"

Blaise looked over at her and smiled. He slipped his arm around her and nuzzled against her before giving her a kiss just as passionate as the one he'd given Ron. Pansy practically purred, melting up against him.

Blaise let out a little moan and pulled back. Ron smirked, seeing Blaise pulling her hand away from the rather pronounced bulge in his pants. He pulled his robes over, draping them across his lap. "Not tonight love. Ron will be attending to you this evening."

Pansy's smile faded. She looked over to Ron. Ron just gave his head a little shake. Pansy gave him a petulant sigh, but had been with him far too long to question him. "Fine." She sighed, then smirked, "But you're going to owe me, Zabini!"

He gave her a smirk. "As you wish, Snape."

She rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him, then grabbed Ron's arm and all but dragged him towards the door.

Blaise watched them go, then sighed, going back to his 'show'. Somehow it didn't hold quite the same fascination for him anymore.

"Isn't this sad?"

Blaise looked over in surprise. He had thought he was the last one there, but Narcissa was still sitting at the end of the bar, nursing a drink.

"What's sad?" Blaise asked, trying to keep his eyes up on her face. She was around the bend in the bar, but the thick wood did nothing to hide her from him.

"Me. You. Everyone else is off shagging eachothers arses off and we're the odd ducks out. Nothin to do but sit here and get kaylied." Narcissa replied with a smirk, a bit of a slur in her voice.

Blaise smirked at her. "If you're hot to trot, you could always go to Hagrid's room. I'd wager he's in need of a bed mate tonight."

Narcissa laughed, "Don't think I haven't thought about it!" She giggled merrily. "But honestly! That man has to be like..." She held her hands up, a couple of feet apart, then dropped them with another giggle. "Kinda doubt I'd survive that!"

Blaise chuckled. He'd seen Narcissa half-cut before, but never quite this hammered. She wasn't even trying to pretend she was proper (and sober!) anymore.

She took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Well, when you start discussing the endowments of giants, it's time to call it a night!" She said with a smirk. She slapped her palm on the counter and nodded. "Definitely time for bed."

She got up briskly... and fell over. "Bloody Hell!" She said, giggling giddily from the ground.

Blaise clapped his hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. When he got his mirth under control he lowered his hand. "You ok?"

"Fine! Just fine..." She said, struggling back up to her feet and holding on to the bar for support. "Must of stepped on the hem of my dress." She said, brushing bits of grass off her skirt. Even she couldn't keep from smirking at the bold faced lie. "Night." She said with as much dignity as she could muster. She started around the bar, her hand darting over to the bar several times to regain her balance.

"Hold up." He said as she got closer. "You need a guide." He looked around, spotting the house elf who had been tending the bar nearby. "Hey you!" He said, not able to figure out which one it was with the confusion of the dual vision.

The house elf hurried over and, scampering up the little ladder at the back to get behind the bar. "Is you wanting something different to be drinking, master?" It asked helpfully.

He waved it off, "She needs a guide back to her suite." He said indicating Narcissa.

"What suite is you being in, ma'am?"

Narcissa blinked, then furrowed her brow, "It's named after... oh I don't remember his name... he was some silly bugger of questionable morality who did something stupid to con his way into the history books." she said with a giggle.

The elf looked thoughtful, "That could be describing any suite we is having here..." He said in frustration. His eyes widened as he realized he'd spoken ill of how his master had named the rooms. He quickly grabbed up the bottle off the bar.

Blaise, his reflexes still quick despite the amount of liquor he'd consumed, snatched it out of the elf's hand as it tried to hit itself over the head with it. "Stop it!" He growled, setting the bottle right again. "You have any idea how hard it is to find good Muggle scotch around here?"

"Begging your forgiveness master!" It replied, reaching for a different bottle.

Blaise batted its hand away irritably, "Enough of that bullshit. The rooms _are_ named stupid. Starting tomorrow I want the bloody things numbered! And another thing, cut out this punishing yourself thing. It's fuckin irritating. Father was the only one who enjoyed it, and he's thankfully _dead_, so stop it. Spread that around. No more, got it?"

The cowed elf nodded his head fervently.

Blaise got to his feet a bit unsteadily, sighing, "I'll take her. I think I remember where it is."

"But... but master... you is needing a guide..." The worried elf sputtered as Narcissa took the arm Blaise offered her.

"I'll give it a try solo." Blaise said with a smirk, giving him a little salute and leading Narcissa out the door, their path weaving a bit as they took turns keeping eachother upright.

"Is this it?" Narcissa asked after they had wandered around for about fifteen minutes.

Blaise glanced at the wall and chuckled. "Bloody Hell... you're right... even _Snape_ is getting laid!" He stood there for a minute, smirking and staring at the wall. "Wow... if I'd known Granger was so enthusiastic in the sack I might have given her a try..." He took a deep breath and sighed it out, pulling his eyes away and leading Narcissa on. "I really shouldn't watch those two. They're kinda almost my parents in a weird twisted step-family kinda way." He said with a chuckle.

Narcissa giggled. "So you can really see through walls?"

He grinned and nodded. "It's bloody brilliant!"

They looked over as they heard hurried footsteps. They turned and saw Vincent scampering towards them. The elf let out a sigh of relief as he came to a stop. From the way he was panting, he'd obviously been searching for them. "You should not be wandering alone, master."

Blaise smirked, noting the slight grogginess. "They woke you to run fetch me before I managed to fall into a banishing bin or something daft like that, didn't they?"

"Oh no, I was just... yes." He admitted with a sigh, unable to lie to Blaise's face.

Blaise chuckled. "Sorry about that. Tell you what, help me get her to her room and lead me to a free couch somewhere and you can go back to sleep with a clear conscious, ok?"

Vincent grinned and nodded. "Her room is being this way, master." He said, pointing back the way they'd come.

They followed him and within a minute Vincent was opening the door to Narcissa's suite. Narcissa released his arm and started into the suite, but within a couple paces she stumbled. Blaise grabbed ahold of her before she hit the ground, setting her back properly upright. "I'll just walk you to your room then." He said with a smirk.

"You are such a sweet boy!" she said with a giggle, patting his cheek, then letting him lead her over to the door to her bedroom.

Vincent hurried forward, getting that door as well.

"I can't tell you how glad I am that we had the wedding here!" Narcissa sighed as he led her into the room. "Our mansion has too many bad memories for him... and you two have always been so close... I know he always had such a hard time expressing himself, but I always knew he cared for you. Sure he liked Crabbe and Goyle, but how much can you really feel for yes-men? I mean they seemed to have fallen into the same rolls that their fathers have with Lucius as if it was expected of them... but I don't think that was ever what Draco truly needed." She turned to him, smiling. "You told him no. You irritated the Hell out of him. He needed that. There's only so much bowing and sycophantic adoration one can stand..."

Blaise grinned. "That's not the kind of adoration I have for him."

She grinned back, "Exactly! You actually _cared_ for him, and not just because of who he was. He could sense that. I know it couldn't have been easy for him dealing with all the pressures of school and his father on top of that... and I truly believe I have you to thank for getting him through it all. You're a true friend to him, Blaise. Thank you." she said, leaning forward and giving him a little kiss. Her less than steady footing brought her up against him a bit more than she intended. She blushed as she felt something firm pressing against her. Blaise couldn't reign in his desire quick enough, deepening and holding the kiss for a moment before pulling away.

"Sorry." he said contritely, "I should go." try as he might, he was finding it extremely difficult to make himself move away from her.

She was looking at him, a bit stunned. "Um... of course..." She murmured. She bit her lip, then glanced up at him again. "Think you could help me with my dress before you go?" she asked softly.

Blaise took a deep breath, knowing he should turn and go, but found himself rooted to the spot as she turned around, looking back over her shoulder expectantly.

Vincent looked over as he saw movement to the side. Diamond had obviously been woken by the voices. She was standing in the doorway to the closet Narcissa had had made up into an elf-sized room for her. She blinked as she saw Vincent, then looked over at her mistress. They just watched silently as Blaise started undoing the back of Narcissa's dress.

As the dress fell to the floor Blaise couldn't help but brush his fingers down the warm soft skin of her back. She shivered and leaned back against him. He let out a groan of desire, his hands slipping around to caress her breasts as if of their own volition. Narcissa let him fondle her for a minute, then turned, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. His hands slid down to cup her firm rump as he started pulling her back towards the bed, snogging her passionately.

Vincent looked back over at Diamond. Her cheeks had darkened a bit. She looked over at him again, a little grin on her face. She slowly turned and went back into her room... leaving the door open.

Vincent grinned at the obvious invitation, quickly following her in and closing the door.

Blaise didn't even notice. His legs came up against the bed and they fell back onto it. Narcissa sat up, and stripped off her underthings as quickly as she could in her inebriated state, then started struggling with Blaise's pants, not even bothering with the rest.

He took over, quickly undoing them and pushing them and his skivvies down. As soon as they were down far enough for them to be out of the way, Narcissa pushed him back down, swinging her leg over him. Even as uncoordinated as she was, it only took her a moment to position him. Blaise let out a deep groan and pushed his hips up to meet her as she drove herself down on him.

She cried out, quickly getting some leverage and started riding him so hard the bed immediately started protesting. Blaise groaned and panted, thrusting up just as eagerly. He knew he shouldn't be doing this, but it just felt so very _good!_ He was barely able to muster enough restraint to keep his hands off of her so he wouldn't accidentally hurt her.

As vigorously as she was shagging him, and as drunk and aroused as he was, he didn't last long. Narcissa's back arched and she cried out, a shudder of pleasure running through her as he drove up into her, spending himself.

After a tense moment, Narcissa slumped down on top of him. She cuddled up to him, kissing him, then rested her head next to his, her liquor scented breath warm on his neck. "Such a sweet boy..." She murmured softly.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Blaise woke, opening his eyes, then quickly shut them, letting out a pained groan. The light stabbed at his eyes, his head pounding like someone was hitting it with a croquet mallet. Slowly, his head settled down just enough for him to realize there was a warm body pressed up against him. He braved the light, squinting his eyes open a crack and looking down.

He let out a pained groan and forced himself to sit up. He felt shaky, and not a little nauseous, but he fought it down, forcing his eyes open again and trying to remember how the Hell he had wound up in bed with Narcissa. It was slow in returning, but he eventually remembered walking her back to her room... he looked down at himself then, wondered how his clothes had gotten off. He could have sworn he was almost fully clothed, but now he was without a stitch. He took a deep, bracing breath and shifted his eyes over to get a better look at Narcissa. She appeared to be sleeping peacefully... but he couldn't help notice a number of bruises marking her pristine skin... most noticeably the grouping of purpling bruises that were roughly in the shape of his hand on her hip. He could see another bruise barely visible on the other hip. She was laying on it, but he had no doubt it matched the other. As he stared at the bruises he vaguely recalled Narcissa on her knees before him. Little snippets of memories started filtering back and making his mind ache even worse. Within moments, he could recall shagging her in at _least_ four different positions...

"Sweet Merlin... how many times did I shag you?" He muttered, starting to wish he were dead. Draco was going to take care of that for him, of that he was sure.

Narcissa stirred at the sound of his voice, then let out a pained sound and curled up some.

"You ok?" He asked anxiously.

She groaned, then reached her hand back, feeling around blindly until she found the sheet. She tugged it over to cover herself a bit. "Diamond!" She called out, then immediately clutched her head as even the sound of her own voice made it throb angrily.

Blaise looked over, hearing scrambling around in the closet. After a minute, the door opened and the tiny elf emerged in a little robe, scurrying over to a chest near the door and opening it without even glancing at them. She grabbed up two little vials from a rack that had about twenty left in it... and had obviously once held a good number more.

She closed it and hurried over, tapping the side of the bedside table and scampering up the steps that popped out of it. Blaise blushed as she padded across the bed behind his back. She paused when he turned to look at her. She held one of the vials out to him with a little smirk on her face. He took it and watched as she knelt by Narcissa, opening the vial and carefully emptying it into the woman's mouth with obviously practiced ease. She then brushed Narcissa's tousled white-blond hair out of her face lovingly.

Narcissa afforded her a little smile, the pain easing from her face. "Thanks, Diamond. You can go back to..." She had cracked her eyes open, taking in the little robe. A smirk worked onto her lips, "_Whatever_ you were doing..." she finished.

Diamond grinned at her, her cheeks about as dark as Blaise had ever seen an elf's cheeks get. She bobbed her head and quickly scampered back over and into her closet.

Narcissa leaned her head back against the pillow, letting the potion go to work.

Blaise looked down at his own vial. He was feeling like he really deserved to continue suffering, but the pounding in his head was so bad he couldn't even think straight. He sighed in exasperation and uncapped it, downing it in a single swallow. He laid back down as the soothing tingling spread through his mind, easing away the pain. It seemed to be working even better and faster than any of the other hangover potions he'd ever used before. Then again, leave it to Narcissa to find the best in _that_ category...

His eyes sprang open as he felt her shift over, straddling his body and sitting up. She was staring down at him with a wistful smile on her lips. "That was amazing! What I can remember of it that is..." She said, her lips curling up into a little smirk.

He looked up at her incredulously. "Didn't it... hurt?" He asked, reaching up and gently brushing his fingertips over the bruised flesh at her hips.

She followed his gaze, then chuckled softly. "That? Oh that's nothing, dear. You were positively gentle compared to..." Her smile immediately faded, "... What I'm used to..." She finished softly, avoiding his eyes and looking decidedly uncomfortable. She quickly went on, trying not to dwell, "Couple healing spells and I'll be right as rain." Her smiled returned as she settled down on top of him, bringing her face to within inches of his. "Last night was absolutely brilliant. Thank you. I _really_ needed it." she said, darting in to give him a little peck on the lips.

Blaise brought his hands up, scrubbing them over his face and studiously trying to ignore the warm naked body that was draped across him. "Draco's going to kill me!" He sighed achingly.

Narcissa pulled back a little, looking pained. "No... no, it was all my fault and I'll make sure he knows that." She said placatingly, "I won't let him be mad at you... with luck, maybe he won't even find out..." She said, slipping her arms around him and cuddling up. She let out a little happy sigh after a minute, then glanced over at the window. "It's barely dawn... it'll be hours before anyone else is up..." She said, her voice turning decidedly suggestive. "How about one more for the road?"

He shivered as she ground her hips against him. He was suddenly made acutely aware that his body hadn't been ignoring the tender flesh pressed against it like his mind had been telling it to. "Narcissa... I... I really love Pansy and Ron..." He said achingly.

She gave a little sigh. "I know... I know last night was just a drunken one night stand, and it can't happen again... but... well... it _did_ happen... so what's the harm in finishing it off with one last little interlude we can actually _remember?"_ She asked with an imploring smirk.

He knew he should say no... but she _did_ have a point... and who knew when he'd be able to shag freely again? She was probably already full of Re'em blood essence anyway. He was sure he'd shagged her more than enough to get her to 'full strength', so the damage was already done... which meant there was really no benefit to abstaining at this point... Overall, his decision took about five seconds...

He rolled her over and she eagerly wrapped her legs around him. He thrust into her and started shagging her without preamble. He watched her face closely for a moment for signs of pain, but saw none. Her eyes were closed, a blissful look on her face. He picked up the pace, thrusting harder just to be sure. She just let out a moan, undulating up against him. "Yes... yes..." She moaned, "Harder!"

He grinned. It'd been a while since he'd heard that! He closed his eyes and let himself go, pounding into her. As much as he loved shagging Ron, there was just something about being on top of a hot, willing woman... shagging her face to face and feeling her soft, warm body writhing beneath him. She slipped her arms around him, her kisses and light bites on his neck driving him crazy.

Now that he'd sobered up, he lasted much longer. He rode out two screamingly intense peaks from Narcissa before he finally achieved his own rather mind blowing peak. He lay on top of her heavily as he tried to regain his breath.

After he got his breathing back, he gently withdrew, making both of them shudder. The slight ache in his choicer bits made him suspect he'd shagged her even more that night than he remembered. He let out a little sigh, gently kissing her neck, then rolling off of her and getting off the bed. He knew if he didn't leave right away he'd be in that bed all morning. The last thing he needed was for Draco to come looking for his mum and find his best friend shagging her!

He had quite a time finding all of his clothing, as it seemed to be scattered around the room at random. Luckily, he found his wand, and was able to summon the last few elusive articles of clothing from where they hid. He still couldn't figure out how his shirt had found its way behind the wardrobe.

Once he had his shoes on, he looked up, spotting Vincent standing at the door. He looked him over curiously.

Vincent shifted a bit nervously. "You is not saying to be leaving, Master. Vincent is waiting for you."

Despite his anxiety over what was going to happen when people found out about last night, Blaise found himself smirking. He got up and crossed to the door, which Vincent quickly opened for him. He stopped when he reached him, looking down at him. "You might want to tuck in your shirt."

Vincent's eyes darted down and he blushed darkly, quickly starting to tuck in the errant ends of his shirt. "Begging your pardon, master. Vincent is not being used to clothes..."

Blaise patted him on the head affectionately, then glanced back at Narcissa. She was laying there, sprawled out in her full naked glory and looking thoroughly sated. It was a truly magnificent sight...

She smiled warmly, snuggling up to her pillow and sighing contentedly. Blaise couldn't help but smile back.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Ron woke with a groan as the bed shifted under him. He felt the cool glass of a vial against his lips and instantly recognized the familiar, pungent odor. He gulped down the potion without even opening his eyes. Then the glass was gone and he felt a body cuddle up against him. As the potion eased away the overwhelming aching in his head, he vaguely wondered why the body against him was clothed.

He cracked his eyes open. "Blaise?" he asked, trying to clear the cobwebs from his mind.

Blaise just nodded wordlessly against him, cuddling up to him more. Pansy woke at Ron's voice and sat up, blinking around and spotting Blaise.

"About time you wandered home you little scamp." She giggled, crawling over Ron and pushing Blaise onto his back, straddling him and draping herself across him, cuddling up to him lovingly. Within seconds her eyes sprang open and she sat up abruptly. _"You got laid!"_ She said without a hint of question in her tone.

Blaise blushed brightly and averted his eyes, unable to muster a proper response.

Ron shifted up on his side, looking Blaise over, then smirking up at Pansy. "How can you tell?"

Pansy rolled her eyes. She bounced on Blaise's hips a couple times, then reached over took Ron's hand, slipping it under her. He blinked in surprise. Blaise barely had half a stock. "He's been so horny lately that he got hard enough to drive through a steel beam any time I so much as breathed on him. Not to mention his body was always rigid as a washboard with sexual tension... he's been shagged, and quite thoroughly at that! I mean smell him!"

Ron leaned closer, then smirked. He smelt distinctly like perfume.

Pansy folded her arms across her bare chest, looking down at him suspiciously, "You didn't shag my mum did you?" she asked pointedly.

"No!" Blaise said immediately.

Ron chuckled, "Bill and Charlie beat him to the punch there."

Pansy looked over at Ron, her jaw dropping in indignation. "No bloody fair!" she whined petulantly. "Why does she get _two_ Weasleys?"

Ron chuckled, then glanced at Blaise. "Who'd you shag?"

Blaise bit his lip, more than a little hesitant to say.

Pansy rolled her eyes, "Oh come on... we're going to figure it out sooner or later. I mean lately you don't shag anyone without leaving evidence. Shall I just have Ron challenge everyone to an arm wrestling match?"

Blaise sighed, closing his eyes, "Narcissa..." He admitted miserably.

Ron snorted, trying hard to stifle his burst of amusement. Pansy didn't even try to hide it, letting out a loud peal of laughter.

Blaise blinked his eyes open, looking back and forth between them. "You're... you're not mad?"

Their laughter died down and Pansy tried her best to affect a serious demeanor. "Hmm... you _did_ cheat on us... I mean Narcissa never even _asked_ first!" She folded her arms over her chest again, eyeing him shrewdly. "Not sure if we can just dismiss this... I mean it was a rather _grievous_ breach in trust..."

Blaise looked up at her, not sure how serious she might be.

She took a deep breath and sighed it out, looking over at Ron. "I think this really has to be addressed." After another thoughtful look down at Blaise, she nodded, coming to a conclusion. "Ok, here's what we're going to do. You, little mister," She said, poking him hard in the chest with one finger, "Are going to march yourself into that lavatory and strip. You're going to run us a nice hot bath like a good little house elf, and then we're going to remind you of your place! We're gonna scrub that perfume off of you, then I'm going to take back those hands, and most especially that tongue! Ron here will then have to give you a good hard reminder of who exactly that cute little arse belongs to!"

Ron was having a hard time keeping the smirk off his face. He nodded solemnly, "That should teach him!"

> > > > > > > > > > >

When Draco and Ginny made their way into the kitchen the next day, most of the others were already there. Snape looked up as they entered. He smiled and gave Draco a little summoning motion. Ginny was reluctant to be parted from him... they had barely been out of direct physical contact since they finished the ceremony the night before. Still, she smiled at him and let go of his hand. He glanced over at her, surprised, but then smiled and drew her in for one last kiss, figuring she probably had others she wanted to talk to as well. When he released her, he gave her a playful pat on the rump then started over towards Snape.

"Have a good night?" Snape asked with a smirk as Draco flopped down in the seat beside him, looking thoroughly content.

Draco grinned over at him. "Beyond words..." He sighed blissfully.

Snape's smirk widened into a smile. "Glad to hear it. If there's anyone who deserves happiness, it's you. Of course Ginny's looking rather happy herself..." He said with a little mischievousness.

"Worked very hard to get her that way!" Draco said with a touch of arrogance.

Snape chuckled, then they fell silent. Draco eyed Snape. There was obviously some reason he'd called him over. He just waited, knowing he'd get around to it sooner or later.

They watched the others busying themselves in the kitchen for a few minutes. Delse and Breanna were actually cooking this morning, much to the consternation of the house elves. He could see several of them milling around, obviously not knowing what to do with themselves since their regular jobs were being done for them. The women just stood side by side at the enormous stove, Delse scrambling eggs while Breanna flipped pancakes on the griddle, chatting away merrily, both completely oblivious to the elves. Draco blinked in amazement as he spotted his mother. She was standing there at the counter on the other side of them with her back to him. What he found shocking was that she had a bowl before her into which she appeared to be breaking eggs. His mind boggled as she started measuring out flour. Whatever could she be doing? She'd never so much as boiled an egg on her own to his knowledge!

"I was wondering..." Snape said softly.

Draco broke his eyes away from his mother, trying to shake off his shock as he looked over at Snape. "Hmm?" He blinked in surprise. Snape actually appeared to be blushing slightly.

"That carving..." he said softly.

"The unicorn horn carving?" Draco asked, trying urge him on when he paused.

Snape gave a slight nod. "Would you happen to know where it came from...?" He asked, trying to make it sound casual.

A smile spread across Draco's mouth as he figured out what this was about. "Well... that is a ceremonial object that is actually rarely used in _human_ ceremonies... It originated before recorded history... became traditional amongst certain species... certain ancient varieties of the _fair folk_ mostly... most of those died out long ago of course... I can only _guess_ where Dumbledore might have gotten ahold of such a custom made artifact, even about a hundred and thirty years or so ago..." Draco said leadingly.

Snape's eyes flitted over to Kulia, who was across the room. "Yes... well... just curious..." Snape said, throwing a little smirk at him before rising and casually wandering over in that direction.

Draco chuckled to himself, then looked around. The Weasley boys had all gathered around a small table. Molly had obviously put them to work. They were sitting there chatting and laughing as they folded napkins and peeled and diced potatoes and the like. They all looked to be in good spirits this morning. _Very_ good spirits...

Draco got up and ambled over to his mother, leaning back against the counter beside her as she mixed some dough in the large metal mixing bowl before her. "What's with the domestic thing? Since when can _you_ cook?" He inquired with a smirk.

She looked over at him and rolled her eyes. "Technically biscuits are _baking_..." She let out a somewhat exasperated sigh, dumping more flour in the bowl, "And besides, it doesn't appear as if I'm being very successful... It looks so simple when the elves do it." She said with a little huff, looking at the open cookbook again. "This bloody book has to be wrong. I just can't get the right consistency."

He grinned, then looked over at the table. "Bill and Charlie look quite _chipper_ this morning... think there's any particular reason _why?"_ he asked significantly.

He jerked in surprise as a hand smacked his shoulder. He looked over and saw Breanna giving him a hard glare. She mouthed "Shut up!" At him, darting a worried look over at Molly, who had just come in to fetch a stack of plates, then quickly turned back to the griddle, her cheeks burning.

Draco clapped his hand over his mouth to muffle a burst of laughter. He quickly composed himself as Molly glanced over at him. He gave her a warm smile and she smiled back, hurrying back into the dinning room.

"Through accusing me of shagging Weasleys?" Narcissa asked softly with a smirk on her face as she started mixing the dough again.

"Ok, so it wasn't you. Can't blame me for being suspicious though... I mean look at you! You're practically glowing!"

She smiled over at him. "My little boy just got married! Not to mention that Lucius will be beside himself with fury when he finds out... I think I have the right to be happy!" She said, lightly patting his cheek and leaving a floury handprint. "Now run along, you're distracting me..." She said, looking back at the book.

"Oh please. Like my presence is why you can't cook..." He said with a snicker as he tried to wipe away the flour.

She rolled her eyes again and flicked flour at him.

Ginny smirked at him, watching from across the room. She watched Bill take a bowl of diced potatoes and onions to Delse. She also didn't miss the little goose he gave Breanna in passing. Breanna just jumped slightly, then blushed brightly again, staring studiously at the griddle with a little smirk on her face.

Draco made his way over to the table with the Weasley boys, pulling over a spare chair and starting to talk to them in low voices. From the way they all shifted forward a bit when Charlie started talking, she could tell it wasn't a conversation she should be privy to. Especially with the way the other boys kept darting glances over at Breanna and smirking.

Ginny watched them for a few minutes, then started wandering over towards Blaise. She noticed the way Blaise's eyes were fixed on Draco. He almost looked worried about something. She was curious, but she had other things on her mind.

"Blaise?" she asked softly when she was next to him. He started slightly, his eyes darting over to her.

He quickly flashed her a smile. "Yes Mrs. Malfoy? Something I can do for you?"

Ginny grinned, her cheeks going red. It was the first time she'd been called that and it felt strange... but not unpleasantly so. She never thought she'd want to give up the last name of Weasley, but she found herself quickly warming to the change. "Um... I... uh..." She didn't know quite how to ask this...

His smile faded, "You ok?" He asked softly so the others wouldn't hear.

She bit her bottom lip, not speaking for a minute. He waited patiently. At last she took a deep breath. "It's about Darien's baby..." She said so softly he could barely hear her.

"The little soul the demon gave you?" Blaise asked, his eyes widening with concern at the worry in her voice.

She gave a slight nod, her eyes dropping to the floor as she started twisting at a bit of coppery hair worriedly. "I'm afraid I might have... lost it..." She said, her voice catching in her throat. "I... I could feel it before, and I can't anymore... I'm afraid it might have disbursed like the demon warned it might... or maybe the ceremony itself did something to it..."

Blaise knew immediately why she'd come to him. He let his eyes change, gazing down at her stomach.

She watched his face nervously. He just kept staring at her stomach, his expression neutral. After a moment she couldn't take the suspense any longer. "Well? What do you see?"

"That's a lovely mark..." Blaise said as a smile slid over his lips.

She huffed impatiently, "Yes, Draco has one too, but that's not what I asked..." She prompted, trying to keep her temper so the others wouldn't notice and come over to see what they were talking about.

He was looking over past her in Draco's direction. His gaze seemed to fix there as Draco stood next to his mother, looking through a drawer for a paring knife so he could help with the food preparation. She shifted over, breaking his line of sight. He blinked up at her with those blank eyes, then blushed slightly, looking a bit out of sorts. He flashed her a little grin, "Oh... um... I wasn't finished."

She rolled her eyes, "Ok then, finish!" She sighed in exasperation.

He dropped his gaze back down. "You're right, there's no little loose soul in there..."

Ginny felt her heart catch in her chest, her eyes stinging.

"But there _is_ a very beautiful little baby..." he said, reaching out and gently touching a spot on her stomach as his eyes faded back to normal.

Her eyes sprang wide and darted down to her stomach. She reached up with a shaking hand, touching the spot as Blaise dropped his hand, smiling at her warmly. She took an unsteady step back and looked for all the world as if she was about to pass out. He quickly got up, "Ginny? You ok?" He asked worriedly.

Ginny looked up at him, then suddenly tossed herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly as she giggled giddily.

Blaise looked up, seeing everyone's eyes turn towards them. He quickly held out his hands up where they could see them. "Hey, way not me!" He said quickly with a smirk. "Little help here?" He asked, glancing over at Draco.

Draco shoved the drawer closed, furrowing his brow as he hurried over. "Ginny?" He asked as he got close. At the sound of his voice, Ginny released Blaise, spun around and tossed herself at Draco. Draco staggered back a couple steps from her enthusiastic momentum, then looked up at Blaise in askance as Ginny held him so tight he had a hard time drawing breath.

Blaise shrugged. "Don't look at me... I just told her she was pregnant and she freaked out on me." He said in a low voice so only Draco could hear, giving him a negligent smirk and a pat on the shoulder as he walked past him. Draco stared wide eyed at the wall before him, too stunned to even think for a moment. Then emotions hit him in a wild rush. He had known before in an abstract kind of way what would happen if he stopped wearing the ring... but even when trying for a baby, the realization of what they were attempting to accomplish had never really sunk completely in. It hit him now in full force. There was a tiny life growing in Ginny's belly that they had created together. He was going to be a _father!_ He kissed her passionately, blocking everything else out.

Blaise walked over near Narcissa as the Weasley boys were making their way over to find out what all the fuss was about. He waited until Breanna had slid the last pancake onto the platter and Delse put the skillet on the back burner, both hurrying over. Narcissa was looking over curiously, stirring the contents of the bowl she was holding distractedly. She looked over at Blaise.

"What's all the excitement about?"

"Ginny's pregnant." Blaise said evenly.

Narcissa's eyes shot wide and her jaw dropped. She spun towards them, but Blaise caught her arm, turning her back.

"Let go!" She said, trying to crane around to see the happy couple.

"Not until we have a word." Blaise said softly.

Something in his voice caught her attention and she looked over at him. "About what...?" she asked warily.

He dropped his eyes and sighed, gently taking ahold of her hand and lifting it to where she could see it. She stared uncomprehendingly at the large metal spoon in her hand, the solid metal handle of which was now a bit malformed, molded to her fingers as if it had been made of soft clay. He gently extracted it from her grasp. "I'm sorry, Narcissa... you have no idea how sorry I am..." He said sadly. "But I think we need to discuss why I'm not allowed to shag Pansy..."

> > > > > > > > > > >

Molly worked her way through the small crowd that had formed around Draco and Ginny. "What's this about then?" She asked, looking at the couple curiously. They were still kissing.

"Dunno." Ron said with a little smirk. "They won't stop snogging long enough to tell us!"

Molly sighed, patting Draco on the shoulder. "Come along now, break it up. What's this all about?"

Draco broke the kiss, glancing around looking a bit dazed, realizing there were other people there for the first time. Ginny released Draco and hugged her mother, "I had the little soul from before, but I thought it had gone so I asked and he said it hadn't gone it had just gotten a body and that's why I couldn't feel it anymore! I thought it was gone, but it's still here and now it's ours and it won't go away!" She said in a jittery, excited rush, the words tumbling out so fast they were almost unintelligible.

"What in Merlin's name are you talking about, dear?" Molly asked, confused.

"I'm gonna be a mum!" Ginny squealed happily.

Molly let out a surprised cry, hugging her daughter tight as the others immediately burst forth with happy exclamations as they converged on them. Draco suddenly found himself being clapped on the back and having his hands shaken and even a few hugs. He was still too shocked to do much more than grin. He found himself being shuffled about by the others as they congratulated him.

Suddenly he found himself in front of Arthur Weasley. He looked up at him, suddenly acutely aware that this man had only allowed him to marry his daughter under great protest, and might therefore be somewhat less than pleased to discover he'd impregnated her at fifteen. He instinctively flinched back slightly as the man grabbed ahold of him, but then found himself wrapped in a hug.

When Arthur finally released him, Draco looked up at him uncomprehendingly. "I... I thought you didn't care for me...?"

Arthur gave him a little smile. "I questioned your sincerity and your intentions towards my daughter before... but if you'll recall, I was at the wedding yesterday... as Dumbledore said, there is no way anyone could refute your feelings for eachother after that... I'm sorry I doubted you. Welcome to the family, Draco."

Draco felt a sudden tightness in his chest. He found himself hugging Arthur again, his eyes stinging. When he released him again, he looked around for his mother, expecting to find her near Ginny, but he didn't spot her. He glanced around and spotted her still over at the counter. Blaise was talking to her quietly and she was leaning with her arms braced on either side of the sink. Even from this distance he could see her arms trembling.

He carefully slipped away, going over to see if she was alright. As he approached, Blaise caught sight of him and straightened, easing away from Narcissa a bit. Narcissa caught the movement and looked back, spotting him. She quickly turned, putting on a smile.

"You ok?" He asked with concern. Her cheeks were slightly flush, which was very unusual for her.

"Wonderful!" She answered a bit too quickly. "Blaise was just telling me about Ginny. I can't tell you how happy I am for you both! A baby... it's just... wonderful!" She said brightly.

Draco looked back and forth between them. "Mmhmm... 'wonderful'..." He said, getting the definite feeling there was something amiss. Blaise wasn't meeting his eyes. He looked back over at his mother. "So... Ginny's pregnant... you're going to be a _grandmother_... and your only reaction is to say 'wonderful'?"

"I'm... just a little overwhelmed..." Narcissa said quickly, stepping forward and kissing him on the cheek and hugging him. Draco immediately recognized the very careful way in which she was holding him. His eyes fell on the metal mixing bowl in the sink. It was warped with the definite impression of fingers on the side of it.

"You shagged Blaise?" Draco asked in shocked dismay.

Narcissa immediately pulled away from him, her eyes wide and darting over to Blaise.

"Draco..." Blaise started achingly.

Draco reached out and clapped his hand over Blaise's mouth without even looking, his eyes trained on his mother. "How _could you,_ mother?" he asked in a pained voice.

Narcissa's jaw worked for a minute before she was able to utter a word, "It... it just happened, Draco... we didn't mean for it... I mean... we were both drunk and we were the last one's there... he couldn't find me a guide so he led me back to my room... one thing led to another... it's not as if we _intended_..."

He was just staring at her, his head shaking slightly in disbelief as she stammered on. "So you get drunk and then figure that will excuse what you did?"

She straightened, her face clouding with anger. "Don't take that tone with me!" She snapped angrily. "You act like I molested him! He may be a young man, but he's a man none the less! I didn't tie him down!"

"Oh get off it! You knew full well what a slut Blaise is! He'd shag anyone who'd let him! Like you didn't know exactly what would happen if you laid down and spread your legs! What do you think father is going to do to him if he finds out and gets ahold of him? You might as well have saved him a lot of time and suffering and just hit him with Avada Kedavra yourself!"

Blaise's hand darted out and caught Narcissa's wrist as she lashed out to slap Draco. Her eyes widened as she suddenly realized how much damage her thoughtless reaction might have caused to her own son. Her eyes teared up as she pulled her hand out of his grasp and turned, leaning heavily on the side of the sink again.

"Draco, don't! She's right... she didn't force me!" Blaise said now that he was free of Draco's muffling hand.

"Hate to contradict you..." Kulia said, coming up and leaning casually against the counter a little ways down, picking up a piece of bacon off the waiting plate and picking at it, "But if she wanted it, you had about zero chance of not ending up in the sack. I mean not only are you a complete slut..."

"Hey!" Blaise said indignantly.

Draco rolled his eyes, "It's just a statement of fact, Blaise, not a judgment."

Kulia grinned and held her hand out towards Draco as if he had just proven her point.

Blaise looked between them. "Oh... ok then." He mumbled.

"As I was saying," Kulia went on, "Even if you weren't, you're still a man, as Narcissa herself pointed out, and therefore had about a snowball's chance in Hell of resisting. I mean one sixteenth is still one sixteenth..."

Narcissa looked over at her, furrowing her brow, "One sixteenth _what?_"

Kulia blinked at her. "Veela blood. I mean even with blood that diluted, get her in heat and..."

"What the _bloody Hell_ are you talking about?" Narcissa asked, looking at her as if she were mad.

"Oh sweet Merlin, don't tell me they never told you?" Kulia asked, looking at her with surprise. Draco was looking back and forth between them in confusion.

Kulia took a deep breath and sighed it out when Narcissa's silence answered her. "Your mother was one eighth Veela, which makes you one sixteenth..."

"Mother wasn't one eighth anything!"

"Ok, maybe I started out wrong... your REAL mother was one eighth Veela. She was apprenticing with me one summer and happened to be there alone when your father came by... It has been a rather popular practice amongst the older pureblood families to mix a bit of Veela blood into their bloodlines, but not so much as to be recognizable... strengthened the magical powers and made for more confident, charismatic and persuasive offspring... so when he found her there and realized what she was, he decided it was his opportunity to add to his bloodline... he molested her, then left me a note telling me to deliver the offspring when it was born." Kulia said with obvious disgust. "I would rather have gutted him, but she didn't want her parents to find out since she was only fourteen, so I kept her with me until after she'd given birth and then she went home, her parents never the wiser. I was going to raise you myself to keep that bastard from profiting from what he'd done to the poor girl, but he called the bloody Ministry down on me. They used that 'Wizardry Protection Decree' to take you away and gave you to him to raise. That's why I refused to get so much as a flubber worm for that bastard to his dying day."

Narcissa and Draco were staring at her in dumb silence. She looked over at Narcissa's utterly stunned expression, "Oh come on! Don't tell me you never noticed you looked nothing like your 'mother'! I mean isn't the hair alone a dead giveaway? There hadn't been a blonde in either family line for a great number of generations... and you and Bellatrix were only eight months apart! That didn't make you wonder at all?"

"They... they said I was premature..." Narcissa said, sounding faint.

Kulia rolled her eyes. "Ok then, tell me honestly... why did you go outside when my gargoyles called?" Narcissa continued to stare at her mutely, "It was because you felt the pull, wasn't it? It was the Veela in you that drew you. How else do you think Draco could have a _magical_ creature as his Animagi form? Think that just happened by chance? How many people have you heard about that can manage one of those? I don't know what percentage he was, but Darien obviously had a bit of the blood as well. They've probably been adding Veela blood into both the Black and Malfoy lines every couple of generations or so for _centuries_. I mean look at Lucius! He's at _least_ a sixteenth! Though his blood only seems to have gotten him the looks and the wicked temper of a Veela. I personally never found him enticing in the least, though Merlin knows he certainly tried often enough."

Draco found his voice first, "I'm part _Veela?_" He asked, shocked to his core.

Kulia smiled at him. "At least one thirty second from your mother, and that much or more from your father as well, so I'd say it's safe to assume at least a sixteenth. I think if you really think about it, it will become rather obvious. I mean the hair, yes... and has any girl honestly ever turned you down if you _truly_ wanted her?"

Draco blinked, but didn't answer. His mind was reeling. His success rate _did_ border on the supernatural... could it really be because they were physically unable to resist him? He certainly had gotten more than his share of previously untouchable girls... and even _Kulia_ had eventually given in...

He was still a bit shell-shocked, looking over and only remembering that they weren't alone when he saw the others all watching the conversation silently. Their expressions were unreadable other than of course a bit of surprise. He quickly began to worry about what they would think of him now, knowing he wasn't even entirely human.

Arthur Weasley got over his surprise first, a smirked spreading over his lips as he looked at him. "So much for Lucius' strict wizarding purity!"

A snort of laughter burst unexpectedly from Draco as the thought struck him, breaking the tension. Once started, the laughter quickly spread through the little crowd until they were all laughing merrily, imagining Lucius' reaction if it came out in the open that he was of mixed blood. Even Narcissa started snickering.

After a few minutes, when the mirth had died down a bit, Blaise looked over at Draco with a smirk, "I always knew you were irresistible... just never knew there was a medical reason for it!"

"Shut up, Zabini." Draco said with a grin.

Blaise grinned back, but then his expression sobered a bit. "Are... are we ok then?" He asked a bit tentatively.

Draco sighed, looking back and forth between his mother and Blaise for a moment before letting his eyes come to rest on Blaise. "You do know what my father will do to you if he finds out, right?"

"I don't give a shit if he beats me, rapes me, dices me up and sets me on fire... just as long as _we're ok_." Blaise said, his expression completely serious.

Draco sighed and stepped up to Blaise, wrapping his arms around him and holding him. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that..." He replied softly. "I don't blame you, Blaise... it's just your _nature._ I know that... I _understand_ that. It's the same nature that has always let you accept me just the way I am... I wouldn't change you if I could."

Blaise leaned against him, sighing in relief, feeling the twisting, squirming anxiety in his stomach ease for the first time since he'd woken.

After a moment, Draco clapped him on the back, signaling the end of the little hugging session, "Let's just not make a habit of it, ok?"

Blaise grinned and nodded, pulling away.

"Ok?" Draco asked pointedly, staring at his mother.

She rolled her eyes, "I told you, it was just an accident. I mean honestly! He's practically a child. I have no intention whatsoever of repeating the experience." She said as if it was nothing.

Blaise was staring over at her. He gave a little snort. "Child? _Please!_ That was probably the best shag you've ever had and you know it!"

"Possibly in my _married_ life, but that's not saying much. I'll have you know before I was married I knew a man or two who knew how to treat a woman properly, and they at least didn't call me _Pansy_ the whole time!"

Blaise chuckled and blushed slightly, glancing over at Pansy who was giggling and looking rather pleased. He glanced back at Narcissa, who was looking rather pleased with herself. "Ok, I'll give you that... but there's just one thing I want to know..."

Narcissa folded her arms over her chest, sighing indulgently, "What?" She asked in an exasperated voice.

"Who the Hell is _Remus?_" Blaise asked with a little smirk.

Narcissa suddenly turned a shade of scarlet Draco had never seen on her normally pale face. "I think I'm going to go lay down for a bit..." she said faintly, pushing away from the sink and hurrying from the room.

> > > > > > > > > > >

AN - hope there aren't too many typos. Tired and it's been a while since I updated, so I figure you're all getting antsy. If you see another notification in the next day or two, expect that it will probably just be me fixing some huge, glaring (and probably freudian!) typos. ;P Just check the chapter number on the notification before getting all excited ;)

**bigreader -** He didn't want Draco giving it to her that night because he didn't want to... well intrude on their special night in a way. I mean to keep Arthur from seeing it, she would have to open it once they got back to their room... and tell the truth, on your wedding night, would you rather be reading a big letter or shagging your new spouse?

**pickyvick -**Percy didn't go apologize because he figured it would be easier on his family if he died while they were angry at him. Figured they wouldn't miss him as much. I mean who's death would hit you harder - a brother whom you loved dearly, or one you hated and thought was a complete prat and hadn't even hardly seen for over a year and a half? Besides, he knew that if he apologized and they had any inkling he was in danger they would insist on keeping him with them and defend him to the death, and he didn't want them in any more danger than they already were in. Oh, and he doesn't to die... he just sees it as inevitable and is accepting the consequences of his actions. Not without a fight, mind you, but he just it being fatalistically realistic about his chances of survival.

**DracoLoverForever -**Actually, I believe it's entirely possible that yes, everyone who attended could see the Thestrals. Ok, we'll do the rundown: **Blaise** - saw his father die; **Delse** - saw Blaise's father die as well; **Draco & Narcissa** - were around Lucius for more than five minutes!; **Ginny** - has not been explained, but we know she can; **Ron, Pansy & Hermione** - saw Death Eater die in Hogsmeade; **Hagrid** - he raises them, so we know he can see them; **Bill** - he breaks enchantments on tombs. I assume at one point or another he probably had a stupid helper who got himself snuffed; **Charlie** - raises dragons, so you can't tell me none of his co-workers ever got a bit careless...; **Kulia** - well she's killed a number of people (Death Eaters), and those are just the ones we know about, so there ya go!; **Snape** - well he'd be a piss-poor Death Eater if he hadn't seen (and _caused!_) death before; **Harry** of course can see them because of Cedric (Note here, anyone else notice the little oops in the end of GOF? The 'horseless' carriages took them to Hogsmeade as usual at the end and he didn't see anything, yet next year he comes back and suddenly he sees them because of something that happened BEFORE he left the year before? Just hit me the other day and I thought I'd mention...); **Fred and George** - same previously unmentioned event as Ginny. I actually had an event in mind, but since I didn't find a way to work it in, I'll leave it unsaid in case the absence of an explanation comes in handy later ;) And finally: **Arthur, Molly, Dumbledore, McGonagall & Breanna** - though I can't think right off the top of my head of an instance the first four were noted to have witnessed a death, they were all around during Voldemort's reign before, and from the sound of that, I didn't think it was that much a leap of faith to assume they had all at some point witnessed at least one person dying. Not to mention that the first four were also in the Order of the Phoenix, and therefore VERY likely to have seen people die! But I'd kind of assume most _anyone_ who was an adult back then (and many children as well, which might also cover Bill and Charlie) were probably seeing Thestrals before Voldy fucked up and fried himself trying to get Harry. I believe that's everyone. The house elves could probably see them as well. If not just because they are also magical creatures, then... well they all come from the households of Death Eaters, now don't they?

**Flower4444 - **the unicorn horn... yes it is of course proving the purity of their love for eachother... as for the rings, they had those already. I figured wizard weddings would have some similarities (like the rings) but of course be at the same time very different. The unicorn horn was spelled to form a magically binding marriage between them that none could break. I doubt it was ever a popular method, as your love has to be absolutely pure, and there's no going back. So, of course it couldn't be used for arranged marriages unless they actually truly loved eachother (and I can't imagine that happened often), and most of the 'upper crust' married that way, so I imagine they would want to encourage it to go out of style as it would tend to draw attention to the lack of magical 'proof' or 'validation' in their own ceremonies and cheapen them in comparison.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

"The _werewolf?_" Blaise asked incredulously, wiping a tear of laughter out of his eye. "I mean I knew his name started with an R from his monogram, but I only ever heard him called Professor Lupin really... No wonder she liked it so much when I..." He suddenly stopped himself and smirked at Draco, his cheeks coloring, "You're probably not the best person to discuss this with..."

Draco just held up his hand in a warding gesture, "Thank you _very_ much for picking up on that fact so quickly!" He said, still chuckling. "I know she mentioned thinking he had a cute arse or something, but I just thought that was the alcohol talking. Never thought she was _that_ into him..."

Ginny squeezed through her siblings and finally managed to reach Draco. She slipped her arms around his neck. "There's my irresistible little Veela boy!" She giggled.

He grinned at her, relieved that she didn't seem upset or disconcerted by the revelation about his mixed blood. He automatically slipped his arms around her waist. She glanced around, then shifted her head closer, "Looks like they're all good and distracted... I think we were having a discussion..." She said, fluttering her eyelashes at him smirkingly.

He chuckled and quickly reclaimed her lips. Blaise just smirked and leaned back against the counter watching the others chatting quietly in little groups, most with amused expressions on their faces, undoubtedly speculating about what might have gone on between Narcissa and a certain ex-Hogwarts professor.

Ron looked over as his mother put her hand on his arm. She was looking at him with a concerned expression on her face. "What?" he asked when she didn't speak right away.

"Are you ok, dear?" She asked softly.

He blinked, then furrowed his brow. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked, baffled.

"He... he's still a teenager... I'm sure it was just a mistake and won't happen again..." she said, patting his arm in a consoling way.

Ron quickly stifled his amusement as he realized what she was talking about. "It's ok, mum. Me and Pansy are both fine with what happened."

Molly looked from him to Pansy (to whom he'd been talking when she approached him) incredulously. Pansy just grinned at her. "I... thought that you three were...?" Molly said, trailing off uncertainly.

"A 'couple'?" Ron supplied with a smirk.

Molly nodded mutely.

"We are. We're just ok with it. Like Draco said, it's just the way Blaise is." He said with a shrug.

Molly blinked. "You're not even surprised by all of this?"

"We found out earlier when he came back to the room actually." Pansy replied before Ron could.

Molly's eyes moved over to her, "So he told you he... did... _whatever_ with Draco's mother and you were just fine with that?" she asked, completely floored.

"To be honest, I'm stunned he's made it this long without shagging anyone but Ron and I. Don't worry, we _did_ have a discussion about permission and..." Pansy started.

"Permission?" Molly asked, breaking in.

"Well ya. I mean he's the one who told everyone that if they wanted to shag me or Ron they had to ask first, so the same should really go for him as well. Only fair obviously. So we gave him a firm talking to about remembering to have them ask first. Don't worry, I doubt he'll forget again. We reminded him of where his loyalties lie. I gave him a good firm spanking and Ron was sure to..."

"You know," Ron said, clapping his hand over Pansy's mouth, "I don't think I'm really all that _comfortable_ discussing my love life with you in quite such detail, mum..." He said, his cheeks burning. Pansy just giggled as he dropped his hand.

Molly, who had started looking a bit shell-shocked, looked almost grateful for her son's interruption. It took her a moment to find her voice, "So... you just let him go off tomming around with whomever he pleases?" she asked, obviously unable to comprehend this.

Ron sighed deeply. "Mum..." He said with an exasperated edge to his voice. "You just... you don't seem to understand. They've had a very open relationship for _years_ and I wouldn't want it any other way. I mean why should I? If their relationship wasn't open, I would never have gotten to be with either of them in the first place! I feel thankful they want me to be a part of their lives, and I think it would be selfish and wrong for me to try to change them. Blaise is... well a very _affectionate_ person. Like Draco said, it's just his nature. He just expresses his affection a bit more... _physically_ than most people do, as does Pansy on occasion... but we have... well an _understanding_ I guess. No matter who any of us sleeps with, we still know that we love eachother. We love him and he loves us, and nothing's going to change that. You and dad are monogamous, and I think that's great, really I do... and Draco and Ginny are, and I think that's great too... but _not everyone is_, mum. We three are together, we love eachother, and we plan on staying together and raising a family... but I'm not going to be upset just because they find a night's pleasure in someone else's arms. I'm just grateful for the nights they spend in mine."

Molly stared at him for a long moment, her expression thoughtful and unreadable.

Ron barely stifled a sigh of relief when the conversation was interrupted as a somewhat frantic house elf ran into the kitchen, drawing everyone's attention. It was running so fast it had to skid to a halt, nearly colliding with Blaise.

"Master! Master!" It panted, hopping slightly in its excitement, "I is so _sorry_ master! I is not watching careful enough!"

Blaise quickly crouched in front of the small elf, putting his hands on its shoulders to steady it and hold it still as it gasped for breath. "Calm down and tell me what's the matter." Blaise said firmly to the obviously distressed elf.

It took a deep, calming breath and let it out, settling a bit though it still wrung its hands pensively, "Master's visitors is arriving and I is leading them in as you is asking me to, but I is not watching close enough and she is running into us... I is so sorry master."

"She who? Who ran into you?" Blaise asked, trying to fathom what the overwrought elf was stammering on about.

"Mistress Black. She is running into us and she is falling over and she is not waking up!"

Blaise stood abruptly as the others tensed. "Lead me!" He snapped. The elf turned without question and darted back the way he'd come, Blaise and Draco hard on its heels, the others all trailing close behind them.

Draco's eyes darted around as it led them into one of the many small sitting rooms that were scattered about the manor. Dumbledore was standing there before one of the couches with a girl Draco didn't recognize. Kingsley Shacklebolt, a tall well built bald black man that Draco recognized immediately as an Auror he had seen around the castle a time or two, was just settling Narcissa on the couch. Dumbledore turned, hearing the door, and Draco saw who was standing on the other side of him.

Remus Lupin.

Draco had a very hard time choking back the laugh that tried to escape him as Blaise quickly ducked his head behind Draco's shoulder and let out a little strangled snort of laughter.

"I'm terribly sorry," Remus said earnestly upon seeing Draco. "She rounded the corner so fast we ran straight into eachother. I never even saw her until it was too late. I was able to catch her before she fell, but it must have been a bit of a shock... she fainted dead away..." He said, looking down at Narcissa with obvious concern, "Is she feeling well? She looks a bit flush..."

Draco carefully mastered himself. "I'm sure she'll be fine. We should let her rest. She was feeling a bit off and was on her way to go to lay down. Probably just too much excitement for her."

"Excitement?" Dumbledore asked, a little smile slipping over her lips.

Draco got the distinct feeling this wasn't going to be a surprise to Dumbledore, but it was only polite to officially tell him. He slipped his arm around Ginny as she came up to stand beside him. "Ginny and I are going to have a baby."

Dumbledore beamed at them happily. The mousy haired girl beside him who looked no more than thirteen let out a squeal and jumped up and down clapping her hands, then dashed over, hugging Ginny. Ginny eyed the girl warily, then looked over at Dumbledore, "Who is this?" She asked, trying not to sound rude.

The girl released her with a giggle, stepping back a pace and putting on a pout. "Aw! How quickly they forget..." She said morosely, shaking her head. Then she smirked again, "Let me give you a hint! I'm a very good girl!" She said lofty. She turned her head to the side, smirking over at Dumbledore. A smirk slipped over Draco's lips as the girl's nose thinned and elongated, stretching out until it stuck out nearly four inches from her face.

Ginny immediately brightened, "Tonks?"  
The girl giggled, putting her index finger on the tip of the long nose and pressing it back until it was back to its previous size. "On the nose!" she giggled. "Sorry to crash the party, but someone had to look after the boys!" She said, grinning. Even as she spoke she was slowly growing taller, her body filling out more as her hair began shifting in color, slowly cycling to brilliant metallic blue.

"Hello, Nymphadora." Draco said with a smirk.

Tonks let out a retching sound and smacked his arm, "It's Tonks! _Tonks!_ Call me that wretched name again and, cousin or not, I may have to take you down!" She said haughtily with a sneer worthy of a Malfoy.

"Aw come on... you used to like it when you were younger... pretending you were a little tree nymph..." He teased.

"That was before I knew what nymphs were best known for!"

He smirked at her, "Please! From what I've heard, your name proves that your mother has a bit of Seer in her!"

She got up in his face, glowering at him. "If it wasn't Christmas I'd give you a good pounding, squirt!"

He chuckled, dropping his voice, "No thanks. I wouldn't put it past you, but I'm taken."

Her jaw dropped, her eyes going wide, "I didn't mean it like... ooh! You! That was just _wrong!_" she said in mock indignant fury, but couldn't stop giggling. She wagged her finger at him, "You best be careful! The Parents Curse is about to rear its ugly head on you're just going to make it worse talking like that!"

He blinked and furrowed his brow, "Parent's Curse?"

She grinned, "Yep. All ornery little shits like you are cursed to grow up and have children who are just like they were!"

"Oh bloody Hell what a wretched thought! Stop it! You're scaring me!" Draco said with a shudder.

Ginny giggled.

"Blimey!" Blaise breathed, watching Tonks with opalescent eyes as she finished shifting, "That was bloody brilliant!"

She looked over at him, then moved closer, examining his eyes. "Wicked. How'd ya do that?"

"Demonic curse, near death and jumped up counter curse. You?"

She giggled, "I'm a Metamorphmagus."

"So... you can look any way you want?" He said with growing interest.

"Yep."

"Just strictly generic kinds of changes or can you actually duplicate other people?" He asked, obviously becoming quite fascinated.

"I don't usually go for specific people, cause that tends to lead to awkward questions if you run into 'yourself', but I've done a fair job of it when I tried in the past. I can even change my voice, so that's one up on Polyjuice potion!" She said proudly.

"Can you even duplicate _guys?_"

She blinked. "Um... well I haven't really experimented much with that... I really prefer being a member of the _fairer sex_..." She said coyly, her endowments swelling noticeably, stretching the thin material of her shirt a bit.

Blaise blinked, then glanced over at Draco, grinning at him in an imploring way, "Draco... would you mind if I borrowed your cousin for bit? We'd play nice with her..." He said, his eyes going back to her and traveling down her.

Draco just rolled his eyes and shook his head in disbelief. No more than ten minutes since he'd fessed up to shagging Draco's mother, and now he was asking for permission to have a go at his cousin? Well at least he was _asking first_ this time. Draco was starting to feel glad he didn't have that many close relations.

Tonks blinked, "We?"

"I already have two 'playmates', but we have a _very_ big bed..." he said smirkingly, looking back at Ron and Pansy. Ron was chuckling softly to himself while Pansy rolled her eyes with a smirk on her face.

She looked them over appraisingly, then her eyes flicked over, noting the disapproving look on Molly's face. She reached up, tapping the tip of his nose with her index finger like a child might, "'Fraid all three of you look a bit young for me, and besides, I don't think it would be very appropriate. Sorry." She said with a little sad smile. "Wotcher Charlie!" She said, brightening as she spotted him.

Blaise quickly hid a smirk as her hand subtly gave his bum a good grope on her way past.

Harry edged his way forward through the others. He was reluctant to encroach on the greetings when the visitors were most likely here to see Draco and Ginny, but Dumbledore was busy introducing Kingsley to the few who did not yet know him, and it seemed like it had been forever since he'd seen Lupin. "Professor Lupin!" He said as he broke free of the crowd. He was glad to see that Lupin was looking much better than the last time he'd seen him, despite the fact that he was most likely getting markedly weaker right now since the full moon was approaching. Still, his face wasn't quite as weary and strained as it had been the last time he had seen him, and his clothes, though still not new looking by any means, were not looking nearly as shabby.

"Harry my boy!" Lupin said happily, hurrying forward. He was still limping noticeably and leaning heavily on his cane as he walked. Lupin didn't bother with a handshake as he pulled him into a one armed hug. When he released him he looked him over with a smile on his face. "It's been too long! Look at you! I swear you get taller every time I see you!"

Harry blushed a bit.

Lupin sighed, but was still smiling, "But then I suppose you're a bit old to be hearing that. So strange seeing James and Lily's little boy all grown up!" He said, shaking his head in disbelief. He shifted a bit closer, dropping his voice with a smirk, "Hear you've been taking after your father again... before Lily snatched him up he always did have an eye for the more mature women..." He said, glancing over at Delse. She had obviously overheard, her cheeks going slightly pink as she pretended to be listening to the Weasleys as they greeted the newcomers. Harry grinned, his cheeks coloring as well, but chose not to respond.

They both looked over as Draco moved over to where they were standing. He was looking Lupin over. "So, will you be staying a while?" he asked curiously.

Lupin sighed. "I just wanted to come to wish Harry, Hermione and the Weasleys a Merry Christmas and drop off a few presents. Don't worry, I'll be gone shortly."

"I wasn't indicating I wanted you to leave." Draco said, noting the resignation in his voice.

Lupin looked up at him, surprise evident in his eyes.

Draco shifted a bit uneasily. "Listen... I know we didn't get along all that well when you were teaching at Hogwarts... but... I've _changed_ a bit since then... not to mention I'm no longer under orders to make your life miserable..." He said, flashing him a little smile.

Lupin blinked, "Orders?"

Draco sighed, his pale cheeks taking on a slight tinge of pink. "Father. Apparently he doesn't much care for you." He straightened a bit, shrugging off thoughts of his father as he forced the smile back into place, "Point is, the Weasleys are my family now, and you're a friend of the family... so I was wondering if we could just... well, start over I guess."

A little smile tugged at the corner of Lupin's mouth. "I think I'd like that." he said softly with a nod.

Draco beamed. "Excellent. You know... I think we're going to get along just fine." He said, draping his arm around Lupin's shoulders. "Say... didn't you go to school with my parents...?" He asked leadingly.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Harry grinned as he gazed around the room. The house elves had decked out one of the larger siting rooms with Christmas decorations and a tree that nearly reached the ceiling (and considering Hagrid could walk around the Manor with headroom to spare, that was saying something!). The tree was bedecked with all manner of fascinating ornaments and lit with hundreds of fairy lights. There were large windows overlooking a statue garden, now covered in a pristine layer of new snow, big fluffy flakes still descending slowly from the sky. In the fireplace a big cheerful fire was crackling, lending warmth and comfort to the room. It was a picturesque setting really... and now the room was full of presents and laughter and a warmth that went far beyond mere temperature. Harry just sat there, his arms wrapped distractedly around Mrs. Weasley's yearly sweater, watching them all, feeling like he was watching a Christmas movie. No matter how many movies he'd seen such scenes in while growing up, in the back of his mind he had always thought they were just make-believe. Before going to Hogwarts, he'd barely had a Christmas at all. Well, there was extra cooking and cleaning for him to do, and there were studiously perfect decorations around, but rarely would he receive more than some more oversized (and usually quite ratty) hand-me-downs before being shuffled off into his little cupboard so he wouldn't be in the way while Dudley got to open his piles of large, flashy presents.

He smiled to himself as he watched Pansy giggling, looking into one of her present boxes. She was wearing her own Weasley sweater... it had row after row of just about every shade of green that probably existed. Blaise had his on as well, it was pure black and suited him well, Draco's a deep forest green. Even Narcissa (who had been _very_ quiet ever since waking, and had only stopped blushing in the last half hour or so) was sporting one. Hers bore thick stripes of half a dozen soft pastel colors. Harry couldn't help but smirk as he saw Ron handing out a few more of the presents. Apparently either someone had had a talk with Molly or she had noticed Blaise and Pansy's fancy for the color green, for this year's sweater for him was a nice emerald green, as opposed to the usual maroon (which Ron had always loathed).

His eyes alighted on Kulia. She looked even more unaccustomed to this kind of festivity than he was. Molly must be extremely fast with her knitting needles, because even Kulia was wearing a new sweater, pure black like Blaise's, but with a row of four inch tall snowflakes running around the bottom hem. The contrast between the black of the sweater and the flow of snow white hair that had fallen down it was striking.

Delse was moving around the room, trying to make sure everyone had everything they needed. Harry took ahold of her hand as she passed by him for the fifth time, pulling her down next to him on the couch. She grinned and blushed, "Sorry... didn't mean to be neglecting you..." She said, settling against him with a happy sigh.

He grinned, wrapping his arm around her. He couldn't help but notice how perfectly she fit against him. They watched the others for a minute, then he reached into the pocket of his robe with his free hand, pulling out a small white box and handing it to her. She looked down at the box with its thin flash of crimson ribbon encircling it, then looked up at him in askance, "You got me something?" she asked, obviously surprised.

He cleared his throat, feeling a bit embarrassed, "Um... ya, well..." He was blushing.

She grinned, pulling the ribbon off and slipping the box open. "Oh Harry..." She cooed, pulling out the crystal earrings, watching the light glint off of them as they dangled from her fingers, "They're gorgeous..."

"Ya... well they're supposed to go with the necklace..." He said, still feeling a bit guilty as he looked down at it where it lay against his chest.

She finished putting them on, then leaned over, kissing him. When the kiss broke, she snuggled up against him again with a sad sigh. "I feel absolutely wretched... with all the excitement and wedding preparations I didn't get you anything... in fact I've only gotten presents for Blaise and Pansy, because I got those weeks ago... I planned on making a shopping trip once Blaise was home so he could come along with me and we could both finish up our shopping together, but..." She sighed again.

He grinned and pulled her close, "I'm sure no one will mind. You've done more than enough already. I'm certainly not complaining. You're present enough for me. Love is one thing you can't put in a box, and I'd rather have that than a hundred Christmas presents."

She smiled at him, giving him another kiss. He quickly deepened it, reaching over and pulling her into his lap. Their kiss drew out and Harry reveled in it. He couldn't remember ever feeling so happy and contented. When she was in his arms, it just felt so _right_... it made a feeling of peace settle into even the deepest recesses of his soul.

**_Keep that sweater where it is..._** a voice chuckled softly in his head.

Harry ignored him.

**_Um... I don't really want to interrupt this... I mean believe me I don't... but somebody's been trying to get your attention for a minute now..._**

Harry broke the kiss, trying to gather his wits as he looked up. He blushed brightly as he saw Lupin standing a couple of feet away, smiling at him. Delse blushed too, shifting back over to his side. Harry took the earlier advice and left the sweater in his lap, taking the demon's word for it.

"Didn't mean to interrupt..." Lupin said, his smile widening.

"No... no, you're not... um..." Harry ruffling his fingers through his hair, trying to hide his embarrassment at forgetting himself.

Lupin took a seat to the other side of him, "Just wanted to give you this..." He said, handing Harry a thin rectangular present wrapped in plain brown wrapping. Harry knew from the feel and heft it was a book. He flashed Lupin a smile and carefully prized the wrapping off. It was, indeed, a book. He flipped it over so he could read the title -

Misunderstood Magical Creatures - Dispelling the Myths

Harry grinned over at him, "Thanks. It's really..." He trailed off. His eyes had returned to the cover and noted something else for the first time. At the bottom, in neat script, were the words "By R. Moony". His eyes widened and shot back up to Lupin.

Lupin smiled at him. "The publishers felt it would be best. My name has been in the papers too often to go unrecognized."

Harry grinned happily, then opened it, flipping through it. There were sections on a number of different creatures including, of course, werewolves. It even had interviews with the creatures capable of speech. Harry smirked as he saw an 'interview' with werewolf R. J. Lupin. It also had a section on giants containing an interview with Hagrid. As he started to close it back up he caught sight of something. He flipped the first page out of the way and stared down at the dedication:

For Padfoot and Prongs.  
Fallen comrades,  
Fallen friends.  
Your belief in me let me believe in myself.  
Until we meet again, dear friends, you will live on in my heart.

Moony

Harry tried to keep his eyes from tearing up as he closed the book up, running his fingers over the soft leather of the cover.

"This one covers twenty different creatures." Lupin went on, having glanced across the room, not noticing Harry reading the dedication. Harry quickly returned the smile to his face, not wanting to remind Lupin of his lost friends on such a happy occasion. "It just hit the stores a couple of weeks ago and it's doing surprisingly well. I've already been commissioned to write a further two volumes. I've always had a passion for teaching, but with my... _particular circumstances_... it's been a rough road to travel, as you well know. I finally figured out the only way I was going to be able to teach the youth without alarming their parents... by writing. This way I can provide them with valuable knowledge without inflicting my presence upon them." He said with a rueful smirk, "Hagrid just informed me he's planning on making it required reading for next year's Care of Magical Creatures classes... I was a bit shocked, but I can't say I'm not thrilled by the prospect. Never thought I'd be writing Hogwarts' text books! I plan on covering dragons in the next volume... Charlie has already invited me to spend some time at his complex in Romania researching them... and I think I'll probably include Thestrals as well..." He said, smirking across the room at Tiger. Tiger was usually asleep right now, it being mid-morning, but he hadn't been able to resist the excitement. He was playing in the wrapping paper the others had been piling on him. He was obviously tired, as he hadn't ransacked the entire room yet, but it was easy to see that the house elves were going to have a fine mess to clean up by the time they were done. Lupin smirked at the bows the others had been sticking on the little Thestral's head. Tiger seemed to like the adornment.

"It shall also definitely include a section on Dementors, though I shant be casting them in a good light by far. They talked me into leaving them out of the first book, because they felt I should keep the theme positive so people would be more likely to be interested in further editions, but I made the section's inclusion in book two part of the contract so they couldn't push it off again. People must come to realize what a threat they truly are. Never again can we be allowed to become complacent and accepting about such creatures. When this war is over, I want no chance of them being put back in control of our society's most dangerous witches and wizards."

Harry shivered at the thought, then forced a smile. "Ever think of writing about shadow demons? I'd wager I could get you an interview..."

Lupin smiled, "Draco has already suggested it, actually. Seems he thinks they might be a bit misunderstood as well... I believe I _would_ be very interested in talking to your... _friend_..."

Harry's eyes began to glow and he smirked at Lupin. "Any time, wolf boy." He said with a chuckle.

Lupin grinned back, then their attention was drawn over as Draco let out a laugh. He was looking down into a box he'd just opened. He pulled out a large, shiny object covered in buttons. Harry's eyes widened. It looked like a Muggle CD player... but with subtle differences... like the silver 'Zabini' embossed in elegantly scrawled script across the top.

Draco looked over at Blaise, "It looks like the one in the shop... but what have you done to it? And what's with signing it?" He asked, setting it in his lap and running his fingers over the name.

Blaise grinned. "It's called the name brand, Draco. Think I'm going to put someone else's name on it? That was a lot of bloody work! I didn't do much of it myself, mind you, but still I paid the people who did... The world's first magically tolerant and magically _powered_ CD player."

Draco's eyes darted up to him, widening. "You mean this will work? _Here?_"

Blaise grinned and nodded.

Draco beamed, then he thought of something, shooting a worried look over at Arthur Weasley.

Arthur smiled at him, "It's ok. It's legal. Young Mr. Zabini here has been registering patents with my department for a good several months now. The first devices, namely those," he said, nodding at the CD player, "Should be finished being processed and ready for sale to the wizarding public in a couple of weeks. The restriction on enchanted Muggle artifacts doesn't apply to them, as they do nothing obviously magical. They merely duplicate their non-magical counterparts' functions, while remaining functional in magically saturated areas. They're very impressive actually. I've got one myself... for... um... testing purposes..."

Molly rolled her eyes, "He won't stop playing with it!" She said, smirking ruefully, then looked over at Blaise with a smile. "Thank Merlin you got him some more of those little song discs. I was getting wretchedly tired of hearing the one he had playing over and over again!"

Blaise chuckled, noting that Arthur had, indeed, already opened the package containing about two dozen cds. "No problem..."

Draco blushed slightly, "Um... if that's occupying him too much... uh... I'm _really_ sorry for that next one..." he said, pointing to a brightly wrapped present beside Arthur that he hadn't yet opened.

Arthur's eyes darted to the package with interest. He picked it up, opening it eagerly. When the wrapping was out of the way, he gazed down at the contents of the box curiously. There was a black, metallic rectangle inside with a small silver stylized depiction of a Thestral in flight in the middle of it. It looked like nothing more than an odd metal book.

"I preferred coming up with a symbol instead of plastering 'Malfoy' across it. The name doesn't exactly bring a warm response for some reason..." He said with a smirk, "Turn it around and hit the button on the front edge..." Draco said, pointing out the silver button in the middle of the side.

Arthur pressed it and it opened up, flipping up and stopping once it was about halfway open. He stared down at the strange device, then looked up at Draco in askance. Draco smirked, pulling out his wand and tapping the tip of it against a stylized depiction of a wand showering sparks in the upper right hand corner of the base.

The top half sprang to life, brightening. Arthur's eyes bugged. "Is this... is it a..." he uttered in awe, unable to even speak coherently.

"Get naked! A _computer?_" Blaise said with a laugh, springing up and hurrying around to look over Arthur's shoulder.

Draco grinned. "Notebook computer. Yep. See, I wasn't ignoring the Muggle electronics either! Guess we just have different priorities." He said, chuckling, then turned his attention back to the computer, "It only has the basics as of yet... word processing, information storage, database capabilities and the like... Since it isn't compatible directly with Muggle computers my representative worked out the wand requirement with that bloke Perkins in your department. Muggles won't accidentally see anything they shouldn't because it requires a wand to start. Muggles would just think it didn't work. There are a ton of other features I want to get on it before putting it on the market, but once it's ready, I plan on donating a couple hundred of them to the Ministry to get them out of the dark ages. It's sad when the non-magical Muggles can get things done ten times faster than we can! Time to start taking their accomplishments seriously before magic becomes outmoded!"

Arthur caressed the smooth metal as if it were his first born, completely speechless.

"Think my people could have a chat with yours? I've had them working on a DVD player for the better part of a month now, but they can't figure out how to make a bloody screen! Pretty bloody ridiculous if you ask me, considering even our paintings and photos move!"

Draco chuckled, "I'll see what I can do." He said somberly, then his smirk returned.

"Figure out how to hook it up to the internet yet?" Blaise asked with a chuckle, turning his attention back to the computer.

"No, and I'm not sure it can be done... but I think we'll be able to at least link all the magical ones together like the internet eventually... kind of a World _Wizarding_ Web!" Draco chuckled.

"Internet?" Arthur asked, breaking out of his daze.

Draco chuckled, "Ya. Muggle thing. They link their computers together so they can talk to eachother and mail eachother and it only takes seconds to reach the other side of the world. Owl's are nice pets, but owl _post?_ Wretchedly time consuming." he said shaking his head. Then he smirked, "Once I get this thing finished I plan on working on a phone system"

"Do I get one?" Blaise asked eagerly, indicating the computer.

Draco grinned. "We're only allowed to make a prototype until they've been approved, as I'm sure you know... you should be getting yours in a couple of weeks when the initial paperwork is finished up. You can be part of my test group, checking out new features as my people develop them."

"Brill..." Blaise breathed, reaching out and brushing his fingers along the edge of the small machine.

"The user's manual for what we have so far is under it." Draco said to Arthur, settling back and putting his arm around Ginny, looking very pleased that Arthur seemed to like his little gift.

"What's this?" Pansy asked excitedly as a couple of house elves came to a stop, letting the large box they had been levitating between them settle down before her.

Blaise grinned, hurrying back over to take the seat beside her once again. He reached out with his wand and tapped the colorful box. In a glimmer, the wrapping and box beneath it vanished.

Pansy blinked in surprise at what now lay before her. "A doll house?" She asked, glancing over at him in surprise. It was indeed a miniature house like she had played with growing up. It was a somber gray, standing about a meter tall and at least that wide. Oddly, it didn't appear to have any windows, doors, or recognizable features at all. She only knew it was a house by the roof and the general shape.

Blaise slipped his wand away, then slid off the couch, sitting before it and grabbing up one of the half dozen small wands that protruded in a neat row from the roof. He tapped it against the house and brilliant grass green spread from the tip, covering the house within seconds. He then tucked the wand back in its spot and picked a different one. He tapped it in the center at the bottom and a small door appeared. He then looked back at her, smirking.

She got down on the floor next to him, looking at him wide eyed. "Is this for the babies? Are they going to be girls?" She asked eagerly, unconsciously resting her hand on her stomach.

"No... well I mean I don't know. Pretty soon you should be able to cast a spell to find out, but they really all look the same to me... I mean the only way I can tell male from female is the same way as you can regularly... physical attributes... and the babies obviously don't have those yet."

"Oh..." She said, looking a bit put out.

He reached over, opening a latch on the side of the house and swinging it open. It was mostly hollow and featureless. There were four floors, and a few walls on the bottom floor, but other than that it was unfinished. "This is for adding things like walls, windows, furniture and such... you just have to imagine it how you want it and tap the place you want it to be... it can also alter an existing object or whatever as well." He said, handing her the wand he'd used to add the door. There was a little plus sign on the base. He had now taken out the rest of the wands and was sorting through them, then started handing them to her one by one, "For removing things (this one had a minus sign on it), coloring and adding surfaces (this one bore a paintbrush), Moving stuff around (an arrow), changing things back in case you don't like what you've done (an arrow looped around pointing back at it's own end), and saving (a star). You can still make changes after you save a room, but undo will take you back to the way it was the last time you saved it. It's based on one of the computer programs I saw in the electronics shop actually..." he said, smirking up at Draco.

Blaise then reached over and retrieved the wand with the minus sign on it, tapping it against the only wall facing them, blocking off a small area of the house on the bottom floor. Pansy blinked. It was a little kitchen, complete with tiny wooden cabinets and counters. There was a little table as well, around which sat three little dolls. They looked very familiar...

Pansy giggled and picked them up. Her giggle died in her throat and her eyes went wide once she'd gotten a closer look at them. Around each tiny waist was a gleaming golden band. Blaise took the tiny Pansy from her hand, slipping the band off of it and setting the doll back in the house. He then took her hand and slipped the ring on her ring finger. "It might not be 'official', but I still wanted you to have it..." He said. He then took the little redheaded doll and slipped the ring off it. Ron just watched in numb shock as he reached over and slipped the ring on his finger. Blaise then took the last doll, setting it in the house and slipping the last ring on his own finger. He smiled at them warmly, then spoke softly in elvish. The rings glowed, delicate elvish script flowing across them.

Ron snapped out of it first, "What did you say?" He asked, pulling his eyes away from the ring, which was now engraved with the characters that had appeared.

Blaise blushed, glancing over at the others and noticing all of them staring.

Draco chuckled, "He said 'Three that are as one, a trinity of love for all eternity'. It doesn't sound nearly as sappy in elvish, but then they're used to concepts like lifemates..." He said grinning over at Kulia. She just grinned back, rolling her eyes.

Blaise grinned sheepishly. Ron slipped down beside them and they both cuddled up to Blaise, kissing him and snuggling lovingly. Blaise sighed contentedly, holding them gently, then smirked. "Ron can help, but I expect this thing done a week before summer at the very latest." He said in a businesslike tone. "Can't expect them to get it built overnight, even with magic."

Pansy's head jerked back, her eyes darting over to the house. "A big green house with wooden cabinets in the kitchen..." She said numbly, then she looked back at him incredulously, "You mean THIS is going to be our house?"

Blaise chuckled. "No... it's just the model they're going to base it on. I don't know about you, but I'd be pretty bloody nervous about living in a house that could swing open if the latch came loose!" He said, smirking mischievously, "You can still have this when they're done with the full sized one. Who knows, maybe we _will_ have girls and they'll want it to play with... in fact I might have my people look into marketing them... Oh, and if it doesn't have enough room you can always add more by..." He broke off as Pansy kissed him passionately.

After a moment, they all looked over as the twins broke into snickers. Fred was holding up a lacy black negligée. "Not exactly my size, Zabini..." He said, holding it up against him and looking down at it with mock consideration.

Blaise looked up and smirked. "I'll wager you can find someone who it _will_ fit... I didn't think you'd much care for me giving it to your little girlfriend directly..."

Draco looked at the small, thin box in Fred's lap that it had come from, then looked over, spotting a similar box on his own pile. While the others were distracted, he removed the ribbon and peeked inside. He smirked, slipping the box to Ginny. She peeked in it, blushed and slipped it into her bag of already opened presents, a mischievous smirk on her face as she glanced over at Blaise. He just grinned back guilelessly.

Blaise looked over as he spotted Vincent depositing a large present before Bill. He snapped his fingers to get his attention. Vincent saw him and hurried over.

"Yes, master?" he squeaked eagerly. He had always enjoyed handing out presents, but before this year there hadn't usually been very many to give out.

"Could you get that one in the corner now? The big blue one." He said, pointing to a ponderous box sitting alone in a back corner.

Vincent nodded quickly and scampered off to fetch it. Blaise shifted around a bit to face him more and settled back against Ron, watching as the elf located the tag. It stood staring it for a moment, then looked back at Blaise in askance.

Blaise just grinned and nodded encouragingly.

Vincent looked like he might hyperventilate as he hesitantly reached up and peeled the wrapping paper away. He prized it open and looked into the box. It was full of brushes, paints, palates, scrapers, cleaning fluids, finishes and just about everything the shop had carried in relation to painting. Vincent just stared at the things for a long moment, then reached out and touched them almost reverently. After a long moment of stunned staring, he turned his eyes to Blaise. Blaise smiled at him warmly.

Vincent sprinted across the room andflung himself at Blaise. Blaise chuckled and held him like a child as Vincent curled up against him "You is being too kind, master!" Vincent sobbed against him, "I can't be accepting such things! Vincent is not being worthy!"

"Don't say that!" Blaise said gently, stroking Vincent's back soothingly, "You are the most worthy house elf I know. You're going to accept those things and put them to good use. Merlin knows I couldn't do more than colorful stick figures with the bloody things!" He said mirthfully, "The canvases are in your room already, and there is a catalog in the box. If you want anything else or run low on anything, I insist that you order more. I've already set up an account for you. I want you to paint, Vincent. Give us something better than all of these stuffy old portraits of relatives we don't even know to hang up!"

A stodgy looking old wizard in a nearby portrait gave a nasty hurumph and stormed out of view. Blaise just chuckled at him.

Blaise sighed contentedly, holding the small elf. "You've always been there for me, and it's high time I started showing you my appreciation for all your years of care and patience. I love you Vincent... and I know some day soon my children will love you too..."

Vincent looked up at him, blinking hard to try to clear the tears. He was beyond words, looking as if his little heart might burst at any moment.

Blaise took a deep breath, then let it out, giving Vincent one last careful squeeze, then he picked him up, setting him gently back on his feet. "Well, back to work with you!" He said with a grin. He reached over behind him and took a present off a nearby stack, then leaned forward, whispering in Vincent's ear. When he leaned back, Vincent took the present, nodding his head, beaming at Blaise with watery eyes. "Go on now! Scat!" Blaise said playfully, shooing Vincent along.

Blaise smirked as Vincent hurried up to Tonks, depositing the present on her lap before dashing off for more presents. Tonks obviously hadn't been expecting to get anything since no one had known she was coming. She opened it, then grinned. Ron, who had followed Blaise's gaze, saw a flash of brilliant blue lace before she quickly slipped the lid back on, looking over to make sure Molly hadn't seen. She tucked the box between her and the arm of the chair, leaning against it so it disappeared from sight, then looked over at Blaise with a smirk. He wriggled his eyebrows at her playfully and she put her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle, then appeared to take an avid interest in watching others opening their presents.

Blaise settled back against Ron again, "It's good to keep spare presents around... never know when they'll come in handy..."

Ron just shook his head ruefully while Pansy swatted Blaise, giggling.

> > > > > > > > > > >

The present opening had taken them nearly until lunch time. Finally they had all finished and were starting to get up and move out so the house elves could cart their presents to their rooms for them and start the cleanup. Harry hung back, letting Delse hurry ahead to see about lunch preparations. Lupin caught the way Harry was watching him and hung back as well, sensing there was something he wanted to discuss with him.

When they were alone except for the house elves, Lupin approached him. "Something on your mind, Harry?"

"Something on the demon's mind apparently. He's asked to speak to you." Harry responded a bit uneasily.

Lupin blinked in surprise, "Oh... very well."

Harry nodded, "Um... he wanted to talk to you _alone_... so just so you know, he can sometimes be a bit... um... blunt..."

Lupin smirked, "Harry, I've taught teenagers. I think I can handle bluntness."

Harry nodded again, then his eyes began to glow. The glowing eyes looked Lupin over appraisingly for a moment. "I feel like I know you already. Harry thinks about you a lot."

Lupin smiled. "I'm rather fond of him as well."

Pax nodded. "I know this is probably not something you like to hear coming from a _demon_, but I think you and I have a lot in common. Both widely hated creatures... both unable at times to control ourselves... forced to do things we don't want to..." He gave a little grin. "At least you only have to worry about that once a month... and can go unnoticed..." he said, watching as the house elves all started finding excuses to leave the room quickly. In moments it was just the two of them. Well, Tiger was still there as well, but he was curled up asleep in one of the overstuffed armchairs, snoring softly, still covered in ribbons and bits of bright paper.

Lupin watched Pax as his eyes followed the last of the elves as they slipped out and closed the door behind them. His teaching career and been no more than a year here and there, but he'd been around troubled teens enough to recognize someone with the need to talk to someone. They hadn't met in person before this day, but Lupin knew Harry felt that he was someone he could trust and confide in, and the demon had obviously picked up on that. Lupin shifted his weight uncomfortably, "Do you mind if I sit?"

Pax stood aside and watched as Lupin limped his way to the nearest couch and sank down into it gratefully. "Terribly sorry... this leg's a bit gimpy in the best of times... this close to the full moon I just can't handle standing for very long..."

"Why don't you fix it then?"

Lupin flashed him a little smile, "Not that easy. Werewolves simply don't heal as well as regular people do and healing spells don't have nearly the same effectiveness, if they even work at all. Add to that the frequency with which we... incur injuries... and we don't tend to have the longest or healthiest of lives."

Pax rolled his red eyes, going over and kneeling before Lupin. Lupin straightened as Pax took ahold of his leg, starting to feel it. "What are you doing?" he asked in surprise.

Pax looked up at him, a slow smile slipping across his lips. "Do you trust me?" he asked softly.

Lupin eyed him silently for a moment. This was probably not a creature that many people had ever shown much trust in. This was yet another thing they had in common. He knew well what it was like to have everyone around you view you with mistrust or outright fear and anger. He slowly leaned back again.

Pax grinned, taking his silence as assent, and took one shadowy talon, splitting his pant leg at the knee and pulling it open so he could better examine it. The knee was covered with a number of rather nasty looking scars, some old, some obviously newer. Pax felt around, then nodded almost as if to himself. "This is going to hurt." He said without even looking up. Without waiting for a response, he sank his talons into the knee.

Lupin bit back a cry as there was a sudden searing, tearing pain in his knee. He took deep breaths as the pain continued and increased.

"Cover your ears." Pax said after a minute, pulling out Harry's wand.

Lupin took him at his word and clamped his hands firmly over his ears as the demon began casting in its native tongue. Even with his ears covered as tightly as he could get them he still heard enough of the soft spoken spells to get a queasy feeling in his stomach. After a moment he felt pinpricks that seemed to radiate a soothing coolness through the abused muscles and tendons. He cautiously eased up on his ears. Hearing no more incantations, he blinked his eyes open. It was disconcerting to see long, shadowy talons being withdrawn from his flesh, but they left no obvious punctures or other damage behind, and the pain had at least subsided. Pax muttered a mending spell, returning the pant leg to its earlier, undamaged state, then got up, casually taking a seat beside him.

Lupin reached down cautiously, feeling the knee. There was only a faint ghost of pain left. He flexed it and the knee moved freely for the first time in well over a decade. He leaned back again, looking over at Pax. "Thank you."

"Sure." Pax said with a negligent shrug. "It was just all healed wrong. Tendons and such were all fucked up. Had to tear them lose and put them back right. You didn't even scream. I'm impressed." He said with a smirk.

Lupin gave him a little smile. "I've learned to deal with pain over the years."

Pax nodded. "I know what you mean." He said softly.

"Why did you do that?" Lupin asked curiously.

Pax shrugged again. "Why not? Consider it your Christmas present. I don't have much more to offer than my knowledge, but that's not an inconsiderable thing. I'm over seven hundred years old after all. I was bound to pick up a thing or two."

Lupin smirked. "Don't suppose you know a cure for the werewolf curse?" He asked, half joking, half sounding almost hopeful.

Pax chuckled and shook his head. "Not I. Of course I don't think I'd give it to you even if I did."

Lupin blinked in surprise. "Why not?"

Pax looked over at him for a long moment, then spoke softly, "A werewolf is what you _are_. If that curse had never entered you, you wouldn't be the person you are today. Whether you understand why or not, you were given that curse for a reason. There's a reason for everything..."

Lupin looked at him with great interest. "A philosophical demon... not exactly what I expected..."

Pax grinned at him. "Yes, well I know it's probably just rubbish, but it sounds nice and makes living with fucked up circumstances a bit more bearable..." He leaned back, folding his arms across his chest. "You know, I used to believe even _I_ had a purpose once. When I was first created I was sure there was something about me that no other shadow demon could claim... something special... some great destiny awaiting me... I don't know why... from the moment of my 'birth' I felt this unreasoning certainty..." He let out a deep sigh. "Probably just another psychological trip they stick in our heads to keep us going on and putting up with their abuse. A house elf probably has more chance of making something of its life than I do. At least people don't automatically scream and try to kill them the minute they lay eyes on them. The first couple hundred years beat the silly notion out of my head quite completely."

"And yet you mention it now... it can't be completely gone if you still think about it..." Lupin said gently.

"I didn't... not for centuries... not until I was forced into this body... even when he was at his lowest, crying into his pillow at night as his pain and despair overwhelmed him... even then, I felt something... a spark of a memory of how I used to feel. Maybe it's just because I'm in this young, idealistic human... but it's stirred the feelings a bit... there's just something about him... not just any human, but him in particular... I can't put my finger on it, but it kept bringing me back. I spent a lot of time outside him when I was first brought to Hogwarts... but after a while I found myself spending more and more time in him. Towards the end I was in him almost continuously. Sometimes I found myself forgetting what I really am... got so far into his head I started to lose myself... then I would look in the mirror and it would be like a slap in the face. I'd realize I hadn't even thought about my orders in days... weeks even... funny thing is, it would never pain me to disobey like that until I remembered... then I'd have to go out and fuck with people's heads for a while before I could even reenter his body without pain. It's just... so disconcerting... it's worse than it ever was before. Of course I've never been inside a human continuously for this long. I've actually started feeling almost human... thinking like a human... thinking of myself _as_ a human... and yet I know I'm not. I never could be." He said, lifting his hand and staring morosely at the long shadowy talons protruding from the tips of his fingers.

They sat there in silence for a few minutes after that before Pax spoke again, "I don't think I could handle leaving him again." He said softly. "I have nothing... I _AM_ nothing without him... I can't go back to being that great hideous beast... that thing is not what I am... it was never was..."

Lupin sighed, resting his hand on his shoulder, "Well, I doubt you'll have to worry about that any time soon. From what I've been told, that binding device doesn't appear to be removable. You'll probably be with him for the rest of his life..."

"Not if they think to ask the right person..." Pax said softly.

Lupin stared at him. Pax was gazing studiously away from him. Suddenly it dawned on him, "You know how to release it, don't you?"

Pax didn't move or say anything for a minute, then he sighed and slowly nodded.

Lupin watched him contemplatively.

After a moment, Pax sighed deeply. "I know you can't just leave me in here now that you know that... I'll set him free when he returns to school... just... just give me these last couple of days... then I'll give them the spell to release it the incantation to banish me."

"Banish you? I don't think that's necessary..." Lupin said quickly.

Pax gave a snort of amusement. "Yes it is. I told you, I won't go back to being that beast, and no one would willingly play host to a bloody demon! I've lived a good long life, and now my continued existence is nothing but a danger to Harry and everyone around him. My kind are nearly extinct. It's high time for me to join them." He said fatalistically.

"There's no reason you should have to die." Lupin said, saddened by the calm acceptance in the demon's eyes. "I could talk to Harry... maybe he would even let you remain in him..."

Pax gave a snort of amusement, "Not bloody likely. It's ok, Lupin. Really. Death comes to all of us sooner or later. It holds no fear for me anymore. It's what you do with your life that's important." He looked at Lupin intently, "It's the choices we make... the lives we touch... that' what's always frightened me before. The lives I've touched have rarely been the better for the experience. I haven't had much chance to make a _positive_ impact before quite recently... but I'd like to think there will be at least a couple of people now who will, if not _miss_ me, at least remember me somewhat fondly... who knows, maybe even more than a couple... sometimes we don't even realize how much we affect others..." A smile slid onto his lips as he smoothly changed the subject. "Which reminds me... I'm just curious... tell me about Narcissa."

Lupin looked over at him sharply, blinking in surprise, "Narcissa?"

Pax nodded, "What's the deal between you two?"

"I... I don't know what you're talking about. We went to school together, but I haven't seen her more than in passing while she attended functions with Lucius after that... Draco was asking questions about that as well... why?"

"Because he's a smart boy. He's had a shitty father all his life, so by this point, the prospect of any chance at getting a decent step-father is rather appealing..." Pax said, smirking at him.

Lupin's eyes widened. "What would that have to do with _me?_"

"He's gotten the feeling that Narcissa fancies you..."

"Why on earth would he think such a thing? It's been nearly two decades since I've even spoken to his mother, and not to mention the last words we had were... not exactly civil..." He said trailing off, his cheeks coloring slightly.

"Lover's spat?" Pax asked mirthfully.

"Why would you think that?"

"You want it straight?"

"Please! Ever since I got here everyone's been looking at me and whispering behind my back when they think I'm not looking. It's beginning to give me a bit of a complex!" Lupin said, a bit exasperated by this point.

"Ok, well seems Narcissa and Blaise got wicked pissed at the wedding last night... ended up having a pretty lively little romp in the sack from the sound of it... and apparently she... mentioned you..." Pax said mirthfully.

Lupin looked stunned. "She mentioned me?" He asked in confusion.

"Repeatedly and with enthusiasm!" Pax chuckled.

Lupin blushed brightly as he realized what the demon meant.

"She had been teasing Blaise after it all came out earlier, so he asked her who Remus was right in front of everyone. She just turned red and ran out... then ran straight into you!" Pax just couldn't seem to stop chuckling.

"That's why she fainted..." Lupin said softly, obviously deep in thought. After a moment he shook his head. "I don't understand... why would she have said _my_ name?"

"Tell me what happened between the two of you and maybe I can help you figure it out...?" Pax offered with a hopeful smile.

Lupin slumped back in his seat after a moment, running his hands over his face. Well, the demon had been more than open with him... As he dropped his hands he gave a deep sigh. "We didn't have much to do with eachother in school as you can imagine... from different, rival Houses... Sure I thought she was attractive... not even James could refute that! But there was never anything other than random insults between us, as with any other members of our respective Houses..."

Pax settled down, smiling eagerly as Lupin's hesitance indicated it was just about to get good.

Lupin sighed again, "I used to walk out on the grounds during the new moon. I quite liked the night and the outdoors when the hateful moon wasn't glaring down at me." He said with a slightly bitter undertone. "The last new moon before the summer vacation in my sixth year I was walking along the edge of the forest... I heard the sound of a girl crying and I followed it... I found Narcissa sprawled on the ground, sobbing in a clearing. I of course went to her, afraid she'd been hurt... it looked like she had been in a bit of a tussle... her shirt was ripped and she had a bruise starting on her cheek. I offered to take her to the Hospital wing, but she refused... she just wrapped her arms around me and held onto me... I didn't really know what to do so I held her. After a few minutes she looked up at me and just _stared_ at me for a moment, then she started kissing me... I knew I shouldn't even think of doing anything with her... I mean it was widely known that she was betrothed to Lucius, and even back then he was an evil little bastard... and besides, my own... _condition_ was always a danger to anyone I got too close to..."

"But you shagged her anyway." Pax finished for him with a wolfish grin.

Lupin's cheeks burned brightly. He didn't say anything for a moment, but then went on softly, "We spent what I thought at the time was a rather special night wrapped up in our cloaks in that clearing. It was my first time... and it was pretty obvious it was hers as well... it was the new moon, but the smell of her blood... may have made me a bit rougher than I should have been. I assume that's why she reacted the way she did after... I awoke in the morning alone... didn't see her for a few days... then I finally spotted her crossing a courtyard one afternoon and I hurried up, wanting to talk to her about what had happened... I touched her elbow to get her attention... she turned, saw who it was and... hit me. She has a pretty wicked right hook for a female, I must say! She then proceeded to tell me to keep my 'filthy paws' off of her... and she might have gone on to include a few comments not usually uttered by ladies... and that was that. The last we spoke. I never told anyone about it... not even my dearest friends." He said softly, his eyes downcast. "I realized that what I had done to her was unconscionable... to risk her life like that... if I had bit her, even in human form... I might have passed on the curse... it's a risk I've never allowed myself to take since."

Pax's eyes went wide, "You haven't shagged in like _twenty years?"_

Lupin gave him a rueful smirk. "One _can_ live without it."

"_Survive_ perhaps, but I sure wouldn't call that _living!_" Pax snorted. "I don't understand humans who choose not to shag. You have these _amazing_ bodies that have the ability to give eachother pleasure more exquisite than anything else I can even _imagine_... and to just _not do it?_ I don't get it." He said, shaking his head.

"Yes, well sometimes one has to put the other person's continued health and happiness before momentary pleasure."

"Like you've done to every other girl who has wanted to get you in the sack since Narcissa dumped you?"

Lupin rolled his eyes, sighing tolerantly, "In a manner of speaking, yes."

Pax sighed in a commiserating way. "Love sucks when you're a 'dangerous beast', doesn't it?"

Lupin looked up sharply, "I wasn't in love with her! I mean even if I wanted to... I'm a _werewolf_ for Merlin's sake! Even that brief interlude was an unforgivable risk to her life. Intimate relationships aren't exactly in the cards for my kind."

Pax smirked, reaching over and patting his arm. "I know _exactly_ what you mean..." He said with a little smile, then rose and walked out.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - (pant, pant, pant) finally finished the chapter. Had to go over it and over it. Please don't all go, "hey, what did such and such get for christmas?" cause I really can't sit here all day listing presents, cause I imagine there was a crapload of presents. I mean I'm having a hard enough time keeping track of all the bloody people, let alone what each and every one was likely to get all the others. And before you all ask again, let me remind you that in the story it is currently Christmas day. The trip to the hospital is scheduled for 'this' afternoon. Chill.

kazhdu - I concede your point of course... but I wasn't talking about an _unwanted_ child. The _mother_ may not have wanted it, but that doesn't mean _no one_ wanted it. Draco wanted it. Dumbledore offered to find it a home if she would keep it until it was born when he spoke to the mother, undoubtedly knowing Draco would want it, so it's not like it would have wound up in an orphanage. I'm also not saying rape isn't traumatic. I know how psychologically damaging it can be, and how disturbing it would be to have a constant reminder staring you in the face every day like that. In fact, not saying they shouldn't or anything, but I don't know how the women who keep them do it. It would take a very strong woman, that's for sure. Point is, she wouldn't have to see it ever again after giving birth and it would have a good home and be loved and taken care of. _That's_ what Draco wants.


	64. Chapter 64

A/N - warning - this chapter contains possibly disturbing imagery.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Chapter 64

"Draco..."

Draco turned, looking over in surprise as Dumbledore approached. Delse grabbed up the bowl he'd been snitching a bit of cookie dough from and smacked his hand playfully, rolling her eyes and moving it over to the other counter where she'd set out the cookie sheets.

He grinned after her, then looked at Dumbledore. "Getting me in trouble again, Alby?" He asked with a smirk, licking the dough off his finger.

Dumbledore smiled. "You are more than capable of doing that without my help." He replied with a mirthful twinkle in his eye. "But actually, I just realized that I have not yet formally given you and Ginevra your wedding present..."

Draco blinked in surprise as Ginny looked over, hearing her name. "Wedding present? You got us a present?"

"After a fashion, yes..." Dumbledore said, moving to the side a bit. Winky was standing there, wide-eyed and trembling slightly.

Hermione jumped up from her chair at the table, her jaw dropping as the apple she had been peeling slipping from her hand and rolled across the floor. "You can't give away Winky!" She said indignantly, "She's free!"

Dumbledore gave a slight nod. "She _was_. Unfortunately it seems there is a law that states that if a free house elf takes up residence and does not pay or provide services in exchange for their room and board in excess of two months, they become property of the house owner, or in this case, the current headmaster. As you well know, Winky has been residing at Hogwarts in excess of two _years_, providing no services for the food and shelter we have provided. She has, therefore, been my property for quite some time now. It has become readily apparent that she will serve no useful purpose at Hogwarts, so there is really no reason to retain her presence there any longer. Normally house elves stay in bloodlines, but there are provisions for the giving of house elves to newly married couples, even if they are of no direct blood relation."

Hermione's jaw just hung, her cheeks coloring. Before she could protest further, she felt a tug on her sleeve. She looked down to see Dobby standing beside her, looking up at her with sad eyes. "Please don't be arguing, Miss. Winky is not being like Dobby. Winky is not liking being free. Dobby is _asking_ Professor Dumbledore to be doing this. Dobby is not wanting Winky to die..." he finished softly, his huge eyes looking very watery.

Hermione looked over at the frail, trembling elf. She did indeed look to be little more than a shadow of her former self. She hated to admit it, but it was just this side of a miracle that the elf had even made it this long the way she'd been going. Hermione sighed sadly, then turned and sat back down, going back to peeling apples without another word.

Draco looked from Hermione to Dumbledore, then down at Winky. He walked over to her, then circled around her, looking her over appraisingly. When he completed his circuit, he knelt down before her, reaching out and feeling her thin, wasted arm. "Not much to look at, are you?" He asked speculatively. Winky just dropped her eyes. "Well your little 'vacation' is over as of _now_. No more of this lying around and pitying yourself shite. If you're my elf, you work or you don't eat. I've seen you in the kitchens before... it was pretty pathetic. From now on, not a drop of butterbeer passes those lips unless I _personally_ ok it for a special occasion. Your clothes will be kept clean and in good repair at all times. If they are damaged beyond repair or worn out, you will get new clothes from my mother's house elf, Diamond."

Winky flinched at the mention of getting clothes.

Draco narrowed his eyes, "You'll accept the clothes from Diamond, or I'll be forced to give them to you _myself_..."

Winky's eyes bugged fearfully, "Winky is taking them from Diamond." She quickly assured him.

He gave a little nod and rose. "Have you ever taken care of children before?"

"Winky is raising my master's son since he was being a baby, sir." Winky said timidly.

"Your _ex_-master. You're mine now, and you'll not forget that!" Draco replied sternly.

"Yes master!" she replied immediately.

He nodded again, "Well, Winky... we currently have no less than _five_ babies on the way in this family. If you want to even be _considered_ to help out with them, you had best cut out the moping shite entirely and prove you can be a useful and reliable elf!"

Winky's eyes positively bugged and she nodded her head fervently.

"Your new 'family' now includes a number of bloodlines. Namely Malfoy, Weasley, Black, Zabini, Snape and..." He looked over at Breanna, "What is your maiden name anyway?"

Breanna smirked, "Phelps."

Draco looked back at Winky, "And Phelps. Not all of these are officially _blood_ relations until the babies are born, but they will be treated as such nevertheless, understood?"

Winky nodded so fast her ears flapped slightly.

"Oh, and the snow elf over there is family as well, but snow elves don't have surnames."

Fred and George looked at Kulia. "I thought your last name was Rogue?" Fred asked curiously.

Kulia's eyes darted to Draco, "You little shit!" She growled irritably, folding her arms across her chest.

Draco grinned sheepishly, "That's her _pen name_. Thanks a lot guys. I might remind you that I told you she didn't like people knowing that. Hell, most people don't even know she's a female!"

"Well we noticed _that_ on our own..." George said playfully, slipping his arm around her.

Fred slipped his arm around her as well. "Don't be upset that we know..." he murmured, nuzzling up to Kulia.

"We're thrilled about it..."

"Absolutely _thrilled!_"

"We've worshipped the ground you walk on for most of our lives!"

"Ever since we found grandpa's first edition in the attic."

"You inspired us..."

"Without your skilled guidance we never would have even dreamed about the shop..."

Kulia gave a little snort of amusement, "Well keep that little tidbit to yourselves! Think I want your mum finding out who's to blame for _that?_"

The twins just chuckled, cuddling up to her lovingly.

"Speaking of which," Draco said, remembering something. "Those six house elves I have working at your shop..."

"Ya?" Fred asked, looking up curiously.

"I know you won't be needing them as much now that the holiday rush is over, but four are yours to keep. You can pick which ones. The other two I'd like given to your mother."

Molly, who had just walked in from the other room, stopped in her tracks. "What was that dear?" She asked in surprise.

"Two of the house elves from the shop are yours. I was kind of hoping you could train them up a bit in child care. I can think of no one better to teach them, and I dare say we're going to have quite a task caring for five newborns at once."

Molly blushed and smiled, obviously very pleased by the compliment. "Well I suppose I could do that." She said with a little nod.

"Thank you." Draco said with a genuine smile, "They'll help out Kulia and Pansy when the time comes. When we return to school next year Pansy will of course get at least one house elf to help out with her twins, possibly two if the other one gets her act together by then..." He said, glancing down at Winky significantly, then he looked up at Dumbledore, "And I was hoping we'd be able to get one of the Hogwarts elves to help Ginny and I out with our own while we're at classes..."

Dumbledore chuckled softly, "I believe we may have one that has the proper training..." He said, his eyes alighting on Dobby. Dobby grinned sheepishly, looking thrilled. He would be able to see what it would be like working for Draco without having to give up his current position.

Draco looked down at Winky, who was still standing there patiently, "Ok then. Run along and help the others get lunch on the table, then get something to eat. I expect to see some flesh on those bones soon!"

Winky nodded again, then hurried off to help the other elves.

Draco went over and leaned back against the counter, slipping his arm around Ginny. "She'll shape up." he said without a hint of doubt as he watched the frail elf.

Dumbledore smiled at him. Draco had been a bit harsh, but sometimes it's the only way. He moved forward, speaking in a soft voice so the others wouldn't overhear. "Would you like me to go with you this afternoon?"

Draco's smile faded away. He sighed. "No. You've already tried, and that's all I could ask. I wouldn't want it to seem like you're pressuring her. I don't want her to harbor any bad feelings towards _you_ over this."

Dumbledore took a deep breath and sighed it out. "Very well, but if you change your mind, just say the word."

Draco nodded and gave him a little grateful smile.

Molly went over to the counter, picking up a serving tray she needed off the counter, then paused, furrowing her brow. "What's this about then?" She asked curiously.

Draco looked over. There was a newspaper on the counter where the tray had been. One of the house elves all but sprinted over, snatching it up and holding it so as to obscure as much of it as possible with her hands. "I is begging your pardon for such trash being left around. I is getting rid of it for you..." She said, backing towards the back room where the banishing bins were. Her eyes widened fearfully as she came up against Blaise's legs. She looked up at him with wide, anxious eyes.

"What are you hiding?" He asked with a smirk.

"I is not hiding anything master. I is just getting rid of some trash..." She squeaked with a tremor in her voice.

"Well let's just see about that..." He said, reaching down and taking ahold of the newspaper. He lifted it up, but the elf didn't release it. He let out a snort of laughter as the elf clung to it, dangling a good foot off the ground. He gave it a jiggle, but she hung on stubbornly.

"Please master!" She pleaded.

He furrowed his brow, his amusement fading. It had to be something really bad to make the house elf keep holding on when he obviously wanted her to let go.

"Let go." He said softly.

The house elf's ears drooped back, but she let go, unable to disobey a direct command. She dropped to the ground and backed away, looking fearful.

Blaise pulled off the twine, eyeing the elf. "I said bring the paper, not bring it and hide it." He said, then glanced down at the cover page as he unrolled it. "Oh bloody Hell!" He breathed in a horrified voice. He started to roll it back up, but Draco snatched it from his hands, having seen part of the headline. He sat down heavily on a nearby stool as he stared at the paper. Ginny hurried over, looking at it to see what could have shocked them both so.

There was a large picture of Draco on the cover page. The picture was glaring in an obviously angry and irritated fashion. The headline that followed didn't bode well at all.

**Malfoy's Malice!**

By Rita Skeeter

The horrific exploits of Lucius Malfoy are, by now, well known. What isn't well known,  
and indeed appears to have been very carefully covered up, are the even darker and more  
sinister endeavors of another Malfoy... Lucius' son, Draco. Trained from birth by his  
Death Eater father, Draco, it has recently been discovered, has taken up his father's  
work. Though not yet officially confirmed to be in league with He Who Must Not Be Named,  
young Draco's actions speak for themselves.

A confidential, but very reliable source recently revealed to this reporter that Draco  
Malfoy is, in fact, the master of the demon who recently terrorized Hogwarts School of  
Witchcraft and Wizardry. This demon's rampage left countless students and Ministry  
Aurors grievously wounded, and it was only through the quick actions and expertise of  
healers at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies that many of them survived their  
encounter with the beast at all. Even the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge himself  
narrowly escaped death at the creature's hands on two occasions.

If this was not enough, it has been confirmed that young Draco did indeed used the  
demon to torture, control and possibly even mentally cripple The Boy Who Lived, Harry Potter.  
Long time rivals, and described by more than a few as outright enemies, Draco  
and Harry have feuded since their first meeting upon entering Hogwarts. On a number of  
occasions they have even been said to have dueled.

Whether rivalry, You Know Who's orders, or plain vindictive cruelty on the part of  
Draco, he went so far as to force Harry Potter onto the grounds, purposely foiling  
Ministry attempts to contain the demon and actually trapping the beast within Harry  
Potter's body. This reporter can exclusively report that the beast is in fact still residing  
within Harry Potter, entrenched beyond hope of dislodging by an unbreakable magical  
bond. Even as we speak, the Boy Who Lived is hidden away in some dark Malfoy  
stronghold, having Merlin knows what tortures performed on him, perhaps even by You  
Know Who himself!

Why has this been allowed to happen? And why has it been covered up? Hogwarts  
Headmaster Albus Dumbledore himself has declared the demon contained and the school  
safe to resume normal functioning. One has to wonder why Dumbledore, often thought of  
as the only wizard You Know Who fears, would cover for young Malfoy. Could Draco have  
succeeded where so many have failed in the past and placed even the great and powerful  
Albus Dumbledore under the Imperious curse? It is rumored that young Draco had  
knowledge of a great many of the darkest spells, including all of the Unforgivables known  
to the Ministry before he was even old enough to enter Hogwarts...

Draco let out a disgusted growl, glaring at the paper, "You can bet your arse I know the bloody Unforgivables, and I'm getting the itching desire to try out a couple on this bloody cow!" he snarled. He was snapping his fingers angrily. One of his elves ran up, his ears pressed back and eyes wide at Draco's obvious anger. "Yes, Master?" he squeaked timidly.

"Send an owl to my representative. Tell her to get a lawsuit started against Rita Skeeter and the Daily Prophet immediately, and to see today's edition for the reason. Tell her I want them served with papers by nightfall on behalf of... well pretty much everyone mentioned in this bloody article. Tell her she's to be here as soon as she's done with that to work out the details of the suit!"

"Which representative, Master?" The elf asked timorously.

"Which bloody one do you think? My only _female_ representative; Bazentine! Now move!" Draco snapped. The cowed elf let out a little squeak of fright and darted away to its task.

"I'm mentioned..." Ginny said faintly.

Draco's eyes darted back to the paper. He snarled angrily as he read the passage. "The bloody Imperius curse again? It's like a bloody mantra with this woman! And where the bloody Hell does she get off calling you the 'most vulnerable Weasley'? She's obviously never seen that bloody picture!" Indeed, the small picture they had of Ginny was one that was obviously at least a year old. The picture made her look every bit as young and vulnerable as the article described. He fumed, his eyes continuing down the lengthy article. "She makes me out to be worse than father! I don't usually use Bazentine, but this cow deserves it." He glanced over at Ginny, "Bazentine is a bloody vicious little bitch. That's why I keep her on retainer." He said with a wicked smirk.

He looked back at the paper, shaking his head in disgust. After a moment, he finished unrolling it, almost fearing what he would see next. He had reason for his unease. He blinked down at the large, and unsettlingly accurate artist's depiction of the demon that took up about the bottom quarter of the page. The caption read "Draco's demon, as described by eye witnesses." The demon was half crouched, snarling with its eyes glowering hatefully (They had even added touches of blood red to the normally black and white paper). Its huge, wicked talons were poised as well, looking as if it would reach out of the picture at any moment and strike at the reader. Admittedly, the demon wasn't a handsome creature by anyone's reckoning, but this picture made it look like the most vile and ruthless thing that had ever crawled the earth.

"Eye witnesses?" Draco asked incredulously.

Blaise came up beside him, looking at the drawing. "There were no eye witnesses other than a couple dozen Slytherins when it left Nicolaus and the handful when it attacked you in the corridor, and none of them would have talked to _her_ about it! Never heard of it leaving its host any other time..."

"It was that bloody Auror. The one who went to see my father." Tonks and Kingsley looked at eachother in shock at this, then back over at Draco, but remained silent. "_He_ must have provided the description. There's no way they could have gotten this accurate without someone who had seen it close up and more than once. People who are terrified of it don't usually hang around long enough to note so much detail. This even shows its scar." He said, pointing to the jagged mark on the small head near its eye.

"There's a picture of him?" Delse asked, wiping her hands on a towel and hurrying over.

Draco quickly folded up the paper before she could see. "It's really nothing you need to see..."

Delse chuckled and rolled her eyes, "Oh please! How bad could it be? Just give me that!" She said, catching ahold of the paper and wresting it from Draco's resistant grasp. She shook her head at him, smirking, then unfolded the paper. Her smile faded as her eyes fell on the depiction.

Her fingertips strayed to her lips as she stared down at the drawing in shock. "He... actually looks like this?" She asked, stunned.

She looked up as she heard a shoe scrape the stone floor. Harry had just come to a stop, his eyes falling on the paper, the picture of the demon clearly visible. The red glow bloomed behind his eyes as they drifted up to look at her. There was a pain in those eyes so profound it broke her heart just to look at it. Tears started coursing from his eyes as he took a step back, his breath catching in his chest.

She took a step towards him, reaching out to him comfortingly, but he backed up a couple more steps, then turned and dashed back through the doorway he'd just come through and into the dining room. She ran after him, but by the time she got to the dining room he was already going out the door on the other side, slamming it shut after him. She hurried up to it, reaching for the knob when arms suddenly wrapped around her, jerking her back away from the door.

She struggled and twisted around, finding Lupin holding her. "Let go!" She said angrily, then the fight went out of her as she noticed something for the first time. The doorknob had begun to glow a dull red. Now that she was paying attention, she looked the door over in shock. The frame was glowing dully as well and beginning to bubble and smolder in places, even the stonework around it looking slightly molten as the door soldered itself into place.

Lupin released her once he was sure she wouldn't try to touch the door. "We must find him. I doubt we have much time... what's the quickest way into that corridor?"

She was too distraught to speak, but turned, hurrying back into the kitchen. Draco was on his feet and the others were looking over with obvious concern.

"He's sealed that doorway. We need to spread out and locate him." Lupin said briskly.

"Oh bloody Hell..." Draco breathed in horror as he surveyed the smoldering door. The glow was visible even from where he stood.

"Indeed. This does not bode well at all!" Dumbledore said, his voice conveying much more concerned than the soft spoken man usually displayed.

"Go and locate Potter!" Draco called out to the house elves. "If you find him, tell us immediately!" His elves darted out the door without question.

"You heard him!" Delse snapped as the Zabini elves lingered uncertainly. They all looked a bit frightened, never having heard their mistress order them around quite so brusquely. She took deep, calming breaths as they all but dove out the door.

"Why did he freak out just because Delse was looking at the newspaper?" Tonks asked, confused.

"He loathes his true form. For her to have seen it was probably the worst thing imaginable for him." Lupin said grimly.

"It was just a picture!" Delse said, obviously near tears. "Why is he so upset I've seen it?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Because it would change him in your eyes. You know his true appearance now, and I doubt he's going to handle that well."

"But you've seen him! A number of you saw him!" Delse said in frustration.

"Yes, but he's not in love with _us._" Draco said softly.

Delse's eyes went round.

"If you couldn't tell that he was hopelessly in love with you... then you were probably one of the few who couldn't..." He said, his eyes going to the grim looks on the faces of many of those around him.

Delse was staring at him, stunned. Her eyes went over to Blaise. Blaise just nodded sadly.

Delse let out a pained sound, turning and running out the kitchen door.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Harry's head spun wildly as the demon's emotions ravaged his senses like a storm tossed sea. Never had he realized just how separately the demon had managed to keep itself from him, but now it was too distraught to even think to block him out. It was almost frightening. The emotions were too profound, surging around far too fiercely to properly label. It was like a great, violent blend of fear, pain, anger, loss and something deeper that made Harry's whole being ache. It was more than he'd ever felt before, more than any one creature should be capable of feeling, It overwhelmed him and made him feel like he was drowning. He was vaguely aware of passing down corridor after corridor blurringly fast, then his consciousness could handle it no more as the world went black around him...

> > > > > > > > > > >

... Consciousness slowly reasserted itself. He was sitting at a bar, staring at himself in the mirror behind it. The reflection was odd... the background containing trees and an open field with delicate flowers dotting it. The Hall. The one they had held the wedding in. That's where he was.

It was difficult to think straight. Without him even willing it to, his hand lifted a glass to his lips and he took a drink. His senses sharpened a bit at the fluid burned its way down his throat. He managed to shift his eyes, taking in the bottles sitting out on the bar. It was obvious he'd drank at least a glass or two from each. It explained the strange fogginess in his mind.

"Welcome back." he heard his own voice say. He looked back into the mirror. His reflection was looking back at him, smirking. "Have a good nap?"

**_What happened?_** Harry asked, his voice going no further than his own head.

"Just had to work out a bit of... _frustration_." His reflection said, his smirk widening.

**_Work it out how?_** Harry asked worriedly.

"Just burning off some excess emotion. I'm not used to being in a body like this all the time. The emotions got a bit pent up... I was bound to blow sooner or later." Pax replied with a chuckle, taking another burning swallow of liquor, draining the glass.

**_What did you do?_** Harry had little doubt by now that he wasn't going to like the answer.

"Well, I couldn't let myself go getting attached to a bunch of you ridiculous little mortals with your flash in the pan life spans." He said, getting up and walking casually for the door. "Don't get me wrong, I'm still awful fond of _you_. You're just about the best little puppet I've ever played with. And so gullible too. Of course they all were..."

'Were'. Harry felt panic rising in him. His insides went cold as ice as he saw the mangled remains of a house elf laying in the corridor. The demon just stepped over it as if were nothing more than a piece of litter.

"It was in the way." Pax said with a definite edge of mirth, noting the way Harry's attention was caught by it. "If it had just gotten out of the way it could have lived, but no... it had to follow their stupid misguided sense of loyalty and defend its master to the end... shame. I don't like killing slaves. Them I can empathize with."

**_Defend its master?_** Harry asked dazedly, then his thoughts seemed to freeze, his mind going numb. The demon had obligingly looked down the side corridor. There was a shoe sticking out from around the next corner. The demon started towards it. Harry thrashed, but was locked in his body, unable to escape or even look away as the demon came to a stop, looking down... the shoe's owner was still in it. At least what was left of its owner. Blaise lay there face down on the floor in a pool of congealing blood, several sets of deep gashes obviously made by talons on his back, his throat torn out. His head was turned towards him, his eyes open, but blank... a dull, lifeless sheet white.

Harry felt certain he would be retching if he had control of the body. Then he saw the bloody footprints leading away. They had the tread of his own sneakers. In a bit of a daze he watched as the demon followed them.

As they continued down the corridor, there were dead house elves every couple of yards. The demon passed by them without even paying attention. It paused as the footprints detoured down one hall, though they returned to continue on. The demon looked down the corridor and Harry felt a stab of pain shoot through him. There was a body in the corridor. A very _large_ body. It was facing away but he knew there was really no one else it could possibly be other than Hagrid.

"I was worried about that one." The demon said conversationally. "He went down surprisingly easy though. It seems he didn't want to hurt me... one good slash to the throat and it was all over. Good thing the house elves tamed that bloody beard or I'd never have been able to get to it."

Harry continued trying in vain to free himself, but the demon just moved on, continuing to follow the bloody footprints that had grown darker again, refreshed by Hagrid's blood.

"Same thing that brought down Dumbledore as a matter of fact. They both held back when they should have gone for the kill. Dumbledore was a bit messier in the end... not much recognizable left really... would you like to see?"

Harry shrieked and writhed in his prison, but to no avail.

"Hmm... you don't sound too eager. Maybe later. For now, let's check on lunch..." He said with an evil chuckle. The footprints led down the corridor and into the kitchen door. He could smell something burning before he even reached it. He didn't want to see, but he had no choice in the matter.

The scene that met his eyes was more horrific than dreamt of by even the most demented slasher movie creator. The furniture and appliances had almost all been smash, burnt or otherwise destroyed in what was obviously a pitched battle... and those that lost that battle lay cold and still on the floor. Harry let out a silent cry of anguish as he recognized Hermione's frizzy brown hair, now matted with blood as she lay sprawled in an unnatural position, her body twisted and broken. Harry felt numb shock taking over as the demon looked around more. The flash of white hair made Kulia immediately recognizable, though not much more was visible. There were two charred bodies laying atop her, obviously having been trying to shield her. Only the sameness of the size of the bodies and a few remaining sprigs of unburnt red hair confirmed their identities.

"That one was a pity too... Not many of her kind left. Doubt there's more than a dozen in the whole world... well, eleven now..." He chuckled evilly. "There were too many innocent people between us for her to bring her powers to bear properly. Once I grabbed up precious Ginny as a shield it was all over for her. It was her conscious that killed her in the end."

Several of the other bodies bore red hair as well... Harry felt a vague trickle of relief when the demon remained where he was, not venturing in any further. He couldn't bear to confirm the identities of any more of the bodies. He vaguely saw a number more through the door into the dining room. He could see one charred body slumped against the back door. It was obvious that whomever it had been had tried to open it... to get away through it, but the sealed door had prevented any hope of escape, making the room a deathtrap.

**_Why?_** He sobbed, **_Why?_** He couldn't think past the question as it echoed around in his head. He wasn't in control of the body, but he could still feel it shaking in response to his mental agony, his emotions so torn up he could sense little more than a very cold, numb feeling inside.

"You saw her. You saw the disgust and loathing in her eyes. That wretched, deceitful bitch... she made me think she might actually care about me. She made me _feel_ for her! And then she sees my true form and looks at me like that!" He growled furiously, "Well, I taught her what it means to betray a demon." He chuckled his soft, evil and slightly demented laugh, "It's one lesson she won't forget... none of them ever will."

**_But how is this possible?_** He asked, praying the demon would look away from the massacre before him.

The air was suddenly filled with the demonic laughter that spilled forth from his mouth, "You don't honestly believe Lucius would leave a copy of the _real_ journal laying around, do you? He left out a copy with a sham binding spell and you fools fell for it. I played you like a fiddle. I was supposed to wait and take you all out in a very public place... like the Ministry of Magic... but he'll have to settle for this. Hell, you even believed the whole line about how that bloody device actually prevents me from leaving you... never even thought to actually _check!_" He reached up and Harry felt a tug, then the demon held up a twisted bit of filigree that Harry recognized immediately, "It was just a little bit of costume jewelry with a sticking charm on it. Hell, all you'd have had to do was order me to get out and I would have been out of you in a heartbeat...

Harry felt a strange pulling, drawing sensation and felt slightly dizzy. When he blinked his eyes back open, the demon was standing before him. It was terrifyingly huge and beastly as it glared down at him with those little glowing red eyes. Its mouth almost seemed to turn up in a grin, though it was hard to tell for sure amongst the haphazard needle-like teeth.

"Hard to believe it was almost difficult to finish off that treacherous bitch..." He hissed, his true voice vile in Harry's ears. Harry hadn't realize how normal and almost human Pax's voice had become when he spoke in his mind until he was reminded of what it had once sounded like.

"To... to finish..." Despite the numbness of his overloaded senses, he felt his heart catch in his chest.

The demon chuckled nastily, then turned, making its way down the hall, walking using its unnaturally long arms for additional support for its ungainly frame. It reminded Harry bizarrely of the gorillas in the zoo the way it walked half stooped over like that. He found himself following, though his rational mind screamed he should run the other way.

It ducked into a side room and he came to stop in the doorway, forcing his eyes to look in. Delse's body was laying there on the floor. Her clothes were all torn off and her body had obviously been horribly brutalized. Harry found himself approaching her, staring down in disbelief. Her eyes were fixed and glazed, her neck covered in purple bruises.

"Had a bit of fun before finishing her. She owed me. I'm going to get a good beating when they find I've finished them off early. Well, they might take it easy on me since I took out Dumbledore for them." He reached out, brushing the back of one of his long talons against her cheek, "Too bad her bloody neck broke. She was dying nice and slow before that... of course I was still able to capture her soul before it could escape. Now she's finally mine once and for all."

Harry tried to pull his eyes away from her terrified expression. His gaze fell upon her hand. The fingertips were covered with drying blood, bits of skin sticking out from under her nails here and there. He lifted his arms and realized for the first time that they were covered in deep gouges. He staggered back, staring at his arms as it hit him full force. It had been him. _He_ had done all of this...

The demon started towards him stealthily, a look of mirth in its evil eyes. "Yes, it was us... we make a good team, you and I... I think I'll keep you around for a while... Master said I could keep you if I brought you back and got you properly branded and broken in... I'd say it's high time I got you to work doing bigger and grander things. Together, you and I will win this war, and the Dark Lord will reward us beyond our imagining..."

Harry stumbled back. "No!" He breathed, his throat tight with fear and self loathing.

It chuckled, reaching out its long arm and grabbing ahold of him with a grip like steel. "I don't see as you have much of a choice in the matter. You have nowhere to go... no one left to protect you from yourself... you're mine now..." He said, dissolving into shadow and flowing over him.

Harry dropped to the floor, feeling it invading his body once again. It would take over and cause more pain, destruction and death if he let it... but how could he prevent it?

Demonic laughter filled his head once again, "Oh please... you can't stop me... I think it's time to return to Hogwarts..."

"NO!" Harry shrieked, fighting with all his might. He thrashed, feeling it flowing into every pore of his body, filling him with its loathsome presence. "NO! GET OUT! GET OUT!" He shrieked desperately.

His body jerked and spasmed as pain wrenched through him. He writhed and twisted, trying to escape it, but the pain was all around him. "Get out!" He repeated over and over again in desperation.

It seemed like the struggle lasted for hours... then he vaguely heard sound from somewhere... the world had become no more than a dim blur, but suddenly light flared around him. Hands took ahold of him and held onto him, despite the continued thrashing of his body that was by now far beyond his control. There was shouting and more hands but nothing was making much sense as the pain throbbed through his being. Maybe it was Aurors... maybe they were here to kill the demon. He prayed they would succeed. Just kill it... kill them both. He couldn't live with what it had done while within him. He just wanted it to end and go away.

"Potter!"

His mind was so jumbled not even his own name made any sense to him. There was a sharp sound, and an even sharper pain on his cheek. Then the other cheek stung as well.

"Potter!" the voice repeated urgently. The pain within him seemed to be oddly burning itself out, as if it were a fire slowly consuming all that was combustible. More sharp pains followed. "Potter! Shut up!"

Harry became vaguely aware that he was still repeating "Get out" over and over again, his mouth seeming disengaged from his brain, his throat raw. The pain burned down a little more and slowly hints of conscious thought began filtering back in.

> > > > > > > > > > >

"Why won't he stop saying that?" Blaise said with angry frustration as Harry writhed around, making it difficult for even him to hold onto him.

"I don't know but he has to stop!" Draco said urgently, smacking Harry's cheeks soundly again, trying to snap him out of it. He looked up at Ron, "Find Delse."

"Delse? Shouldn't I get...?" Ron began.

"DELSE!" Draco snapped. "And make it quick!"

Ron gave a nod and turned, running off in search of her.

Draco looked down hopefully as Harry's muttering started falling away. "Potter!" He called again loudly. Was it wishful thinking, or were his eyes looking a bit clearer? "Potter? Can you understand me?" He asked in a loud, clear voice. Harry blinked up at him with a dazed expression, his breath panting in his chest.

"Shhh..." Blaise said soothingly, "It's ok now... calm down..."

Harry's eyes slowly tracked over to him, then stared at him for a minute. He reached up, touching Blaise's face in disbelief. "But... you're dead..." He said uncomprehendingly in a soft, hoarse voice. Blaise looked up at Draco in surprise as Draco groaned.

Draco took Harry's head in his hands and turned it towards him. "I want you to listen to me very carefully... the demon was just fucking with your head. I don't know what you think you saw, but you need to countermand your order. Now!"

Harry blinked, looking puzzled.

"Listen to me." Draco said, making sure Harry was following him, "You can't tell it to get out. It _can't_ get out. If you command it to, you are giving it an unachievable task... demons only have to say they will do their best to keep those from being _fatal_... but it's not going to say that."

Harry blinked at him again.

Draco growled in frustration, "You're killing it! Clear enough? I can't tell it to ignore your command without it just disobeying _my_ order, and that would kill it even faster! It has to be you!"

Harry shook his head to try to clear it. He could see people moving in the doorway. He let out a little sob as he saw Hermione amongst them. She was watching worriedly, but they were staying back to give Draco room. Slowly it was sinking in that what he had just seen was another figment of the demon's imagination... "But why?"

Draco sighed sadly, dropping his voice, "Isn't it obvious, Potter? It fell in love with Delse... it saw the look on her face when she saw its true form... it's try to commit suicide..."

"Please, Harry..." Blaise said, tears streaming down his cheeks as he watched him with opalescent eyes, "He's dying..."

Comprehension seemed to be seeping through Harry's mind, "Demon... don't..." He trailed off, his eyes losing focus and drifting shut.

"Finish it Potter!" Draco said impatiently.

"Leave me be, master..." Pax said in a soft whisper.

Draco's eyes widened, "Demon..." He said, noting the way Harry's body had started trembling, the muscles tensing and jerking slightly as spasms of pain flowed through him. "Please... this isn't a command... it's a request... please don't do this..."

"It's better this way..." Pax breathed softly, wincing as another wave of pain hit him, "It won't be long now and you'll all be safe... and he'll be free... like he wants..."

"You tricked him into telling you to leave and you know it! He would have canceled the order by now if you hadn't taken over to prevent it! He never asked you to leave on his own."

"Let me go or you'll regret it, trust me..." Pax gasped, "I told you before... if you ever found a way to be rid of me... well here's your chance on a silver platter, so just sit back and shut up for a minute... and Zabini... you might want to leave the room..." He shuddered in pain, "Soon..." he added in a hoarse whisper.

Blaise just kept holding on to him,

"How about if I ever _do_ regret it, I let you kill yourself _then?_" Draco asked in exasperation.

Pax opened his eyes, reaching up and clutching the front of Draco's shirt convulsively. "Please master..." he said, tears spilling from his eyes as his emotionless mask slipped away, his voice becoming pleading, "I was never meant to feel this way..." he sobbed in anguish, "Demons aren't supposed to... were never meant to..." He convulsed. When the convulsion had passed he sagged down limply, looking very weak. Then he tensed and with great effort shifted his head around, pressing his forehead to Blaise's stomach. "No..." He breathed in anguish, "Please... make her leave..."

Blaise and Draco looked over and spotted Delse standing in the doorway, her hands clasped over her mouth in shock as she stared down at them. She hurried over, then paused uncertainly beside them, dropping down to her knees.

"Talk to him..." Draco said quickly, "The demon... he's trying to kill himself... he's nearly gone..."

Blaise let out a gasp as he felt something cool and tingling flutter into him. His eyes darted down and he saw little flecks of blue light starting to drift out from the demon. The tiny glimmers started to coalesce, floating up on the air currents like a strange kind of smoke, then they drifted over, flowing up against his chest. He felt pinpricks of tingling and his head began to swim.

"What the bloody Hell...?" Draco asked. He reached out to try to feel the 'smoke', but it flowed away from his hand and on as if that was all it really was.

Comprehension came to Blaise in a rush, "Fragments from the souls that sustain him... he's starting to lose his hold..."

Delse let out a frightened sound and pulled Harry's body into her arms, ignoring the swirling fragments. "Why are you doing this?" She asked in anguish, stroking her hand down his cheek as his head lulled limply against her.

"It's ok... honestly... it's nearly done..." He gasped softly, a red glow sparking behind his eyes, then slowly starting to fade as tears slid down his cheeks, "You're both free now... he'll make you happy... goodbye my love..."

She pulled him to her, clutching him tightly. "No... don't leave..." She sobbed softly, "I don't care what you look like... you're part of him... part of the man I love..." She held him tighter, bringing her mouth up to his ear, whispering softly to him, "Don't leave me... _live_, Pax... please... for me..."

He trembled at her words, letting out a sob and pressing his face to her. The flow of glimmering blue tapered off and then stopped altogether. She looked up at Blaise with wide, frightened eyes as Harry sagged in her arms like a dead weight.

"He's still there... but only just..." Blaise said, then waved his hand to try to disburse the small cloud of glimmering particles that had now begun swirling around him irritatingly. It did nothing but make them move faster, his arm tingling as the particles that hit it latched on and sank in.

"Bloody Hell..." Blaise muttered, getting up. He tried to move away from the particles, disconcerted, but they followed him, spiraling ever closer like water swirling around a drain, the innermost particles starting to tingle against him as the cloud closed in on him.

Suddenly he felt the strangest sensation blossom in the very center of his being... it was like a brilliant spark... a flame... almost frighteningly fierce and powerful, and yet at the same time cool and utterly calm. The reaction of the particles was almost instantaneous. Like metal filings to a lode stone, they were all suddenly drawn into him.

The next thing he knew he was flat on his back, staring up dazedly. Ron was peering down at him worriedly, and Blaise realized that he was holding him. "Wha... what happened?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." Draco said as he helped Blaise sit up. "You just dropped like a rock. How do you feel?"

There was no way Blaise was answering that one truthfully. At the moment, as he looked at Draco, he had an overwhelming desire to touch him... and yet that wasn't quite it... there was just this strong pulling sensation when he looked at him... like he wanted to do something, but he wasn't sure what. He slid his arm out of Draco's grasp. He was relieved when breaking physical contact made the pulling ease considerably. He shook his head to clear it. "Guess I should have listened to the demon. He told me to get out..." Blaise said, slipping his arms around Ron and hugging him. He felt a bit shaken, and grateful that at least touching Ron wasn't making him feel odd. He gave Ron a quick kiss before releasing him, letting him go over to check on Harry.

Draco looked over thoughtfully at where Harry still lay limply in Delse's grasped. "He did, didn't he? He must have known it would do something to you... but how did he know that? And what did it do?"

"You know what? I'm just fine. Let's just focus on taking care of the demon right now..." Blaise said, quickly changing the subject, staring at Harry's body. Oddly, he could 'see' his essence slightly. It was just a vague shadow, but he'd never had the wraith vision mixed with his regular vision at all before except when he was pissed as a newt.

"What's with your eyes?" Draco asked in surprise, peering closer.

Blaise looked over at him, shifting away unconsciously. He could see Draco's essence as well, and it was even stronger. "What? Do they look off or something?" He asked worriedly.

"There's a bit of that wraith coloring in them... it's not on the irises, but you can definitely see it in the whites."

"Oh..." Blaise shrugged, trying to hide his discomfort with the subject, "Well, I'm fine. Let's get going. I don't know how much longer the demon can survive without help."

"How do you 'help' a demon?" Hermione asked pensively. She was now standing near Delse, peering down at Harry worriedly.

Ron, who was now crouched beside Harry, reached out and felt his forehead. It was almost cool to the touch. He looked him over worriedly, then brightened, looking over at Draco. "Hey, the demon is like a soul right now while it's in Harry, right?"

"Closer to a spirit." Draco amended.

"Whatever. Soul or spirit, the bloke that patched you and Darien up should be able to help it, shouldn't he?"

Draco blinked, surprised he hadn't thought of that himself. "Maybe. Worth a try. We were planning that trip to the hospital anyway. Looks like we're just going to make an early start of it."

Blaise nodded. "Let's get him up then. I'll get him." He said, moving over to Harry's side. He was the strongest by far at the moment, so it was only logical that he should be the one to do the carrying.

The moment he touched Harry, he felt a pull so strong it felt like he'd set off a portkey. He gasped, jerking his hand away. His mother looked up at him, wide eyed. "Blaise? You ok?"

Blaise nodded quickly, but he didn't feel ok. There was definitely something wrong with him, but he didn't want to worry her any more than she already was. Still, he wasn't sure he was going to be able to handle being in direct contact with Harry again. He stifled a sigh of relief as Harry stirred.

Harry blinked his eyes open, looking confused, frightened and utterly exhausted. He didn't say anything for a minute, he just stared up, trying to get his bearings and focus his eyes properly. They all waited tensely. His eyes focused on Delse and he let out a little pained sound, struggling to pull her down to him. She held him tightly, looking up questioningly at Draco as Harry sobbed against her in relief.

"It messed with his head to get him to order it out. I don't think it was very pretty..." He said gently.

Delse's eyes widened and she held him tighter, stroking his hair soothingly. Harry had eventually told her what Pax had done to him before, so she could well imagine whatever had gotten Harry to order Pax out had to have been traumatic. "It's ok, Harry. I'm fine. Everything's going to be ok."

"Is the demon... is he...?" Harry asked softly, looking up at her and blinking away the tears.

"He's badly hurt. We have to get him help if he is to survive..." She said gently, "We're going to take you to the hospital..."

"_We_ are. You're not coming, mother." Blaise said gently as he got to his feet.

She looked up at him sharply. "I most certainly am!"

"Mother, we can't all go. You know very well the port key won't carry that many, and besides, we'll need to keep a low profile and that's hard to do with over a dozen people in tow!"

"I didn't say everyone had to come..." Delse started, but Blaise cut her off.

"We can't leave guests here alone. What if something happens? They won't have any idea how to work the grounds defenses." Blaise said reasonably.

"Well you can just stay then."

Blaise sighed. He hadn't told his mother about his continued problems, not wanting to alarm her. "Mum... I... I'm not just going for moral support. I _need_ to go. It's not a matter that can be debated."

Her eyes widened, "What...?"

"Not now, mum. There's no time." Blaise said quickly, cutting her off once again. He looked over at one of the house elves, "Go get the emergency port key, two pairs of dark glasses and some cloaks with hoods. Not black ones!" He amended quickly. Once the elf had scurried out, he glanced over, seeing Draco's curious look. "What? You want to show up looking like a bunch of Death Eaters? We wouldn't make it past the Apparation room! And after that article, I don't suggest you let anyone spot you or Harry!"

"Can you stand?" Ron asked Harry gently.

With a great deal of help from Ron, Harry was able to struggle to his feet. He leaned heavily against Ron. "I feel like I'm made of lead..." He said, his breath a bit labored from even that little exertion.

"I'll go with you." Ron said.

"No. No Weasleys off the grounds without the proper safety precautions, and I don't have time to get my men into place on such short notice." Draco said in a no nonsense tone.

"Don't worry, Ron." Lupin said quickly as Ron looked about to object, "I'll go with him. I truly doubt if anyone cares about an insignificant werewolf." He flashed Ron a grin.

Ron sighed, but nodded grudgingly. At least Harry would have one person who was close to him there to comfort him.

"Very well." Snape sighed, leading Narcissa in through the gathered Weasleys and other guests. "Let's get going then."

Barely a minute had passed before the House elf scurried back in with a stack of cloaks of various colors, placing them on one of the chairs. There was another elf right behind it carrying a small box containing sunglasses and the port key. Blaise handed Narcissa a soft lavender robe, and a dark brown one to Lupin. Lupin looked down at it.

"I hardly think I need one. I wasn't mentioned, was I?" He asked, surprised.

"No, but it'll look odd if only a couple of our number are wearing robes." Blaise said, holding out a blue robe to Snape.

Snape waved it off. "I'll stick to my own thanks. I'll just keep the hood down. Death Eaters don't show their faces in public."

Blaise just rolled his eyes and handed the blue robe to Ron. "Get this one on Potter. His doesn't have a hood."

Ron nodded and Delse and Molly helped him get Harry changed.

Blaise picked up a white robe and held it out to Draco. Draco snorted in amusement and snagged up the remaining green one and a pair of glasses. "White? With my coloring? I think not. I'd look like a bloody ghost."

Blaise rolled his eyes. "Why do I get stuck with the white one?" He asked, seeing it was the last one.

"I'll trade you if you'd like." Narcissa offered with a smirk.

Blaise looked at the lavender robe, then rolled his eyes and pulled on the white one.

Pansy came over, slipping her arms around him. "Don't worry, you look wonderful in any color." She said, kissing him.

He grinned. "You're biased."

"You bet your cute little arse I am." She said, giving him another, longer kiss. Then she sighed and hugged him tight before releasing him. "Be careful." She said softly, moving back to stand with the others, hugging herself as she watched him worriedly.

Delse finished pulling Harry's robe shut and pressed herself gently against him, holding him tightly. "He... he didn't mean to hurt you, Harry..." She said softly.

He rested his head on her shoulder. "I know..." He said, his voice aching. "I'd like to kick his bloody arse for what he did to me... but... I can't bring myself to blame him. I love you with all my heart and soul... you know that..."

Delse quickly nodded, holding him tighter, "I know..."

"But... I felt it, Delse. I felt how _he_ feels about you..." He said softly. He let out a shuddering sigh. "I don't think I could ever love that deeply... I don't think _any_ human could. He did this so you would be happy and safe... he was willing to die for you. How could I hold that against him?"

She just held him in silence, at a loss for what to say. He gently kissed her neck. "I'll bring him back." He whispered softly before shifting himself laboriously away from her. Ron helped him over to where the others were gathering for their departure.

Dumbledore came over, looking at Draco sadly. "Are you certain you do not wish for me to come along?" He asked gently.

Draco flashed him a little smile, then dropped his eyes. "This is my issue to deal with." He said sadly, then a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Besides, you're not likely to go unrecognized, and since I have you under the Imperious curse you'd be a dead giveaway." He said with a soft chuckle.

Dumbledore afforded him a smile, then nodded. "Probably right."

"Where's _my_ robe?" Ginny asked, coming up beside Draco.

He sighed deeply and took her in his arms. "You heard me, love. No Weasleys. Sorry." He said, kissing her gently. He broke away and looked over as Ron brought Harry over. He glanced around for Blaise, but Blaise had moved over, positioning himself between Snape and Narcissa and was pointedly not making eye contact. Draco looked over at Lupin, who was on the other side of Harry, and sighed. It was obvious he was far too weak right now to hold Harry up on his own. Draco rolled his eyes and slipped a supportive arm around Harry under his robes, taking most of his weight. "Don't get used to this, Potter." He grumbled.

Harry just rolled his eyes. There was no use trying to refuse Draco's help. He knew very well if Draco's arm weren't around him, he'd be on the floor by now.

"This is the only way in and out of the grounds by magic, and it's only used for emergencies, so the trip might not be completely smooth. Just so you know." Blaise said, holding an old hand-tooled leather belt and fastening the silver buckle so it formed a large loop. He donned his glasses and held the belt out in the middle of the small group. "Ok, hoods up those who need it, and everyone grab ahold."

The belt was big enough that it wasn't too crowded to get everyone close enough to reach. Lupin reached over, raising Harry's hood as Draco donned his glasses and he and Narcissa raised their own hoods, then they all grabbed onto the belt. When Blaise was sure all six of them were ready, he placed his thumb on the slight depression in the center of the belt buckle.

Draco felt a hand grab ahold of his shoulder, followed almost instantly by a sudden jerking sensation behind his navel.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - Since several of you have mentioned it, I just wanted to say that yes, I _do_ know you can disable anonymous reviews... problem is, some of my regular reviewers that I actually _want_ to hear the opinions of also review anonymously. I'm not willing to trust that they will want to review so badly that they will actually get accounts here strictly for my benefit. It would be easier for them to just go to being lurkers and I'd rather not make them choose.

**Kazhdu** - The Draco/Pax relationship... as you can probably tell from this chapter, he was already starting to get emotionally unstable when he told Draco that he would kill him in a heartbeat given half the chance. I assume that's the mistrust you are referring to. You've also got to understand that kindness is something completely alien to him. Lies, betrayal, violence and subterfuge are all things he understands well... almost his 'element'. They are as natural to him as breathing... but caring, affection and love are so foreign he undoubtedly finds them confusing and not a little frightening. They just aren't emotions he is equipped to deal with properly. When he said those things to Draco, he was most likely almost hoping Draco would lash out at him or betray him in some way, because it would be familiar territory. But he didn't. He showed nothing more than sympathy, which was very disconcerting for Pax. By the time they got to this chapter, he had started getting more acclimated to the lack of what he was used to... so when he saw Delse and the paper... well it probably felt ten times as bad as it would have before, because he was just starting to open up properly and for once actually wasn't expecting to be hurt... and especially not by _her_. As for your other comments, they will soon be addressed, as I'm sure you figured out ;P

**Fiby** - Just so you know... that 'up the nose' thing? Getting there again. Like mum always used to say - if you can't say something nice (or at least _constructive_) don't say anything at all. I'm actually in a decent mood at the moment, so I thought I should respond to this now before you give me a review like that when I'm in a _bad_ mood... that wouldn't be a good thing...


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

The world was a dizzying swirl of color and rushing wind whipping madly about him, punctuated by sudden jerks and gut wrenching lurches. Finally the swirling settled and the stark white of the apparition room solidified around them, Draco released the belt and turned his head.

"That _was_ a bit rough, wasn't it?" Ginny asked with a smirk.

"Damn it, Ginny!" Draco growled, "Why didn't you listen to me?"

Her grin widened. "I _did_ listen to you. You said no _Weasleys_ were to leave the grounds." She slipped around in front of him and kissed him, then smirked at him again, "I'm a _Malfoy_." She whispered mischievously.

"She's got you there." Snape said mirthfully.

Draco let out an exasperated sound and looked over at Blaise. "Is there any way we can send her back?"

Blaise shook his head. "Not unless you want to add two more of those trips to your day running her back and then returning the port key for the rest of us. I wouldn't advise it, trust me. I took two round trips in one day once... I kept getting a very irritating tickling sensation in my stomach for days afterwards. Barring that, she'll have to wait until we're all ready to go or the rest of us won't have a way back this side of apparating to the gates or finding a carriage. We're a fairly good jaunt from my land..." He handed the belt to Snape, "Here, you hold onto this. Only I can set it off, and I don't want do that accidentally."

Snape nodded, taking the belt and slipping it around his waist. He tightened it, then slipped his black vest over it and it disappeared from sight entirely.

"I'm not going to let you go through this alone." Ginny said softly, brushing her fingers down Draco's cheek, her voice going completely serious. "I know how much this means to you..."

Draco sighed in resignation. "Fine. Don't see as I have a choice in the matter now. Besides, we should probably get the pregnancy verified." Blaise looked up at him sharply, making Draco smirk. "I'm not questioning you and your 'amazing abilities'. I just... get the feeling it would be best to get it officially on record now. For... legal reasons."

Blaise nodded, then led the group towards the door. Lupin quickly took off his cloak and put it around Ginny's shoulders.

"You might want to cover up that hair..." He said with a gentle smile.

She grinned gratefully and carefully arranged it so not a single coppery strand showed.

The Aurors at the door eyed their group suspiciously, but didn't stop them. Blaise went up to reception where a very harassed looking witch sat, filling out paperwork. She looked to be at least fifty with slightly bluish gray hair and the weary air of someone who had probably worked there most of her life. Her name tag read simply "Gladys". Blaise cleared his throat to gain her attention.

"Nature of your medical emergency?" She asked in clipped tones, not even bothering to look up.

Blaise leaned against the counter, resting his elbow on it and propping his head up causally. "I was just passing by and you were just too bloody cute to ignore." He said in a silky voice.

She looked up in surprise, a brilliant smile breaking over her face. "Zabini! You little scamp! Where've you been keeping yourself?"

"In one piece." He replied with a smirk.

"I see that! Walking in on your own two feet and all. That's a novelty." She said, putting on her glasses and looking him over with a little sigh, "What's the bastard done to you _this_ time?"

Blaise's smile wavered, then firmed back up. "Nothing. He's dead." he replied in a flippant voice.

"Well about bloody time! I guess that explains why we haven't seen more of you. When we didn't see you the whole second half of summer holiday some of the girls were convinced he'd finally done you in! Can't tell you how glad I am they were wrong! Good to see you again. Puts my mind at ease. Besides, it just didn't seem like Christmas here without you!"

Blaise blushed a bit, glancing back at the others. They didn't seem to know if they should be amused by the playful banter, or aghast by the fact that he had obviously been there enough to become so familiar with the staff.

He cleared his throat again, getting back on subject, "There was a healer sent out to Hogwarts about a week ago..."

Gladys rolled her eyes, "Grimsby." She said, nodding. "We caught a great deal of grief over that, I'll tell you! Cornelius Fudge himself came down here ranting and raving like a bloody loon... When we showed him signed official Ministry orders he hit the bloody roof! Someone got the boot over that one, mark my words." She looked at him, her eyes and voice going suddenly soft with worry, "Was it true what they said in the paper? About you being cursed by that beast?"

Blaise dropped his eyes, having a hard time keeping them from straying over to Harry. "I _was_ cursed." He conceded. "But I'm ok now. Well, relatively anyway... but right now I need to see Grimsby. I have a friend who is in urgent need of his assistance." He said, indicating Harry, who was half slumped against Draco.

"Oh dear..." She said, flipping through an old dog-eared book, "He's away at the moment..." She found the entry she was looking for and nodded. "He's in Sydney."

"Australia?" Blaise asked, shocked.

She nodded. "There aren't many people trained in his area of expertise, so he sometimes gets requests from pretty far away. He should be done by now, but with the current regulations on the Floo network it'll probably be an hour or so before he gets back. He isn't a young man anymore and he just can't handle long distance Apparition like he used to. Is there anyone else who could help him?"

"Do you have anyone else who works with souls or spirits?"

She shook her head sadly, "Sorry dear, no. The only other one we had up and moved to China a couple of years back. Studying the ancient spirits or some such thing. You think he'll be able to wait an hour?"

Blaise looked back at Harry worriedly. Harry's shrouded head gave a nod. "You sure?" He asked with trepidation, shifting his eyes. The demon looked bad, but it didn't seem to have gotten any worse at least. Harry just nodded again.

Blaise sighed. "Ok." He said as his eyes shifted again, turning back to the receptionist. "Please bring Grimsby to us as soon as he returns."

"You got it deary. I'll have one of the girls bring a chair for him." She said, snapping her fingers at a young woman sitting at a desk nearby. The woman looked up from her own paperwork, her eyes following Gladys' finger to Harry. She quickly got the message and hurried off to fetch a chair. "Anything else I can do for you until then?"

Snape stepped up to the desk, "Well, might as well see if we can get some of our other business here out of the way then. I made an appointment with Healer Sanders... it wasn't supposed to be until later though. Might he be available any earlier?"

Blaise stifled a snort of amusement. "_She..._" He whispered to Snape. When Snape just looked over at him blankly Blaise leaned closer again. "Sanders. She's a woman. _Trust me._" He said with a smirk.

Gladys had been watching the exchange with a highly amused expression on her face. "I'll check for you." She said, leafing through the book again.

Draco sighed in relief as the chair finally arrived. It looked a lot like a muggle wheel chair actually... except for its lack of wheels. Instead, it hovered a few inches above the ground on a thin cushion of some kind of mist-like substance. Draco helped maneuver Harry into the chair. It sank slightly under his weight, which didn't pass the notice of the young woman who had brought it. She was looking at it, puzzled, but then had to hurry back to her desk as she spotted one of the healers waiting there. Draco was relieved she hadn't asked any questions. He was almost certain that Harry now weighted quite a bit more than he should. It had certainly been much harder than it should have been keeping him upright. He wondered if the demon's normal body density had anything to do with it.

"Yes... it appears she has an opening right now in fact. You can go on up to her office. I'm sure she won't mind." Gladys said, setting down the book.

"And where _is_ her office?" Snape asked.

Gladys just smirked at him, then went back to her paperwork.

Blaise rolled his eyes, "Come on, I'll show you."

> > > > > > > > > > >

"Blaise!" The tall, thin blonde squealed the moment she turned, setting down the flask she had been drying and hurrying over to give him a hug. She wasn't exactly what one might expect in a respectable healer the likes of which they normally employed at St. Mungo's. Most of them were rather stiff and dower looking... she looked more like a debutante in healer's robes. She looked to be in her mid twenties with sparkling blue-gray eyes and long hair that fell nearly half way down her back in perfect banana curls (and was almost the color of a banana as well!).

"Hey Becka." Blaise said with a chuckled, hugging her back and lifting her off her feet for a moment, making her giggle before releasing her.

She stepped back, looking at him shrewdly, "You're my four o'clock, aren't you?"

Blaise looked over at Snape, who nodded.

"I knew it! Re'em blood overdosing isn't a very common problem, so I figured it must be you if that article was right. Glad you came early. I was simply dying of curiosity!" She said brightly. Then her eyes flicked over, falling on Draco. "What's with the cloak? You look like a moldy Dementor in that, Drakie." She said with a giggle.

Draco chuckled and pushed back his hood, but kept his glasses on. Narcissa and Ginny lowered their hoods as well, Lupin closing the door to her office just in case. "Keeping a low profile, what with that bloody article..."

"Article?" She asked, obviously having absolutely no idea what he was talking about.

"In the Daily Prophet this morning...?" He prompted.

She waved it off at the words 'Daily Prophet', "Oh I don't read that wretched rag. Gladys just shoves articles under my nose sometimes and insists I read them. No way she was going to let anyone here get away without reading the one about Blaise..."

"Well, probably best you didn't read it. Just be sure to read the article about me suing Rita Skeeter's bloody arse off!"

She smiled brilliantly, "I'll have Gladys watch for it." She said, hurrying over to him and giving him a hug and sighing happily, "My two favorite patients all in one day! It's been what? Two and a half years since that last happened?" She released him and stepped back, folding her arms across her chest, suddenly all business, "Ok, open up."

Draco blushed slightly, glancing at the others. Becka started tapping the toe of her shoe on the floor impatiently and Draco sighed, opening his robes, then unbuttoning his shirt halfway. She quickly shifted forward, grabbing the edges of the shirt and pulling them open, then reached up, putting her fingertips on his forehead and pushing his head back as it cast a shadow. She probed his chest for a moment, then looked up at him, grinning, stroking her fingers over the pristine skin. "Will you look at that! No scar. Hmm... what a surprise!" She said with mirthful sarcasm. "I believe a certain doubting Thomas owes me ten galleons!"

"I'll have to owe you. Don't worry, I'm good for it." Draco said with a smirk. He glanced up, noting the slight blush to Ginny's cheeks as she watched Becka.

Becka followed his gaze. She straightened slowly, a grin slipping over her lips. "And who is _this_, Drakie?" She asked, trailing her eyes over Ginny, noting the slight tension that entered her stance as Becka rested her elbow on Draco's shoulder casually.

"That would be my wife." Draco said, grinning proudly.

Becka's eyes went wide, darting back to him, her jaw dropping as her face got a slightly pouty, obviously disappointed look on it. "You sure? I mean is it all official? Vows and all that?" she asked, sounding as if she were grasping at straws.

Draco grinned and nodded, "She's all mine." he said, undoing a couple more buttons and showing her the unicorn horn symbol.

She blinked, then reached out and touched it tentatively. "Dang... that's pretty official..." She let out a deep piteous sigh, letting her head fall against his shoulder. "How can you play with my emotions like this, Drakie?" She asked petulantly, "Parading her around right in front of me like this... it's just cruel!"

Ginny was getting more than a little irritated with the way Becka was acting so very familiar with Draco. Her cheeks were burning as she tried hard to hold her tongue. She knew they would need this woman's help to find out what was wrong with Blaise, but she wasn't sure she was going to be able to keep her cool if the woman kept groping her husband!

"Sorry, Becka. Didn't mean to be sadistic. We're just all here together and it's best that we keep in a group. Safety reasons. You understand."

She let out another sigh, then pulled back a bit, looking at him with big, imploring puppy dog eyes. "Does she at least have sisters?"

Draco grinned and shook his head, "One of a kind."

Becka pouted, "Cousins? A young Aunt?" she went on pleadingly.

Draco was chuckling by now, watching Ginny as she went beet red all the way to her ears as she realized it wasn't _Draco_ the woman was interested in...

Ginny shifted uneasily. "I have six brothers..."

Becka gave a derisive snort. "Pass!" She said, rolling her eyes and pushing off from Draco, going back over to Blaise. "Oh well..." She said with a sigh, grabbing Blaise's sleeve and pulling it up. In just a few deft moves she had cleaned a spot with a little swab, stuck him with a needle and drawn some blood. She then went over and started busying herself starting her tests as Blaise pulled his sleeve back down.

"I get a few drops and you whine like a baby, but she can take a tumbler full without so much as a whimper?" Snape asked, amused.

"Well, she's nice enough to charm her needles to be painless and heal automatically." Blaise replied.

Snape gave a little snort. "Where's the fun in that?"

> > > > >

Becka worked away in silence for about fifteen minutes, running at least a dozen tests on the blood while making little distracted sounds of interest and fascination and taking meticulous notes in her ledger. Snape watched her with interest as she worked. Her equipment looked to be made up of many things he was used to... and quite a number of items that looked unlike anything he'd ever seen before. A couple even appeared to be of Muggle origin. He wasn't sure how Muggle things would help figure out a magical problem, but he kept his silence.

Finally she appeared to have finished her tests, going to just writing in her ledger extensively. Snape slowly approached, looking over her equipment and waiting for her to finish her notes. After a few minutes her writing trailed off and she just stared down, rereading the notes.

"Well?" Snape prodded softly.

She glanced over at him, looking a bit irritated at being pressed. "Well what?"

"Why isn't the Re'em blood going away?"

She rolled her eyes. "He doesn't have a problem with Re'em blood. He barely has a trace of it left in his body. It'll probably be no more than a memory by tomorrow evening latest."

"Impossible! My tests showed his levels still hovering around forty five hundred just this morning."

She folded her arms across her chest. "Are you questioning me?" She asked in a calm, cool voice, her eyes narrowing.

Snape didn't miss the way Blaise and Draco both subtly eased back away from her a bit at this. "Well he can still bench-press a bloody house, so how do you explain that if it has all suddenly disappeared?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous! He could hardly do that unless the structure was an extremely small one and reinforced with a dizzying number of structural integrity charms. I'm telling you he doesn't have Re'em blood in him. If you want someone to do a half-arsed job and agree with you, you can go down the hall and to the left. There's a nice big mirror in the little wizard's room that would be more than happy to oblige. If you would like to hear genius instead, you can shut your screaming howler and listen." She said, her tone remaining studiously pleasant the entire time.

Snape bristled but bit back his retort as he saw Blaise quickly shaking his head vehemently in warning behind Becka's back. He took a deep, calming breath and let it out. "Well then, I would be very interested on your views of why he is still a virtual juggernaut." He said in as cooperative and civil a voice as he could muster.

She smiled at him and batted her eyelashes. "That's more like it. Well," She said, reaching over and picking up a vial full of a brilliantly violet fluid, "This is probably the test you've been running, isn't it?"

He looked the vial over. "It appears to be." He agreed.

She nodded, "Probably about the best you're going to get out of a mobile kit. It's just not very exact, is it? Nearest I can figure, we're looking at an entirely new substance."

"You mean it somehow turned into something different? How can that be?" Snape asked, looking over her notes.

"Not just different... I'm talking about a substance previously unknown to wizarding kind." She said triumphantly, angling her notebook towards him.

Lupin eased up beside Draco. "I'm just curious..." He said softly, "Did you ever ask _the demon_ what the problem might be?"

Draco looked at him in surprise, then over at Harry. "I... never really thought about it actually."

"If he's up to it, I would highly suggest it. I get the idea that he knows a great deal more than anyone gives him credit for..."

Draco looked at Lupin thoughtfully, wondering once again what he and Harry had been chatting about when they stayed behind earlier. He moved over to where Harry sat in his hovering chair. He still had his hood up, his head bowed forward a bit as if he hadn't the strength to keep it upright (which might well have been the case).

"Hey Potter..." He said, crouching down before him to try to see under the hood, keeping his voice low so it didn't carry over to where Becka and Snape were discussing the tests she had used. The hooded head stirred slightly. Seeing he had his attention, Draco went on, "Potter, do you think the demon could answer a question?" Harry lifted his head a bit, looking at him. All Draco could make out of his face was a slight reflection of torchlight off his eyes. Harry didn't answer, but he didn't say no either, so Draco pressed on. "Could you ask him if he knows what's happening with Blaise?"

Harry stared at him for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"He does?" Draco asked, surprised.

Harry gave another little nod.

Draco furrowed his brow. "Why the bloody Hell didn't he say anything then?"

Harry gave a soft chuckle. His eye gain an ever so slight glow, so dim he wouldn't have been able to see it if it weren't for the very deep shadow the hood cast. "No one ever bothered to _ask_." he said in a whisper soft voice.

Draco tensed, shifting closer. "Demon!" He said softly, quickly darting a look to make sure Becka was distracted, then looked back at him. "Well? What is it then?"

"Wraiths don't give up power of any kind..." Pax said, obviously having to work hard even to get out the whispered words. "They get it and make it their own. It's part of him now. He just has to learn how to control it." He finished softly. The pale glow faded away and his head slumped forward again.

"Blaise!" Draco called over, quickly rising.

Blaise looked over, pulling off his glasses, his eyes automatically shifting as he saw Draco looking at Harry. He let out a little breath of relief. "It's ok. I think he's just passed out. Still looks about the same as when we got here."

"Oh my giddy aunt!" Becka said, staring at Blaise.

He turned his opalescent eyes on her and smirked. "The curse may have left a little reminder behind..." he said, letting his eyes shift back, though they still held a hint of the wraith color.

Draco moved over closer. "That's what he said was causing this."

Snape and Blaise looked at him curiously. Becka was staring at Harry, "Does he need help?" She asked worriedly.

"Only Grimsby can help him and he won't be back for a while. He said he could hold up until then." Draco said distractedly, trying to steer her back to the former conversation, "It's a long story, but before he passed out, he said this... this _whatever it is_ that's happening to Blaise is because of the curse, he said it's because wraiths don't let go of power, they make it their own."

Becka eyed Blaise intently, her mind obviously working on something. She grabbed up her wand and his arm, casting a couple of spells on it. They produced colors and little symbols in the air above his arm, but none of it made sense to anyone except Becka and Snape.

"Would you look at that..." Becka said in a slightly awed voice.

"What?" Blaise asked, getting a bit nervous with how fascinated she seemed to be getting. She usually only showed this much interest in particularly grievous injuries or life threatening spells and creatures.

She finally released his arm. "He's right. I don't know how your friend there knew that, but you do indeed seem to have made this your own. I knew the substance was compositionally similar to the original Re'em blood, so much so that it can fool simple tests into believing that is what it is, but I didn't realize that the differences were the real clue... I thought something just caused a reaction and changed the Re'em blood somehow making a new substance... but it didn't. It's _yours_, Blaise. Your body acclimated to the Re'em blood, took its favorable magical properties and kept them."

"Kept them?" Blaise asked, staring down at the arm she had been testing.

"In your bones. Your body is actually _producing_ this substance now, like blood, perpetually replacing what you lose."

His eyes became a bit watery, his throat tightening. "You mean it's not going away?"

She shook her head. "Certainly doesn't look like it."

He let out a sob of anguish, hugging himself as tears streamed from his eyes.

"Oh now!" She said, hurrying over and wrapping her arms around him, holding him comfortingly, "It's not as bad as all that! So you're stronger than other people... what's the fuss?" she asked in a soft, soothing voice.

"I... I can't be with Pansy like this..." He said, his words muffled against her shoulder, his shoulders shaking.

"Your little girlfriend? Well it might be dangerous at first, but after she has some in her blood as well you should be fine. In fact I might be able to extract some of the essence so she could take it directly so she wouldn't be in danger even at first. It seems to build up the resilience and integrity of the flesh just as much as the strength, otherwise you'd be constantly hurting yourself."

He looked up at her, tears still slipping down his cheeks. "But what about the babies?"

She blinked. "She's pregnant?" She asked, shocked.

He nodded. "Twins." He said softly.

"Congratulations!" She said, beaming, then she sobered a bit, "Well, I'll have to do more tests of course, but I think that might be ok actually... what you are producing doesn't appear to have many of the Re'em attributes that are known to cause problems in young children. I mean you just have to realize that it _will_ probably make your children stronger than normal children, even after they've left their mother's womb. They're unlikely to be nearly as strong as you, but they'll be able to hold their own with little effort I'll wager."

"I don't know... I mean that would make this a pretty big decision. It'll effect the whole rest of their lives..." Blaise said softly. He'd stopped crying, but he still looked anguished.

"Are you planning on having more children after this?" Becka asked seriously.

Blaise looked up at her, "Well... ya... I mean I was seriously thinking about it... I... I _wanted_ to..."

"Well, I hate to tell you this, but even if you refrain from relations during pregnancy, it's entirely possible that you will pass this on to any future children you have anyway. Magic is just as persistent and uncompromising as genetics. So... think of it as helping your first born survive their younger siblings! Do you think they'll have much of a chance in a tussle if their sisters and brothers are twice as strong as them?" she asked with amusement.

He blinked, scratching the side of his neck distractedly as he pondered that. It was definitely something to take into consideration.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, until you make your decision just have her on top and practice safe sex, silly boy!"

He blinked up at her, "Safe sex? I don't know any spells that would block passing this on...?"

She gave a snort of amusement, rolling her eyes again and going over to a cabinet. She rummaged around for a minute, then straightened up, tossing a small box at him. He caught it and looked at it curiously. "What the bloody Hell are these?" He asked, baffled.

She giggled. "You've spent time around Muggles and you've never seen a condom?"

"A _what?_" He asked, looking at the instructions printed on the back. His eyes went wide as he read. "You're shitting me!" his eyes darted up, "Will these things actually work?"

"Well, considering your strength I would _definitely_ cast an Impervious charm on them before trying to use them, and those are unlubricated since I doubt spermacide would be exactly healthy for the babies, so you may have to use some kind of lubricant, but yes, I believe it will work. They've been effective in a couple of cases I've had to deal with involving curses that could be sexually transmitted. Just use one any time you feel the need..." She said with a smirk.

He furrowed his brow, "But this box only has twelve in it... what am I supposed to do tomorrow?"

> > > > > > > > > > >

"Think he'll be alright now?" Draco asked, pushing Harry's chair down the hallway.

"I think now that we know what's going on, he'll be able to deal with it better. That woman is a real pill, but she appears to know what she's doing at least. I'm sure when she's done she'll either have some kind of solution for him or have talked him in to just dealing with the repercussions of continuing relations with Pansy the way he is. Somehow I doubt Pansy will mind added strength. I'll wager he doesn't bother with those silly little Muggle devices for long, if at all..." He said mirthfully. "Just a bit worrisome knowing my grandchildren will have even a bit of that strength..." He fell silent, a little smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, "Never really thought I'd be saying those words. 'My grandchildren'. Still sounds so very odd."

"You'll get used to it, grandpa!" Draco said with a chuckle.

Snape flashed him a little smile, then his expression sobered. "Mr. Rayne shouldn't be done with his procedure yet, but I think perhaps we should try now. I doubt his wife will want to be bothered right after he comes out of it, and according to the healer I spoke with, she has _her_ procedure scheduled for about an hour after."

Draco sighed and nodded, glancing back at his mother. She was looking very solemn. Ginny rested her hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

Harry stirred slightly.

"How are you feeling, Potter?" Snape asked, looking over at him.

"Completely fubared." Harry muttered, shifting his head up with obvious effort.

"Grimsby should be back soon, so just hold in there. We're heading to speak with someone on a different matter, but I told them where we'd be, so he'll find us as soon as he arrives."

"We going to see the woman from that article? The one from Hogsmeade?" Harry asked curiously.

Draco's stride faltered slightly as he looked over at Snape. He still hadn't been told about the article.

Snape sighed, "Yes."

Harry nodded slightly, "The demon said Draco wouldn't be able to stay away."

Draco stopped dead. "And just what was he saying about me then?"

Harry didn't bother trying to turn to look at him. "Just said you wouldn't leave a sibling die without a fight. Can't see as I blame you, really. I'd give anything for siblings..." He said, trailing off softly.

Draco eyed the impassive back of his head for a minute, then started moving again, making no reply. He hadn't expected many people to understand his desire... let alone Harry. After a few minutes, he looked over at Snape. "Tell me about them."

"The woman we are to see is Gray Feather Rayne..." Snape began.

"Gray Feather?" Draco asked, looking over at Snape curiously.

"I believe she's American Indian if you're wondering about the origins of her name. Her husband, Thomas, is British. I'm afraid her son will probably also be there. His name is Tobias."

Draco felt his throat tighten. He hadn't been expecting to have to see the boy. He took a deep, calming breath, girding himself. "We probably shouldn't all rush in there. Don't want it to seem like we're invading."

"Just chuck me in a corner, I'll be fine." Harry said softly.

"I'll take him. Unless you'd rather I come in with you?" Snape asked.

Draco shook his head, then steered the chair over a bit, letting Snape take over.

He walked on in a bit of a daze. Snape and Harry broke away from the little group, going into a waiting room but he walked on, his mind so numb it barely registered. Then suddenly he found himself facing a door. _The_ door. He stood there staring at it for a few minutes, just taking deep breaths and trying valiantly to think of what he could possibly say to this woman. He felt Ginny's comforting hand on one shoulder, his mother's on the other. They waited in silence.

He looked up, his heart skipping a beat as the door opened. A woman in a hospital staff uniform came out carrying some linens, looking just as surprised to see them there. "Where do you think you're going? No visitors allowed!" She said primly. "How'd you even get into this wing in the first place?"

"Please..." Draco said softly, "I just... I need to talk to her..."

She furrowed her brow, shifting the linens to one arm and reaching out, brushing back his hood. Draco looked at her imploringly, his sadness apparent despite his dark glasses. The woman gave a deep sigh. "Lands! How can I say no to that face?" She said with a little grin, patting his cheek. "Don't you be upsetting her, boy! I'll be most put out if I get the boot over this!"

"Thanks Hanna. I won't." Draco said, giving her a little smile.

The woman just shook her head and started down the hallway.

Draco forced his eyes back to the doorway. His insides churned as he saw the thin woman sitting on the far bed. She was dressed in a hospital robe, the crisp whiteness of it setting off her olive skin. Though she wasn't standing he could tell she was quite tall, and her hair was back in a single thick braid of pure black so long that the end trailed across the bed almost to the edge. She was sitting up, but stooping over a bit, rocking back and forth slightly and singing so softly he could hear no more than the melody. With a wrench he saw a bit of black hair trailing over her leg and realized her son was laying beside her, his head resting in her lap as she cradled him to her.

She looked over to see why the door hadn't closed yet. The song died in her throat as her eyes went wide. The recognition and instant fear in those beautiful, almond shaped eyes was like a dagger in Draco's heart. He just stood there, unable to move as their eyes remained locked. After a moment, he felt hands gently take ahold of him, pushing him relentlessly into the room. He couldn't bring himself to look away from the woman to see who was pushing him, but from the the feel of the hands, he assumed it was Lupin. He was angry at him for it... and grateful at the same time.

When he was allowed to come to a stop a couple of meters from the bed he felt inexplicably frightened. How would this woman react to him? He wouldn't blame her if she attacked him. He wasn't even sure he'd stop her if she did. The grief and guilt welled up inside him, choking him up.

Narcissa came up beside him, lowering her hood. "We're sorry to intrude on you... Albus Dumbledore has been to see us with your request. I am Narcissa Black, and this is..."

"_His_ son. Kind of hard to miss." The woman said, breaking in with a mix of fear and anger in her voice. "Did you bring the papers?"

Draco didn't miss the way she was studiously not turning her body towards him, trying to shield her son from seeing him.

"We were hoping to talk to you about that actually..." Narcissa said gently.

The woman glanced over at her, but then her eyes went back to him, watching him warily as if expecting him to turn into Lucius and come after her at any moment. "What is there to talk about?" She asked guardedly.

Narcissa looked at Draco for a moment. Even she appeared to be at a loss for how to word the request. "We were hoping... maybe you would consider..."

"Don't you dare!" She hissed before Narcissa could even finish the request. "Don't you dare suggest what that old man did! If you even insinuate I should carry this little abomination in my womb for nine months I swear I'll kill you where you stand!" She said, tears of anger blurring her eyes. "I'm purging it from my body before the sun sets, whether you sign the papers or not. That bastard has already torn our lives apart. I'll not give birth to another one just like him!"

"It won't be just like him!" Draco said suddenly, the words feeling like they were tearing their way out of him. "_I'm_ not like him. I'll _never_ be like him! That baby can't change who fathered it any more than I can!"

"Do you think this is easy for me?" She yelled back, her olive cheeks darkening with anger, "What do you expect me to do? 'Come to my senses' and carry the little bastard? Carry a child that is not my husband's for nine months, my swollen belly a constant reminder of what happened? Having to feel it moving inside me and have my children believing that they will have a new little sister or brother? Then when it's born what? I'm certainly not going to raise it! So I suppose you'd have me hand it over to you and then wipe the memories of my pregnancy from my children's minds? Nine months gone from their lives! Nine months of a child's life at this age? They are just starting to develop into the people they will become! I will NOT do that to my children! He's already destroyed my son's future. I won't let him do the same to my daughters!"

Draco could feel warm, wet trails making their way down his cheeks. He hadn't considered what it would mean to her other children. His eyes dropped, and then his heart wrenched in his chest. The boy was peering at him with wide brown eyes full of naked fear. There were tears in his eyes and he was clinging to his mother and trembling, obviously terrified. Draco couldn't quite seem to force air into his lungs. He fumbled in his vest pocket, pulling out the slightly crumpled papers. Without another word he tossed them on the bed, then turned and fled from the room.

Ginny slipped around Lupin and hurried after him, but by the time she got to the hallway he was nowhere in sight. They were at the very end of the hallway, so there was really only one direction he could have gone. She doubted he had gotten far. Snape and Harry were in the waiting room half way down the corridor and she knew Snape wouldn't have let him pass by without stopping him. She started working her way meticulously down the corridor, opening each door in turn.

> > > > >

Draco whipped a wooden chair against the wall, grabbing up the bedside table before the chair even hit, shattering into a dozen pieces. He threw the table after it to similar effect. He ripped the sheets off the bed, then heaved it over on its side. He looked around, but the room was a single and had nothing left for him to throw or break. He let out a growl of fury and hammered him fist against the cold stone wall. Pain lanced through his hand and shot up his forearm. The pain drown out the agony in his heart for a moment, so he did it again, hitting the wall harder. He knew he was doing damage as he pounded against the cold, unyielding stone, but he didn't care. He slammed himself against the wall as hard as he could, then sank slowly down it, crumpling to the floor and sobbing as the physical and mental pain overwhelmed him.

**_Why are you doing this?_**

It had been so long since Darien had actually _spoken_ to him that the soft voice in his mind almost startled him. They had been so close, their thoughts so apparent to eachother that there just hadn't been any need for words. Draco found he couldn't answer.

**_Hurting yourself isn't going to help the baby... or that little boy._**

Draco's eyes stung fiercely. "Did you see the look in his eyes? It was as if _I_ was the one who did those awful things to him. He was afraid of me, Darien. I _terrified_ him."

**_Like it or not, you do look a lot like your father. Simple physical attributes you were born with are beyond your control, Draco. I looked like him and I was born a century before him. That boy would probably fear anyone who bore even a passing resemblance at this point, whether they were related to Lucius or not._**

"But I don't just bear a resemblance. I'm his son! That boy has every right to hate me!"

****

Ok then, what about our child? The one growing in Ginny's belly?

Draco blinked back the tears. "What about it?"

****

What if it turns out to be a boy? What if it ends up looking just like us? Should he be forced to bear the burden of guilt left by his grandfather as well?

The thought was more painful than Draco could bear.

**_You can't possibly make up for what your father has done to these people and so many more just like them... all you can do is try to make things better any way you can... to do your best to redeem our name, for the sake of our children. Stop spending all your time hating yourself and punishing yourself for what is beyond your control, and start doing something about it. You must be determined, yet realistic. You must show everyone that being a Malfoy doesn't necessarily mean you were born evil. It's not going to be easy, but changing minds never is._**

He let that sink in for a moment, then went on softly, **_You know why you feel strangely connected to the demon? It's not the binding spell. You can identify with it. You know what it's like to be automatically looked upon with fear and hatred through no fault of your own. Attitudes don't change on their own, Draco. They need to be given reason to change. _**

Draco lay there, panting for breath, his mind reeling. How could he possibly prove to anyone that 'Malfoy' didn't automatically mean evil? Especially while his father was still out there trying to prove him wrong? Well, if he could get rid of his father he might have a chance... If only he could get ahold of him and rip the bastard's throat out! He imagined his father sneering at him, then imagined plunging a dagger into his father's chest repeatedly, wiping the arrogant look off of his face. The thought was _very_ appealing...

**_That would be a big step in the right direction..._** Darien said, a bit of amusement creeping into his mental voice, **_But until that happy day, you will have to work on it in smaller ways. Like try cutting out the tantrums. You really must find a nicer, more constructive way of venting your frustrations. And if you think you're going to talk me into taking over while we regrow more bones just because you had a fit, you're mental._**

Draco actually let out a little laugh, then sighed, laying there as the pain of his body came into sharper focus, trying to tally up the damage. After a moment he realized he just didn't care. He felt tears sliding down the sides of his face, but for once didn't stop them. He felt like something had been coiled deep inside him, all the shame and self loathing he'd felt winding tighter and tighter for years. He closed his eyes and released it.

> > > > >

Ginny was starting to get worried. She'd made it almost down to the little waiting room where Snape and Harry were and still no Draco. She opened another door. Empty. _All_ the rooms had been empty. She had thought it a bit odd until she realized they were probably trying to keep the family isolated to avoid traumatizing them further. She was sure Rita Skeeter and her bloody photographer would have loved to worm their way in to snap some heart rending photos and plaster the Malfoy name all over the paper once again.

She looked over, hearing footsteps. Blaise was coming down the corridor towards her, looking at her curiously. "What's up?" He asked as he approached.

"It's Draco... he ran off. He's really upset." Ginny said worriedly.

Blaise let his eyes go opalescent as he looked around. His breath caught in his throat. He spotted Draco a couple of rooms down... but that wasn't all he saw. Everywhere around him there were souls... they were just here and there, drifting around aimlessly. He didn't know how he knew, but he somehow _'felt'_ that most of them were older... had probably been drifting around the hospital for years... decades even. Now that he thought about it, he should have realized that hospitals would be full of old souls and spirits. How many people had died here? The souls should have either become ghosts or passed on to the next plane... but apparently not all souls went one way or the other. One that had been drifting past him shifted course as he watched, its direction now obviously directly towards him. With a rush he realized that this was probably not a wise place for him to be right now...

He shuddered as something cool hit his back and sank in. The fierce, burning sensation inside him sprang into being again, though he at least didn't lose consciousness this time. The soul that had been drifting towards him suddenly sped up, disappearing into his chest. He tried to calm himself as he saw several more of the souls starting to drift towards him. He changed his eyes back to normal, though it took a bit more effort than usual this time. He was hoping it was the wraith sight that was drawing them to him and now they would stop. The burning within him was still there, but it at least seemed slightly subdued now. He hoped it would go away like it had the last time.

"Blaise?" Ginny asked worriedly.

He tried to shake off his discomfort, realizing he'd been just standing there in silence for a moment. "He looked to be in that room." He said, pointing to a door on the left side of the corridor and trying to sound as normal as possible.

She hurried to the door. He followed her, trying not to gasp as he felt flashes of coolness hit him and sink in several times. So much for the sight theory.

When Ginny opened the door she sighed in dismay. The room was a shambles. She picked her way through the smashed and upturned furniture, following the sound of soft sobs over to the corner. She came to a stop as she caught sight of him. Draco was laying sprawled out on the floor. He was just laying there crying. She was one of the few people who had seen him cry before, but she didn't recall ever seeing him like this. He just lay there limply, though he was still obviously conscious, his body holding none of its usual tension. His glasses were laying a couple of feet away, bent and broken.

"Draco...?" She said tentatively.

He opened his eyes and looked up at her, but didn't say a word. He didn't even try to stop his tears.

She hurried over, kneeling beside him and taking him into her arms. He shifted his head to rest against her shoulder and closed his eyes, tears still falling from them.

"Draco..." Blaise sighed sadly, crouching down beside him. "What've you done to yourself now?"

"It's nothing... doesn't matter." Draco muttered against Ginny.

"Nothing? Right." Blaise said disbelievingly. Ginny followed his gaze up to the wall. There were definitely smudges of blood on it. She looked down at Draco in alarm.

"I'm fine. Just leave me be." Draco said softly.

Blaise took a deep breath and sighed it out, then looked over at Ginny. "See that rope pull over where the bed used to be?" He asked, indicating the bright blue rope dangling from the ceiling. She nodded, spotting it. "That's to call the healers. Pull it repeatedly if it's an emergency."

Draco sighed. "It's not bad. I'll be fine."

"I wasn't telling her for _your_ sake." Blaise said, settling down next to him.

Draco pulled his head away from Ginny, looking over at Blaise searchingly.

Blaise took another deep breath, obviously steeling himself. "Listen... what happened last night... with me and your mum... it... it's going to have pretty _lasting_ repercussions..."

Draco's eyes widened. "What's wrong with her?" he asked in alarm.

Blaise held up his hand. "No... no... it's not something _bad_... well... at least I'm hoping you'll agree with that assessment in the end..."

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked, baffled.

Blaise shifted uneasily. "No matter what happens in there with that woman... no matter what she decides..." He looked like he was searching for a way to word it, finally he gave up in frustration, "Well you're going to have a sibling in about nine months either way." He said quickly, then looked like he was bracing himself for an attack.

Draco stared at him wide eyed as what he was saying started clicking in his mind. "You knocked up my mum?" He asked incredulously.

Blaise dropped his eyes, "I'm sorry... I was _wicked_ drunk..."

Draco just stared at him in stunned silence for a moment.

"You were too smashed to even cast a contraceptive spell?" Ginny asked, just as shocked as Draco.

Blaise shifted even more uneasily. "I... I _did_ think about it actually... I could have... I just... _didn't_." He said softly, studiously avoiding Draco's gaze.

"Why not?" Draco asked softly.

Blaise let out a pained sigh. "I was really _really_ blitzed... and... I can't stand seeing you in pain..." He finished so softly they could barely make out the words.

Draco blinked, shocked. "You... you got her pregnant on _purpose?_ Just because I wanted a sibling?"

"It made sense at the time..." Blaise said softly, staring at his hands. "I didn't even remember until I looked at her this morning and saw it... I had just told her about the baby when you came up to us..."

"Why didn't you tell me then?" Draco asked, his mind still boggling.

"Thought it might be best to wait until medical personnel were nearby..." Blaise said with a little flash of a grin that quickly faded. "You can go ahead and hurt me now. I know I deserve it. I won't fight back." He said with soft resignation.

Draco shifted himself up. Blaise closed his eyes, bracing himself, then let out a little gasp as Draco wrapped his arms around him, settling against him. The pulling sensation he felt at Draco's touch was even stronger than it had been before. He found his arms slipping around him as he struggled to understand it.

"You silly prat..." Draco breathed, holding onto him, though it made the pain in his arms scream fiercely, "How could I be mad at you? Whether you were in your right mind or not... you thought you were doing it for me... of course if my mum wants to kick your arse, I'm afraid I'm going to have to let her..." He said, smirking against Blaise's shoulder.

Blaise breathed a sigh of relief. He stroked his hand down Draco's back, then felt a curious sensation. It felt like the whatever it was nestled within his was trying to reach out towards Draco. He could feel it trickling down his arms, encircling Draco.

"Whoa..." Draco said, pulling away, his eyes slightly unfocused.

"Draco? What's the matter?" Ginny asked in concern, taking ahold of him.

"Just... feeling a bit dizzy..." He said faintly.

Blaise quickly pulled his arms away from Draco and backed off, though it took an immense amount of willpower. Ginny quickly helped Draco lay back down on the floor. She let out a little sound of dismay as she spotted a trickle of blood down the back of his neck. She checked and found the source. It was obvious his head had hit the wall, leaving a small gash and a bump that was already starting to swell angrily on the back of his head.

"Um... I guess maybe you should pull that cord after all..." Draco said with a little smirk.

Ginny nodded, quickly getting up.

Draco shifted his eyes back over to Blaise. "Is it going to be ok? I mean what with... whatever that is in your blood?"

Blaise nodded. "Becka says it should be fine... but since it was actually conceived while saturated with the substance, she thinks your mum is going to need to be re-dosed with it on a regular basis until it's born... so she'll be strong enough to carry it."

"Now you're expecting permission to shag her on a regular basis?" Draco asked with amusement.

Blaise smiled, but shook his head, "No. As fun as that might be, it shouldn't be necessary. It can be taken orally."

Draco's eyes shot wide, making Blaise laugh hard. When he calmed down a bit, he grinned at Draco. "I mean like a _extract_. Your mind... honestly..." He said in mock reproach, shaking his head. He pulled up his sleeve, showing Draco a little spot of light bruising in the crook of his elbow. "Becka took about a pint of blood. She's extracting the essence as we speak. She figures that much alone should be enough for about a year's worth of weekly doses. She shouldn't need to take it that long, but Becka figured it would be best to make extra in case she needs to increase the dosage later. Hard to believe there's that much of that stuff floating around in my veins... Apparently it's _very_ concentrated..."

Blaise lifted his eyes from his arm, looking at Draco once again. The burning inside him was filling him with an insistent urge to touch Draco. He quickly decided it was time to get some distance between them. "I'd best go check on Harry again." He mumbled, quickly getting up and leaving.

> > > > >

Narcissa stood there, watching the woman as she comforted her son. It took a good ten minutes or so before his trembling subsided. She watched him as he lay curled up in his mother's lap, sucking his thumb and staring at nothing. It tore her up inside to see the obvious mental damage Lucius had done to this child, and she knew it would probably be best if she just left... but she couldn't seem to make herself.

After a time, the woman looked up at her again, looking her over appraisingly.

"Draco... he's a good boy..." Narcissa found herself saying softly. She knew there was no way the baby this woman held was going to live, but she felt the need to explain to her... to make her understand Draco's desire. She couldn't stand the thought of leaving here with this woman hating Draco and believing him to be just like his father.

"Any mother would say as much." The woman said dismissingly, stroking her son's hair.

"I wouldn't. Not if he were anything like his father." Narcissa replied firmly.

"Well it's a bit hard for me to take your word on that. You obviously didn't think his father was all that bad either. You married him, didn't you?" she asked pointedly.

Narcissa dropped her eyes in shame. "That wasn't my choice. I was bought and paid for by his father when we were still children. I never loved that man. I don't think anyone really could. He is a loathsome, vile creature who taught me the meaning of evil. Ever since Draco was born I've lived with the fear that he would turn out like his father... but he's proven to me that he isn't. Despite what his father has put him through all his life, Draco has managed to resist his influence and rise above it. He has even openly defied his father, though he knows full well it could get him killed. I couldn't imagine anyone ever being prouder of their son than I am..."

"And just how did he 'openly defy' him?" The woman asked dubiously.

"His father arranged his marriage just as my father arranged my own... Draco defied his father's wishes and chose instead to marry the woman he loves. The young woman who came in with us in fact. They were married just yesterday."

"Wasn't she that Weasley girl from the paper?"

Narcissa sighed. So she had seen the article. It certainly helped explain some of the hostility. "That wretched Skeeter woman spouts nothing but lies. He has never cast the Imperious curse on anyone in his entire life. He and Ginevra _love eachother_. The ceremony they used was a unicorn horn life bonding ritual. You can't make one of those work using the Imperious curse! Besides, his father despises the Weasleys above any other bloodline. There's no way Draco would blatantly risk his life by marrying her if he wasn't completely in love with her. He knows full well what his father is capable of when angered. Growing up, he spent a fair bit of his childhood right here in this very hospital. He's lived with so much pain and torment for so long... I'm just glad he has finally found something that brings such joy into his life. He deserves it after what he's been through."

Narcissa felt Lupin's gentle hands take ahold of her, guiding her into a chair. She hadn't even realized he had remained. She sat, but couldn't bring herself to look at him. She tried to calm the trembling in her hands she hadn't even noticed before.

The woman looked away sadly. "I can't bear this child..." She said softly, "Even if it weren't for the children... my husband... when he is recovered enough I'm going to have them wipe his memory as well... he's a good man with a gentle heart... he wouldn't be able to bear the memory of what happened to us. How could I possibly explain the fact that I was carrying another man's child? What would he do when he found out it wasn't his? You've been married, you must understand... What would your husband have done?"

Narcissa stared studiously at her trembling hands. "He would beat me until I miscarried, then toss me down some stairs so when someone eventually found me they would assume I fell." She said softly.

The woman looked over at her, her eyes going wide. There was just something in Narcissa's voice... something in the way she was sospecific that told her this was more than mere speculation.

"How many times have you been pregnant?" Gray Feather asked softly.

It took Narcissa a few minutes before she could make herself answer. "Five." She finally managed to whisper. She wiped angrily at a tear that escaped her, taking a deep breath and going on in a louder voice that held an edge of anger. "The second and third were his... but they were girls. He wanted a boy to carry on the family name. He had no use for girls, so he slipped me a potion to get rid of them. I started using contraceptive charms so I wouldn't have to go through that again, but he found out. He locked me in my room, wandless, and had his way with me a couple of times a day until Draco was conceived. It took several weeks, but he got his heir. After I had Draco, he informed me he wanted more children. More _boys_. I couldn't bear the thought of losing any more daughters to him, so I refused. I threaten to kill myself in a very public and socially embarrassing way if he tried to get me pregnant again. He didn't take me seriously until I very nearly succeeded at following through with the threat the next time he had his way with me. After that he compromised, starting to wear the contraceptive ring his father had given to him when he went off to school. I still had to put up with his... 'affections', but at least I didn't have to face another lost child. Eventually I learned to just lay there when he came to me. He can't even maintain his 'interest' if I didn't struggle and scream. He gave up on me and largely left me alone after that."

Silence reigned in the room for a few minutes before Gray Feather spoke. "That was only four..." She said softly, watching her face intently.

Narcissa bit her lip, her hand straying unconsciously to her belly. "The fifth..." She said softly, "Is... not his... if he finds out, my death will be as painful and drawn out as possible. He promised me as much after the first time."

Gray Feather's eyes glanced between her and Lupin, who had been standing there silently. "Is it his?" She asked curiously.

Narcissa quickly shook her head. "Not this time." She said softly.

There was a knock on the door and then it opened. Blaise walked in, then held the door open as a couple of men floated a gurney in through the door. As they moved it over to the free bed Blaise walked over. "Healer Tirova said it went well. He'll be in in a moment to talk to you." He said gently to Gray Feather.

She nodded quickly, trying to crane around to see how her husband looked, but they were still shifting him over onto the bed.

"Why don't I take the boy out to the waiting room?" Blaise offered gently, his eyes on the boy. He crouched down to get in his line of sight. "Hello, little man." He said softly. The boy's eyes shifted slightly, focusing on him. "Why don't we go see if they have any chocolate around here?" He asked softly, holding out his hand.

"Oh... he won't..." She started, but then trailed off, stunned as her son reached out, tentatively touching Blaise's hand.

Blaise smiled and rose. He reached over and gently picked Tobias up. The boy wrapped himself around Blaise, leaning his head against his shoulder and staring at his face fixedly. "We'll be right down the hall." Blaise said softly.

Gray Feather just nodded silently. Her son hadn't voluntarily left her side since they got there, let alone let anyone else touch him without screaming. She was distracted from her thoughts as Cullis Tirova walked in. She hurried over to talk to him.

Narcissa rose and started for the door, but Lupin moved in front of her, stopping her. She looked up into his eyes fearfully.

"'This time'?" He asked gently.

She dropped her eyes as tears started trickling from them.

"It _was_ mine then... the first one..." He said achingly. Her lack of reply was answer enough. He sighed, "Is that why you hit me?"

"I was saving your bloody life!" She said, looking up at him angrily, "Didn't you even have the sense to try to talk to me in private, or at least look around before approaching me? There were at least six Slytherins in that courtyard that would have just loved to tell Lucius who was manhandling me!" Her eyes dropped again, "I didn't find out about... _that_ until a couple of weeks later. The night you found me, he had decided it was time to 'lay claim' to me... I only escaped because a teacher heard me screaming and came to investigate. Couple weeks later he slipped into my room and cast a silencing spell so he wouldn't be disturbed. He was... a bit upset to find he wasn't my first, as you can imagine. He cast a spell on me and found I was pregnant. He called me a whore and had his way with me a couple times, then went and got some of his friends and let them have a turn before 'taking care of the problem'. He didn't realize until it was too late that he could have discovered who had been with me using a Lineage spell, otherwise you would probably have had a little 'accident'. When I finally got out of the Hospital wing he told me he trusted I'd had enough fun shagging other men, and that if he ever found out about me so much as _kissing_ another man again he'd kill us both."

Lupin slipped his arms around her, pulling her close. She drew a shuddering breath, leaning her head against him as tears kept flowing down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry..." She whispered.

He let out a little breath. "Stop... there's nothing for you to be sorry about. It wasn't your fault."

"Why didn't you just bite me?" She sobbed, pressing her face to him. "I prayed you would bite me... then he wouldn't have wanted me... I would have made a good werewolf... a good mate..."

He was struck speechless by her words. He just held her tighter, tears trickling from his own eyes. What he would have given to have her as his wife... his mate. And they would have had a child that would have been almost full grown by now... maybe even more... a whole family... He wouldn't wish his curse on anyone else, but the thought of having someone like him was wretchedly enticing. Still... to inflict it on their children would have been unconscionable... but then they could always...

He blinked his eyes open, his mind reeling. He shifted back a bit and she looked up at him, her tearstained eyes searching his facequestioningly. Lupin gave her a little smile, then leaned closer, capturing her lips in a tender kiss. She melted against him, eagerly deepening the kiss. When he finally broke away, he gave her a soft smile. "Lucius can go straight to Hell for all I care." He said gently, then gave her another kiss that left her a bit weak in the knees. As he looked into her eyes again, his expression had sobered a bit, though a faint smile remained. "Just how badly do you want that woman's baby to live...?" He asked softly.

> > > > >

Blaise sat on a small couch in the waiting room, stroking the Tobias' hair. The boy was just laying there against him, holding onto him as if afraid to let go. His chocolate bar lay untouched on the table beside them. Blaise sighed. He could feel that strange, unexplainable pulling in him at the boy's touch, but couldn't bring himself to pull away. Snape had gone to check on Draco, so it was just the two of them and Harry. It was wretchedly silent.

"You feel it, don't you?"

Blaise jumped slightly at the unexpected question, looking over at Harry. He had been sitting quietly in his chair, his head slumped to the side and giving no indication of consciousness. "Um... what?" Blaise asked, startled.

Harry lifted his head slightly and peered at him from the depths of the hood, his eyes glowing softly. "He calls to you, doesn't he? The boy..."

Blaise's eyes darted down to the child at his side. The boy was giving no indication of hearing their conversation, or even that he knew there was anyone there other than the two of them. "What do you mean?" Blaise asked carefully.

Pax moved his arm over weakly and touched him. Blaise felt that lurching pull and jerked his arm out of his reach. Pax chuckled softly. "Still going to deny it?" He asked weakly.

"What is it?" Blaise asked, starting to feel frightened by the way the light touch had made the sensation inside him flare to full life once again. He felt cool tingles periodically, and he knew it was still more souls being drawn into him, but he was getting used to it. In a strange way, he could feel them settling neatly away inside him as if they had found their place... as if he were merely storing them away.

"Would you like to understand? I could show you, but once shown I can't take it back..."

"What are you talking about?" Blaise asked warily.

Pax shifted closer gingerly. "I believe we can work a trade, you and I..." He said softly, a slow smile spreading across his face.

> > > > > > > > > > >

>**NOTE** > they are still looking for judges for the Draco Ginny awards! They extended the deadline for more submissions and judges. You people obviously read Draco Ginny stuff, so do some of you have the time to try your hand at judging? I'm not trying to get an edge, because I hope you will be impartial and judge all the works equally if you do sign up, but I'd really like to see the judge's panel filled up properly. Besides, you get to read stuff that other people have felt was good enough to be nominated at the very least, so you may well find some really cool stories there. The website is awards at magicaltheory dot com

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A/N - Oh come on... you didn't really think I hadn't thought of condoms, _did you?_ I had intended to get the whole trip to the hospital in one chapter, but it's running a bit long, so I'll have to finish up in the next chapter. In case you're wondering why Ginny didn't hear Draco wrecking the place, I imagine they have silencing spells on the rooms so the patients aren't disturbed. Just couldn't find a way to work that explanation into the chapter that sounded right. Perhaps later (shrugs).

I can't believe some of you actually thought I would end it like that (The massacre in the last chapter). I may be a bit sadistic, but to just slaughter all of the characters like that? Ok, well I may have suggested that might happened if y'all kept pissing me off, but come on... I mean for one thing I'd probably have people hunting me down and forcing me to 'put it right' at gunpoint or something... I mean I'm not stupid. I DID watch "Misery" (shudders). No trips to remote, God forsaken cabins with psychotic fans for me, thanks.

Fiby - apparently unlike some, I look at previous reviews given by a reviewer and take them into consideration when responding. If you look at your previous reviews for my story (mainly for chapters 55&56) you would know _exactly_ what I was talking about. When you give me a review with a definite "this chapter sucked, get it right the next time" vibe, it's going to irritate me. If you want to get all insulted when I politely ask you to cut it out, then feel free to, I certainly am. I ask for reviews yes, but ones that actually help me better my story, not ones that belittle one of my chapters without even giving any solid reason why it wasn't any good in their opinion. Oh, and I'm really lucky you're still reading this? By all means feel free to stop. I'm not forcing you, or even ASKING you to. I am providing free entertainment and owe no one a damn thing just because they partook in that entertainment. I mean even in your 'good' reviews I still got lines like "So make it snappy ok?" and "you might want to put more action in it cause it's getting kindda slow". It just gets to me after a while. If all you're going to do is slight my work or tell me I'm doing it wrong then I can really live without hearing it.


	66. Chapter 66

A/N - Truly sorry for the repost, but I changed a name while editing and just realized I missed updating a paragraph and I just know I'll get twenty "Who the heck are they talking about?" Reviews otherwise. The revisions are pretty minor. Also making sure this is showing up properly for everyone because I couldn't bring up the chapter on a different machine earlier.

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Chapter 66

The very weather itself seemed to have picked up on the tense and worried emotions that filled the hearts and minds of the gathered guests. It had become overcast almost to the point of being dark though it was still midday, snow falling like a blanket. Dumbledore and Kingsley had been called away on other business, but the others had all remained. They sat around one of the larger rooms in silence for the most part, no one wanting to even speculate at what might be happening at the hospital.

Kulia had been getting noticeably anxious. The twins tried to comfort her, but she barely seemed to notice them. Finally, she sighed in frustration, rising suddenly and starting to pace.

"Kulia..." Fred said softly, rising and trying to get her to stop pacing.

"It'll be ok..." George said, rising as well.

"They've barely been gone an hour..."

"We can't expect to have heard from them yet..."

She just shrugged off their hands, continuing pacing, looking progressively more aggravated. "I know!" She snapped. She paced faster, "I just... I feel..." She shook her head, wringing her hands, not sure what to say.

Suddenly she gasped and collapsed. George was closer but was only barely able to catch her before she hit. He eased her to the floor as she jerked in his grasp, letting out a strangled cry. Fred dropped down at her other side. They watched helplessly as she thrashed, her pupils shot so wide they looked like round black pools with thin rims of periwinkle. Then the tension flowed out of her as quickly as it had arrived and she let out a cry of anguish.

"Kulia!" Fred said, trying desperately to figure out what might be wrong with her.

George scooped her up gently, holding her as she started sobbing. "What's the matter?"

"My little one..." She sobbed.

"Is something wrong with the babies?" Fred asked in alarm.

She shook her head, still looking a bit disoriented, though her pupils were slowly returning to their usual slitted shape. "My little one calls to me... she's dying..."

"One of your gargoyles?" Charlie asked, having heard her use that term while he was caring for them.

She closed her eyes and nodded.

"Where are they?" He asked, looking up questioningly at the others who had all crowded around.

"Haven't seen 'em since the weddin." Hagrid said from the back. The others looked at eachother, nodding. No one had seen them since then.

"I sent them to your brother... to Percy... he was in danger..." She said weakly.

The Weasleys all stiffened at this. Molly clapped her hands over her mouth, then spun and hurried over to one of the house elves. It listened to her, gave a curt nod and dashed out of the room.

"What kind of danger?" Fred asked quickly.

"He wrote those articles. He knew he was marked, so he refused to stay here... he didn't want to put you all in danger..." She said, struggling to rise. The twins helped her to her feet. "Draco was worried about him... he asked me to send them to watch over him..."

"And one is hurt? What happened?" Arthur asked quickly.

Kulia shook her head, wiping at the tears. "She was confused, disoriented... I only got a glimpse..." She swallowed, her eyes tearing up again, "I just saw hooded figures and flashes of light... I don't know any more than that... I'm sorry..." She said, then turned as there was the sound of a sudden impact on the door. They all looked over, seeing the tips of talons protruding from the solid wood of the door. The door was yanked open, followed by the sound of splintering wood as the talons were wrenched free. The Thestral Stallion charged into the room, coming up and stopping beside Kulia.

She reached up, stroking her hand down his muzzle. "You heard her too..." She said softly.

The house elf Molly had sent off was already returning, carrying a box. Molly grabbed it from the panting elf's hands and placed it on the table, "I brought this so I could add Draco..." She said, opening it. Inside rested her clock from the Burrow. She let out an anguished cry, seeing the hand containing Percy's picture resting squarely on 'Mortal Peril'.

The Stallion shifted around so his side was facing Kulia, then lifting his wings away from his body slightly. "Thank you!" She said gratefully, springing up on the Stallion's back.

"Where do you think you're going?" Fred demanded.

She looked back at him, "I'm getting my bloody gargoyle!" She said stubbornly as the Stallion wheeled around and started for the door.

"Not without us you don't!" George said as they started after her. They both pulled out their wands and summoned their brooms. Arthur hurried out after them. He looked his sons over as they caught their brooms and mounted them.

"Bring him back, boys." He said softly.

They nodded, "We'll do our best." Fred said, then they zipped away after Kulia.

> > > > > > > > > > >

The Stallion flew straight for the heart of London, but they had no fear of being spotted by Muggles. The storm had intensified and they could barely even see eachother, though they were flying in close formation, let alone where they were going. They had given up trying within a quarter mile, using their wands to magically link their brooms to the Thestral. As soon as Stallion felt the magical links fall into place he sped up. They had been going at full speed on their brooms, which was dizzyingly fast, but the Stallion had obviously been holding back quite a bit so they could keep up. The twins could do no more than hold on and pray the Stallion could at least see where they were going as they raced through the sky with supernatural speed.

By the time it finally slowed and started its descent they were all but frozen to their brooms. They had given up on trying to see and pulled their hoods all the way down over their heads and wrapped their sleeves around their hands within moments of leaving the grounds, but the robes they were wearing weren't their heavy winter ones. Never had they been so thankful for their mother's sweaters.

The Stallion set down and folded its tired wings. This was not a normal time for him to even be awake, let alone out flying great distances at full speed. He looked pointedly into a narrow alleyway a couple of yards before him. Kulia slipped off his back, patting his neck and starting forward. The alley was a bit narrow for the large Thestral and would likely damage his leathery wings should he try to slip through it.

The twins dismounted and left their brooms beside the Stallion, pulling off their frozen hoods and taking out their wands as they spotted the pock marks and other obvious signs of recent damage in the stonework around the alley. Their clothes were stiff and caked with snow, but Kulia (perhaps unsurprisingly) barely had a flake on her. The snowflakes drifted down on her, but then slid on past with the wind, not settling. She slipped her hood up. They were in Muggle territory and her brilliant white hair and pointed ears were hardly inconspicuous.

They followed the signs of battle down the alley, the eerie silence around them unnerving. At least the visibility was a bit better, despite the added darkness. The alley was so narrow few snowflakes even found their way into it, leaving no more that a dusting of snow on the ground though it was several inches deep everywhere else.

Kulia drew up against the wall as they neared a corner, then hazarded a glance. She tensed as she peered down the new passage. It widened quite a bit towards the end where it branched off into a number of other passages... and she could see her gargoyle...

It lay there lifelessly, the alley around it showing signs of a pitched battle, the sparse snow scuffed up by many feet and spattered with a great deal of blood. There were a number of black shrouded bodies laying sprawled around... and two still upright. One was obviously a man, facing away from them and crouched over the gargoyle's body. The other was smaller, almost petite looking despite the cloak it bore. It was crouched on the other side, but didn't seem to have caught sight of them yet.

Kulia approached angrily, intent on the figures before her. Fred and George followed after her worriedly, searching the bodies with their eyes for telltale signs of red hair. Suddenly they let out a cry as two of the 'bodies' they had just passed sprang up and grabbed ahold of them in one fluid movement. Kulia spun and found them each in the grasp of a shrouded figure, knives gleaming in the muted light as they pressed against their throats. She spun back to find the other figure standing mere inches before her. She raised her hands to cast, but he seized her wrists. He shifted his head back a bit and she saw under the hood.

"I knew you would come..." He said with a soft smile.

Kulia's struggling ceased immediately. "Balthys?" She asked in a soft, incredulous voice.

He grinned.

She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. He made a little motion with his hand as he slipped his arms around her, and the two holding the twins released them. Fred and George quickly moved away from their former captors, trying to figure out what was going on.

"By the Gods..." Kulia murmured, still holding onto the man before her. "I thought you were long gone."

"No... just a bit out of touch. I know I've been terrible... I've known where you were all these years but I didn't even so much as write... please forgive me..."

She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "Of course I forgive you... I'm just so glad to see you..."

He looked over at the Gargoyle. "She's badly wounded, but I think she'll make it if we can get her someplace safe and take care of her properly."

Kulia seemed to come to her senses, releasing him and hurrying over to crouch beside her gargoyle.

"I heard her call for help while we were on the outskirts of London. I'm sorry we didn't get here sooner."

"Did you see what happened?" She asked, looking up at him worriedly.

He gave a slight nod, "The tail end of it. The battle was almost over by the time we arrived. I'm afraid one of their charges was taken. Two men in black cloaks were able to Apparate away with them before we could intervene. The other gargoyle managed to get away with his charge, but by the time we finished off the remaining men they were gone without a trace."

"_His_ charge? There were two?" Kulia asked, looking up at him in surprise.

He nodded. "Didn't get a very good look before he carried his away, but the way he was fighting the men off it was obvious that whomever it was was under his protection."

"But I just asked them to watch Percy. Who else would have been with him?" Kulia asked, puzzled.

"Penelope..." Fred said softly.

Kulia looked over at him in surprise.

"Percy's wife." George explained.

Kulia nodded thoughtfully, "That would make sense. They would guard the immediate family of the charge as well if they were near." She quickly cast a few more healing and stabilizing spells on the gargoyle, then rose. "We should get her back where it's safe... I cannot thank you enough for helping her... She's truly fortunate you were in the area... What are you doing here anyway?"

He chuckled softly, "How could I _not_ be here? How often does one of our kind have twins?"

'Our kind'? Fred and George looked at eachother, then looked back at the two who stood there silently. The taller one lifted its head up a bit and smirked at them. The eyes peering at them from under the hood were a brilliant green... and slitted.

Kulia's eyes went wide. "How did you know?"

"I felt it of course. We all felt it..."

"All?" She looked down in surprise as the smallest figure wrapped its arms around her waist. The little figure lifted its head and the hood slipped back. There was a little elf no older than seven smiling up at her with bright green eyes. "Is this...?" Kulia asked faintly.

"Brought the whole lot. Couldn't rightly leave them behind, now could I? This is Celestial, and those two are Carys and Forester." He shifted closer, "Their mother named them." He murmured with a smirk.

Kulia turned her head, her eyes darting back to the other two figures. They took their hoods down and walked over to her. "Hey aunt Kulia..." The taller one said with a grin.

Fred and George looked at eachother and smirked in relief. For a moment there they were afraid she'd found some long lost lover. The younger elves were just as beautiful as Kulia was. From the names, they assumed the youngest was a girl, and of the other two, the taller appeared to be the other girl. They both looked to be in their teens, only the figure of the slightly shorter one giving any indication of gender. He obviously took after his father, who's broad shoulders and somewhat less delicate (yet still stunningly handsome) facial features left no doubt to his masculinity. The two teens didn't have quite as brightly white hair as Kulia, but it was hard to tell for sure in the muted lighting.

Balthys turned back to the wounded Gargoyle, and with a wave of his hand levitated it. He let out a little whistle and something suddenly dropped heavily from the rooftop above, landing in a crouch. It took them a moment to realize it was another Gargoyle, though not one of Kulia's. This one was nearly twice as big, and gave the impression of being much older, though it's fur was still jet black. It rose and sauntered over to Balthys, keeping its eyes on Fred and George as it did, then turned as it reached its master and they saw that it had black leather packs strapped to its back. Balthys pulled out a large blanket, then tossed it into the air. It settled, wrapping gingerly around the floating Gargoyle until it was well covered.

Fred looked over as George elbowed him, then followed his gaze. Five more Gargoyles sat perched on the rooftops around the alley, peering down at them silently.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Draco made his way back down the corridor alone. They had been ready to give Ginny her pregnancy test by the time they were done patching him up, and he'd asked Snape to stay with her. He hadn't wanted to leave her alone, but he just couldn't handle not knowing what had happened after he left. It was already past the time she had scheduled her abortion for, and he knew there was no way he could reasonably expect that his mother had miraculously talked the woman into not going through with it, but there was an irritatingly irrational, yet persistent spark of hope in his heart that wouldn't seem to go away. He held his right arm protectively to him, the forearm wrapped almost painfully tight as the Skelegrow did its job. It hurt like Hell of course, but he barely noticed it. At least only one of the seven bones he had broken had been bad enough to warrant regrowing. He'd given himself a concussion as well... they had been able to fix it mostly, but there was still some residual swelling. They had given him a little soft pad that felt like it was made of gelatin and had been spelled to remain cold to put on the swelling. It just dangled uselessly from his hand.

He made his steps as soft as possible and darted quickly past the waiting room. He didn't really feel like having Blaise come out and try to comfort him right now. He was just a couple of doors from the room when the door opened. Several Healer's assistants he'd seen before came out into the hall and started walking towards him. He reached out and stopped one of them as the group passed.

"Can I help you?" She asked politely, noting the bandaged arm. Then of course she spotted the strange swirling color of his irises. He hadn't even thought to try to recover his glasses and see if they were fixable.

"The... the woman in there... were you... I mean did you...?" He couldn't quite force the words from his mouth.

She pulled her eyes away from the chaotic play of brown and gray, realizing that she was staring quite rudely. "Are you wanting to know how the procedure went?" She asked helpfully.

He stared at her silently, trying to swallow a large lump in his throat.

She took this for agreement. "It isn't a procedure we do very often obviously, but Healer Tirova is a very talented man and it went well. He's still finishing up, but he should be done soon. I'm sure he'd be glad to answer any questions you might have."

Draco just nodded numbly and stood there as she walked on after her coworkers. It was done. The baby was gone. He walked on, but not to the door. He passed it and went over to the far corner at the end of the hall just a bit further down. He put his back against the wall and sank down, staring at the door, feeling the last spark of hope die in his heart painfully.

He hugged himself, closing his eyes, the cold pack falling forgotten from his fingers. He couldn't handle even looking at the door. He pulled up his legs as his head drooped forward, tears stinging at his eyes. He tried to fight them but they kept slipping out. He couldn't recall ever crying as much as he had that day. It was irritating, but at the same time he wasn't sure he could have survived this day without the emotional release the simple reaction provided. He'd always thought of tears as an unforgivable sign of weakness, one he could never allow himself no matter what... but right now he couldn't even bring himself to care about what others might think of him if they were to see him like this. It just didn't seem to matter. He sat there for a time, trying desperately not to think about the painful events of this day... but failing miserably of course.

"You ok, mister?" a little voice asked.

He started slightly. He hadn't even heard the soft footfalls approaching. He rubbed the tears from his eyes, looking up. There was a little boy standing there, looking down at him with a concerned expression on his face. Draco blinked. The boy's warm, gentle, almond shaped brown eyes looked very familiar. He found himself staring. The boy had slightly mussed jet black hair and olive skin. Draco's eyes trailed down. He was wearing hospital robes. He couldn't possibly...

The little boy moved closer, dropping down and sitting near his side, watching him curiously. "You fall down?" He asked, looking at the bandage on Draco's arm.

Draco looked at his arm. His mind was too stunned to even comprehend why his arm was bandaged. He just nodded, "Kinda..."

"That must hurt... my daddy fell down too. The healers are putting him back to rights though." He said confidently. Then he looked at Draco curiously again. "You look sad..."

"I guess I am..." Draco admitted.

The boy nodded, then broke a piece off of the chocolate bar in his hand, holding it out to Draco. "Here. My mum always says if I'm feeling sad, a bit of chocolate will put it right. It's magic that way."

Draco reached out, taking the offered chocolate, trying to keep his hand from trembling.

"Well tuck in!" The boy said with a giggle when Draco just sat there holding the chocolate. "Chocolate melts, ya know!"

Draco gave him a little smile, eating the chocolate.

"There. All better." The boy said brightly when he'd finished it. "What's your name?"

"Draco."

The boy grinned. "There's a bunch of stars called that! My daddy showed me once. He says it's supposed to be a dragon, but I can't really see it unless he draws it for me. I'm Tobias. My sisters call me Toby, but they just do it to irritate me." He said with a grin.

"It's... nice to meet you Tobias." Draco said softly.

The boy grinned. "My sisters are down stairs, but they let me stay up here with mum and daddy." He leaned forward, lowering his voice confidentially, "I think it's cause I'm their favorite, but don't say nothin, cause parents aren't supposed to have favorites!" he whispered.

Draco smiled again at the impish grin on the boy's face.

Tobias leaned his head against Draco's knee, looking at him. "You have pretty eyes."

"Thanks. Most people think they look strange."

"Well, I like them. Wish I could have dancing eyes, but I'm ok with mine. They say I have my mum's eyes, but she's still got hers, so I think they're just being silly..." He said with a grin.

Draco let out a little chuckle. "Sounds like it..."

"Is it a spirit making your eyes do that?" He asked curiously.

Draco blinked in surprise. "Ya, actually... he's... the brown."

The boy nodded. "Spirits usually show up in the eyes." He said knowledgeably. "Do you know the other spirits?"

"Which other spirits?"

"The other two that were here before. Never heard of having three around all in one place, but I guess hospitals would be the place to find them."

Draco blinked. "What do the other two look like...?" He asked, getting an itching suspicion he knew already.

"Well," The boy said thoughtfully, "They look like regular people, but one's got pretty kinda white eyes that look like that stone in my gran's necklace.. the one that sparks all different colors when you turn it... the other's got red ones. Red is usually a creepy color in eyes, but I like his..." he said with consideration.

"You met them here, did you?"

The boy nodded. "Guess I fell asleep in the waiting room. The red eyed one woke me up. They're both quite friendly... I wasn't feeling good, so the one with white eyes gave me a hug and held me til I felt better. Mum says hugs are good for the soul... she also says spirits aren't good or bad, they just do good or bad sometimes... but I think those ones are good. Is your spirit good?"

Draco nodded his head. "He makes me feel better... makes me a better person..."

The boy nodded. "He sounds like a good one."

They both looked over as the door opened. Cullis Tirova walked out, pausing as he spotted them there. He came over, smiling. "Draco... I was just going to look for you..." He trailed off as his eyes fell on the boy beside him. Seeing his gaze, the boy smiled.

"Hello, Tobias." Cullis said softly, "I didn't expect to see you up..."

"I already took my nap!" Tobias said quickly, as if worried the man would march him off and make him go back to bed.

Cullis smiled. "Yes... I saw. How are you feeling?"

Tobias shrugged, "K. You my daddy's Healer?"

Cullis nodded, "I am."

"Is he gonna be ok now?"

Cullis smiled and nodded. "I think he's going to be just fine. You're going to have to take it easy on him for a while, but he should up and about in no time.

"Can I see him?"

"He's still asleep right now, but he did even better than expected, so he should probably be awake in just a couple of hours or so and I know he'll be glad to see you." Cullis assured him. "You can go back in the room now if you promise to be very quiet. Your mother is taking a little nap right now and she really needs some rest, ok?"

Tobias nodded quickly, then got to his feet and started towards the door. When he reached it, he turned and waved at Draco, chewing a mouthful of chocolate and grinning. When he was in Cullis quietly closed the door, then turned back to Draco, eyeing him curiously.

"What happened? I couldn't even get near him before without him shrieking in terror, and he gave absolutely no indication that he had any potential for improvement at all... Yet now he's walking around as if nothing happened! How is that possible?" He asked, obviously flabbergasted.

Draco shrugged, "I'm not sure, but I intent to find out..." he said, getting up and starting towards the waiting room.

"Don't you even want to know how the procedure went?" Cullis asked as he passed.

Draco came to an abrupt halt, but didn't turn. His heart was aching in his chest as his earlier pain was dredged up anew. "It 'went well'. Ya. I heard."

"And you didn't have any questions for me?"

Draco stood there, staring at the floor. "It didn't suffer, did it?" He asked softly.

Cullis came over, walking around until he faced him, then he reached out and lifted Draco's chin, searching his face. A little smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You haven't a clue what I'm talking about, do you?"

Draco stared at his amused face, wondering what he was missing. "What do you mean?"

"I performed a slightly... _different_ procedure than was previously scheduled... otherwise it would have been someone else tending to her. As a general rule I refuse to participate in any endeavor that would take a life. Just a personal decision."

Draco's eyes widened. "What kind of procedure was it then?"

"It's actually a very rarely used one... I've only performed it twice myself... well, I guess three times now. I don't think it's ever been used on someone who wasn't a werewolf..."

"A Werewolf?" Draco asked, getting confused.

Cullis nodded. "When a woman was bitten by a werewolf within the first two months of pregnancy or if a female werewolf became pregnant... The werewolf curse would be passed on to the baby if they were not removed before the next full moon. Usually it is best to use someone of very close blood, but I don't think that will become an issue. In most cases there is only about a fifty percent chance the baby will survive, but fortunately for this particular instance, the chances go up to around ninety percent if the female it is transferred to is already pregnant and the children were conceived within two or three weeks of eachother, because her body is already accepting the changes naturally..."

"Transferred?" Draco asked, breaking in.

"Surely you didn't think we could just grow it in a cauldron?" Cullis said mirthfully.

"But who did you...?" His eyes went even wider as Cullis smirked at him. Draco dodged around him, opening the door. He stared through it in disbelief.

A portable bed had been brought into the room and set up near Gray Feather's bed. His mother lay on it, looking rather pale in a hospital gown and half covered by a thin sheet. She appeared to be asleep, Lupin sitting in a chair at her side. Draco didn't miss the way his mother's hand clung to Lupin's, even though she was unconscious. For his part, Lupin didn't even appear to notice Draco, his eyes fixed in surprise on Tobias, who had climbed up into the bed beside his mother and was swinging his legs absently over the side, happily munching away at his candy.

Cullis took the door handle from his numb grasp, closing the door again. "Best to let them rest now. You can come back in an hour or so if you'd like. It should take and settle in within the hour if it's going to, which I believe is almost certain. And don't worry, even if, Merlin forbid, it doesn't, Narcissa's own baby will still be safe. It was never in any danger, otherwise I doubt Remus would have even suggested it. I understand you arrived by portkey?"

Draco nodded dazedly.

"Well I'm afraid she shouldn't use one of those for at least a couple of days, but it should be safe for her to Apparate within a couple of hours. I've talked to Healer Sanders about this substance currently in her bloodstream. I believe it will be a big help in keeping her strong enough to carry both babies to term..." He let off in surprise and Draco wrapped his good arm around him, hugging him.

"Thank you, Cullis..." He said in an aching voice, "I know how much you loath my father, and I just wanted to thank you for helping anyway. You have no idea how much this means to me..."

Cullis smiled, patting him on the back, "I believe your father is evil incarnate... there's no denying that... And he _did_ procure my services in large part due to barely veiled threats that he might otherwise 'inadvertently' curse my family... but I've never had anything against you or your mother. How could I? I know better than most what he put you through. If you ever have need of my services, all you have to do is ask. That's why I became a healer in the first place. To help people."

Draco pulled away, sniffling slightly and nodding, an embarrassed blush coloring his cheeks. "Sorry... I've been a bit... emotional today..."

"So I've heard..." He said, eyeing the bandaged arm significantly.

Draco dropped his eyes, his cheeks approaching scarlet.

Cullis smiled. "You were just about to tell me what happened with Tobias I believe?"

Draco flashed him a smile, relieved to have the subject changed. He nodded. "He mentioned meeting two people whom I suspect are two that I arrived with..." He said, heading off towards the waiting room. Cullis followed after him eagerly.

It was empty.

Well, not completely. There was an empty chair hovering there where they had left Harry.

"Where could they have gone?" Draco asked, getting slightly worried. Grimsby _still_ hadn't arrived, so Harry and the demon were in no shape to be wandering about, especially without the chair, and Blaise had been acting a bit off ever since they left the Manor. It was subtle, but Draco knew him well enough to pick up on it. The more he thought about it, the more his worry increased. "We have to find them..."

> > > > >

Draco and Cullis searched for quite a while, but couldn't find them anywhere. They asked the Healers and other staff members, but though most of them knew Blaise, none of them recalled seeing him recently. Draco hadn't realized just how very massive St. Mungo's was until he tried to search it top to bottom. On his own visits he'd mostly stuck to the Emergency area and the Youth Trauma Center...

Draco came to a stop as a thought occurred. "Where are the girls?"

Cullis looked over at him, "Girls?"

Draco nodded, "Tobias's sisters. Where are they?"

"The Trauma ward I'd imagine. Haven't seen them much myself except when they came to see their parents the other day. The memory charms appear to have been much more effective on them. They didn't stay long though. They kept asking what was wrong with Tobias."

"I'll wager that's where they went." Draco said, heading for the stairs.

When they got back down to the right level, they went down the long corridor leading to the Youth Trauma Center. Draco knew the way all too well. He hadn't thought to check there before since there was always a healer and several security type people there that wouldn't allow anyone entrance unless they had family members in the ward and were on a list. It was always a rather somber and depressing place really. Neutral pale gray walls and not much more than the occasional sounds of someone sobbing to break up the oppressive silence. They seemed to think any kind of stimulation would somehow traumatize the children even more.

As they approached the entrance to the ward, Draco looked around curiously. "Where is everyone?"

Cullis shook his head, looking just as mystified. "Never seen less than three or four people here..."

Draco went over to the small office behind the admission desk, which was the only door other than the one into the ward. He opened it and looked inside. "Bloody Hell!"

Cullis hurried past him into the room. There were two women and a man in hospital staff garb laying on the floor, as well as an Auror and two guards.

Cullis gave a little sigh of relief as he checked one of the women. "Sleeping."

"Well, I'd say we found them. Hold up!" Draco said quickly as Cullis took out his wand to revive the people. "Maybe we should check inside first... before we have a million questions to answer.

Cullis looked them over worriedly, but nodded, "Very well, but we should at least wake one to find out what happened."

"Ok, this one." He said, pointing to one of the women he knew quite well.

Cullis nodded, moving over to the woman, "Ennervate!"

The woman stirred, then sat up, shaking her head groggily and looking around in obvious bewilderment.

"You ok, Nancy?" Draco asked softly.

She looked up at him, "Malfoy?" she asked, surprised. She looked around at the others, "What...?"

"We were hoping you could answer that..." Cullis prompted gently.

She looked at him, obviously recognizing him as well. She scrubbed her hands over her face, then stopped, lowering her hands. "There... there were two young men..." She said, starting to remember, though it obviously took a bit of effort. "They wanted into the ward, but they weren't on the list... The one in white... he didn't listen. He just walked right past the guards... they tried to stop him, but then the other one..." She shuddered. "I've never heard anything like that before..."

Draco sighed. So the demon had stunned them in his native language. That suddenly struck him as odd. How could the demon have enough strength to cast? Last he'd seen him he couldn't even hold his head up proper without passing out.

"The children!" She said worriedly as she recovered from her shock. Cullis lent her a hand as she struggled to her feet, but as soon as she was up properly she was all but sprinting out the door. She had her wand out, a determined and very protective look on her face and looked fully capable of ripping the boys to pieces if they had injured the children under her care.

"Take it easy Nan." Draco said as he caught up to her. "I don't think they hurt anyone. Let's just figure out what's happening before you go blasting at anyone, ok?"

"If you're wanting them in one piece, you'd best hope they haven't touched any of my kids!" She snapped angrily.

Draco sighed and just tried to keep up with her.

"There's no one in the private suites right now, but we have nearly two dozen in the main ward, and a further three children in the werewolf containment room."

Draco just followed wordlessly. He'd never been in the main ward. His father had always insisted that he be given an private room so he wouldn't have to 'mingle with the commoners'. In truth, this translated into him not wanting anyone to see the state Draco was in and tell others. Lucius didn't want his 'recreational habits' to put a dent in his social image after all.

She hurried over to a door that bore a warning sign declaring the occupants to be carriers of the werewolf curse. She opened the door, peering inside anxiously. The candles were burning low and the three in the room all appeared to be asleep. She hurried over to the first one. It was a boy of perhaps thirteen, though Draco was pretty sure he didn't go to Hogwarts. From the insignia on the robe hanging at his bedside he appeared to go to be a Beauxbatons student.

"What on earth are they doing asleep at this hour?" She muttered as she leaned over him. She reached out and gently shook his shoulder. His head lolled to the side a bit, but he didn't so much as change his breathing pattern, which as slow and deep. "Justin? Justin, wake up dear..." She said, quickly getting alarmed. She pulled out her wand, but Cullis quickly stopped her.

"We don't know what's been done to them, so casting spells on them blindly could prove quite dangerous. They appear to be stable for now. Let's go check on the other children before we try anything rash."

She looked down at the boy worriedly, then over at the other two. There was a girl of about ten and a little boy who couldn't have been more than four, who both also appeared to be in a deep sleep. She let out a worried sound, but nodded, reluctantly moving back out into the hall. Draco practically had to jog to keep up with her after that. They turned down another hall and he saw a door at the end marked "Main Ward. Family members only."

As soon as she pushed through the door and into the room Draco knew there must be something amiss. She stopped dead in her tracks, staring around in stunned silence. The room was far from somber, and from her reaction the change was new. The floor was covered in a rich carpet of what appeared to be real grass and the walls and ceiling were all brilliantly painted with outdoor-type scenery. There were not only trees and bushes, but also long stretches of flower covered meadows. The images were even moving! The clouds drifted lazily past overhead, the trees shifting in the nonexistent breeze while unicorns frolicked and fairies and oddly cuddly looking dragons flitted about. All the torches were out, but with the painted sun shining down on them it made no difference. The only thing missing was... the children.

The beds were still sitting there in neat little rows, but they were all empty. Ahead, at the end of the long room, quite a number of privacy dividers had been arranged, cordoning off a section of the room. It was under a dense section of 'forest' and so looked to be relatively dark inside with the dividers in place. There was something that looked oddly like a Muggle spotlight hovering near the ceiling, pointed down into the section.

As they cautiously approached, they all started as they heard a collective roar of laughter. They looked at eachother, then picked up the pace. Draco could hear an odd little squeaky voice talking, then another calm and dignified voice replying, but he couldn't make out the words. There was more tittering, then it died away as the voices started talking again.

When they reached the enclosure, Draco peeked through a small break. He could see children sitting and laying around on the grass, all facing the back wall. He waved Nancy back, then shifted the divider out a bit and slipped in. He stared, stunned. Against the far wall were a number of bedside tables pushed together into a makeshift stage on which, lit up by the 'spotlight', stood a couple of what looked like muggle puppets except for their lack of strings.

The odd little dolls looked decidedly familiar. One was a dignified old wizard wearing blue robes with a long flowing white beard and hair. The other... was a rather dumpy, daft looking looking wizard that bore more than a passing resemblance to Cornelius Fudge. The children were all watching them raptly. The little Fudge puppet was blustering on about how everyone had to do what he said because he was in charge. The children all booed and hissed at him, and a number of them tossed handfuls of popcorn at him. Draco smirked, noting that each child had a little red and white striped bag of popcorn and a drink in a covered cup with a straw out of the top as if they were at a Muggle Theater. The Fudge puppet puffed up a bit indignantly (literally expanding slightly), and started chastising them in his little irritating, squeaky voice.

Draco tried to shift up a bit to see if there was someone behind the tables, but he couldn't see anyone from that angle. He started moving around, but then paused as the Fudge puppet fell silent and both puppets slowly sank down onto the table lifelessly.

"You mind? This kind of requires line of sight."

Draco spun around. There were two red eyes glowing up at him brightly. Draco blinked in surprise. Harry was laying there casually, propped up with half a dozen pillows.

"Budge up, mister!" One of the little boys near the back said. Draco looked over and saw all the children staring at him.

"Um... sorry..." He said contritely, moving aside.

The little puppets got back to their feet and the little Fudge continued his tirade, going so far as to declare himself supreme ruler of the universe in a triumphant little squeak. The little Dumbledore shook his head in obvious exasperation, then pulled out his little wand and flicked it at the Fudge doll. Fudge's trousers immediately fell around his ankles, revealing white boxers covered in tiny red hearts. Little Fudge immediately bent over to pull them up and the little Dumbledore gave him a swift boot in the rear, sending him flying off the edge of the table. The kids practically screamed with laughter, clapping enthusiastically as little Dumbledore bowed humbly, then hopped down off the table and into a large trunk that lay open just to the side of the tables.

"Who's next?" Harry called out to the children. All of their hands shot up immediately as several started hopping slight with eagerness.

Harry looked them over contemplatively. The children didn't look put off in the slightest by the way his eyes glowed. "Ok... you and you." He said, pointing to a little boy and girl. The rest looked a bit put out, making little petulant sounds. "Don't worry, you'll all get turns." He said to them, then looked at the two he had picked as they scampered over to him. "Any preference as to which you want?"

"Can I have Fudge? PLEASE?" The boy begged eagerly.

Harry grinned and handed over a small coin-like device. "You got it!"

The girl looked at the other coin he held thoughtfully. "Can I pick a different one?"

"Sure." Harry said, handing her the little controller. "Just put this back and pick whichever one you'd like."

The girl grinned broadly and took the coin, hurrying over to the trunk and digging through it as the boy set the Fudge doll back on the stage and resumed his seat. From what Draco could see, there appeared to be a good couple dozen dolls in the trunk.

The Fudge doll got back to its feet and started strutting around like a peacock, preening vainly. Draco stifled a burst of laughter as the girl made her selection and set a particularly irritated looking goblin on the table. She took her seat and the goblin started chasing Fudge around in circles, prodding his rump with something like a pitchfork. The little Fudge screamed like a woman every time he got prodded, squeaking on as he ran about how he was going to throw the goblin into Azkaban for poking the 'royal bum'. The other children were all laughing riotously.

"I think that one's going to be a favorite..." Pax said mischievously. "Be a dear and give us a hand." He said with a smirk, holding up an arm.

Draco took hold of it with his good arm and helped pull him to his feet. He seemed markedly lighter now, almost normal. He followed him out of the little enclosure and shifted the screen back into place behind them.

Nancy was standing there, looking completely stunned. As she pulled her eyes from the screens, she caught sight of Pax's eyes and quickly pulled out her wand. Pax rolled his brightly glowing eyes. "Typical." He muttered irritably.

"What did you do to those children?" She demanded.

"What? You have a problem with how they are now? Because if you want the little trembling balls of trauma I found when I got here back, I can do that." Pax said a bit testily.

Her eyes strayed back to the screen. She'd never have imagined any of those children acting as carefree as they appeared to be now. Even the ones on which the memory charms seemed to work completely always retained a slightly withdrawn manner that they could never seem to explain or reverse. She quickly mustered her resolve. "What about the ones in the werewolf ward?"

"Yes indeed... I put those in a vegetative state of course. I was quite shocked you'd left them this long. It's nearly the full moon. Are you daft?"

"Vegetative...?" she said in alarm, "You put them back to rights or I'll..."

"Or you'll what?" Pax sneered. "Poke me with your little wand? Please. You're more likely to hurt one of these children with your misguided efforts than so much as tickle me. If you haven't managed to figure it out on your own, I'm a bloody demon! You try to wake those children and I'll turn you into a mouse and drop you in a snake pit!"

"Werewolves can still be productive members of society!" Nancy replied indignantly.

"I'm not refuting that, I just don't see why those kids have to become them. They certainly seemed eager to avoid it!" Pax shook his head, looking over at Draco in askance. "What the bloody Hell is her problem? Does she _want_ the curse to have a chance to settle in?"

"Hold on..." Cullis said quickly, "Are you telling me you can prevent those children from becoming werewolves?"

Pax looked over at him as if he were a bit slow, "All you have to do is nullify all brain activity a few days before the full moon and leave them like that until after the full moon is over for the first couple of months. The curse requires at least some level of consciousness to delve deeper and take hold, and it can only survive in a victim for about six to eight weeks unless it can insinuate itself and settle in properly. Once it's in, there's no help for it that I know of. You look to be a healer, surely you know that."

Cullis blinked at him, wide eyed. "So... we knock them out for the full moon a couple of times and they'll be ok?" He asked, clearly shocked.

Pax looked over at Draco in exasperation. "Why is this such a foreign concept? We've been using the practice for centuries. None in my care have ever turned."

Draco was staring at him. "You mean to tell me the Malfoys have know how to prevent the werewolf curse from being spread for _centuries?_"

Pax blinked, comprehension dawning. "They never told anyone... did they?" He asked softly.

Draco shook his head.

"Well that explains a lot." Pax sighed, then he stepped up to Cullis, taking his head between his hands and pressing his forefingers against his temples. Cullis was so surprised he didn't even have a chance to pull back. His eyes fluttered shut and he wavered slightly, then Pax released him and his eyes opened once again. "There. One little werewolf preventer..." He looked over at Nancy. "You want to know how as well?"

Nancy shot a glance over to Draco. Draco gave her a nod. She bit her lip, hesitantly putting her wand away. If there was a way she could prevent the werewolf curse being passed on to innocents she was willing to take a risk.

Pax reached over, repeating the process on her as Cullis started shaking off the disorientation having information thrust into your mind so suddenly often caused. "It's that simple?" He asked, surprised, "That one little incantation? To think... all the people who could have been spared a life of pain and persecution..." He said, shaking his head.

"Well why don't you just worry about the future ones you have a chance of preventing?" Pax asked with a little smile.

He sighed and nodded.

"What are you doing up and walking around anyway? And where's Blaise?" Draco asked, glancing around. He certainly hadn't seen him in with the children and there weren't many other places in the room to hide effectively.

Pax shrugged. "Wherever there are damaged souls I imagine. Children call the loudest, but I'm sure there are a good many more here in need."

"Damaged souls? Call? What the bloody Hell are you talking about?"

"T'was his decision..." Pax said with a smirk.

Draco's eyes snapped over to him, narrowing. "What have you done to him, demon?"

"He wanted to understand what he was feeling inside... I just... explained it to him. He would have eventually come to it on his own of course. There was no going back once he'd absorbed those soul fragments..."

"What. Did. You. Do?" Draco growled through clenched teeth, tired of Pax's beating around the bush.

Pax smirked. "He went too far in the transformation to wraith. He'd already been changed inside. All that was left was the extraction of his soul..."

"You stole his soul?" Draco snapped immediately.

Pax snorted at him irritably. "If I had you'd all be dead by now. Don't be daft!"

Draco relaxed a bit, letting him go on.

"As I was saying..." Pax said, giving Draco a little glare, "He'd already gotten the capacity, he just needed the means. I had only begun to lose my hold, the smallest pieces filtering out first... What I released were just fragments of ancient souls that had already dissolved into the particles you saw... these are normally just useless clutter... except perhaps to wraiths. Wraiths can utilize them to repair damaged souls..."

"Wraiths just steal souls. Why would they bother fixing them?" Cullis asked curiously.

"Well... they are what Muggles refer to as 'obsessive compulsive'. They can't abide the presence of a damaged soul. They feel the compulsion to repair it before stealing it. That's why Blaise couldn't stand my touch before. Demon's are close enough to souls to trigger the compulsion, and I had taken considerable damage. So I just helped him realize his potential and he fixed me up... then we... took a stroll."

"He fixed Tobias?" Draco asked softly.

Pax rolled his eyes. "Hardly all on his own. Trauma in children this young tends to damage their tender little souls as well, and that he fixed. As for their memories, I removed those pathetic charms you put on them. Do those things ever really work? It's like throwing a sheet over a dragon and pretending that makes it go away!"

"They have their memories back?" Nancy asked in alarm.

Pax rolled his eyes again, then held up his hand, shooting out a full set of shadowy talons. "That's what these things are for! I stole the memories. Now there's no chance they will resurface later. They're no longer there. Oh, and by the way... if you send little Sally back home and that bastard her mother is seeing touches her again I swear I'll hunt him down and kill him myself!" Pax growled, his eyes burning brighter with anger.

Nancy put her hand over her mouth, looking towards the enclosure. "It's her second time in here... we've suspected... we just couldn't prove it..."

"Well that's because the bastard's been putting memory charms on her before even bringing her in. Unfortunately he's not great shakes at memory charms and he was making a shambles of her mind. Give me a pensieve and I'll give you the memories you'll need to convict him."

Nancy didn't need to be asked twice. She dashed out of the room immediately.

"So can you find Blaise?" Draco asked worriedly.

Pax sighed, starting slowly after Nancy. "Just go where there's the most pain. You'll have to forgive me if I'm not simply springing up and hunting him down for you... I'm a bit done in right now. Harry took the brunt of the abuse earlier since he retained charge of the body while I was so badly damaged, but fixing up that many kids wasn't easy. I'll need a bit to shake it."

"Potter's alright though, isn't he?" Draco asked quickly.

Pax smiled. "Worried over Potter's well being now, are you?"

Draco rolled his eyes, "Hardly, but there's a number of people who'll be after my hide if anything happens to that silly prat!"

Pax grinned. "He's taking a nap. He'll be up in a bit no doubt."

Draco nodded, "Fine, just cut out the glowing eyes thing before they sic Aurors on you!" He said, then glanced back one last time as they went out the door. "You do the makeover on that room?"

"What? It was depressing in there. They wanted to go outside, but I thought others might object, so I brought the outside in."

"And the dolls?" Draco asked with a smirk.

"The _puppets_. It's called transfiguration, _master_. Pay a bit more attention in class and you might learn more. That McGonagall actually passes on a bit more than the books on the subject do. Did you like 'Fudge'? He used to be a bedpan..." He said with a snicker.

"Eww..." Draco said, wrinkling his nose (but with a definite smirk on his lips).

"Oh stop. I used a cleansing spell on it first."

Pax came to a stop once they reached the admission desk to the ward, where Nancy was already setting down a large pensieve. Without comment, Pax pulled out Harry's wand and proceeded to pull silvery strands of thought from his temple with the tip, depositing them one after the next into the pensieve. By the time he was done, he'd deposited well over a dozen memories. "Keep them as long as you'd like. I'm not eager to have them flitting back to me." he said as he tucked away his wand again.

They all looked up as a soft chime-like tone sounded from overhead. "Healer Allcome to Emergency. Healer Allcome to Emergency please." A soft, feminine voice said calmly before fading away.

"That's not good!" Cullis said, heading for the stairs immediately as Nancy darted into the other room to revive the others. Draco and Pax hurried to catch up with Cullis.

"Who's Healer Allcome?" Draco asked as they hurried up the stairs.

"It's a code they use to keep from alarming the other patients. Adapted from Muggle hospitals from what I'm told." Cullis said hurriedly, "Healer all-come. All available Healers are to report to the Emergency room. It's very rarely used, so whatever it is must be bad."

"Well if there's a bunch of hurt people, we'll probably find Blaise there sooner or later." Pax said, hurrying after him, though he was looking a bit winded.

Draco sighed. He didn't really want to be around a bunch of people right now, but it didn't look as if he had much of a choice. He pulled up his hood and followed.

Luckily the Emergency area was only two flights up. When they left the stairwell all three of them stopped, staring in horrified shock. There were dozens of people already being led or levitated through the emergency room lobby, all looking like they'd been through a war. They had every manner of injury imaginable. Draco had never seen so much carnage in one place before... and there were more people pouring from the apparation/port key arrival room in a constant stream.

Gladys was running around, having to rank the severity of each person's injuries and directing them into different rooms accordingly. Cullis immediately ran over and caught one badly bleeding woman as she swooned, carrying her over into one of the rooms so he could tended to her.

"Ruddy Nora!"

Draco turned and saw Becka standing beside them, staring at the arrivals, looking just as horrified. She looked over and spotted them, then grabbed their arms, pulling them over to what looked like a storage closet. She released them and opened it, rummaging around in the closet.

"What happened?" Draco asked softly, unable to tear his gaze from the injured people.

"They said Death Eaters attacked Diagon Alley! On today of all days!" She growled in disgust.

Draco looked over at her, startled as she started pulling off his robe. "What are you doing?" He asked in surprise as she prized it off him, then fished in the pocket, handing him his wand. In answer, she picked up a white robe and shoved it at him. He unfolded it and stared at it. It was a trainee robe. "What exactly am I supposed to do with this? I'm not a Healer in training!"

"Oh please! You know more healing spells than half the helpers around here!" Becka said as she pulled a triage robe on in place of her usual lab robe.

Draco looked over at Pax, but he was already pulling on another set of trainee robes. "Come on, master." He whispered mirthfully, "This should be fun..."

"You have a pretty twisted sense of 'fun'." Draco muttered, looking back at the refugees. "Besides, most of these people probably read that bloody article. I doubt they'd find my presence comforting!"

Pax whipped out his wand and waved it at him. Draco felt a breeze whip through his hair, making his scalp tingle. "There. No one ever need know who you are now." he said with a smirk, then he made another motion with his wand and the scar on his forehead shimmered and disappeared.

Draco stared as he took off his glasses, tucking them away safely in his new robe. Without either easily identifiable feature, he looked rather normal. Just like someone who vaguely resembled Harry Potter.

Becka looked up and smirked. "That's a nice look on you Drakie!" She said, hurrying past.

Draco grabbed at a bit of his bangs, trying to hold it out where he could see it better. It was sandy brown.

Pax chuckled. "It's only a glamour. Don't fret." He said, patting his cheek and heading off towards the injured people.

"Oh bloody Hell..." Draco said with a soft sigh, pulling on the robe and starting after him.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - gotta get to work now, but I wanted to post this before it got to be TOO long between posts. Kindly forgive any spelling errors. Tired as usual, and as I said, running late so I don't have time for another read through.

Fuzzybubbles - ok... a listing of babies and their parents. Here goes... Ginny is of course having Draco/Darien's baby (The only single in the lot now!); Pansy is having fraternal twins, one is Ron's one Blaise's; Kulia is having identical twins, both fathered by Fred and George; Narcissa is now having twins as well, one is Blaise's, the other belongs to Lucius and Gray Feather, and therefore, strangely enough, has no direct blood relation to either Narcissa or her own baby (who is now its fraternal twin) at all. That's it for now... it's like raising rabbits, innit? ;P

Reed - I assume you're asking how Tobias is related... well if you couldn't tell from this chapter, he is the woman's (Gray Feather's) son, the one who was also... 'injured' by the Death Eaters. He is the one Dumbledore said had too strong of a magical talent for the memory charms to be effective without doing irreparable damage, and the Healers said he was most likely going to spend the rest of his life in the trauma ward. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, though of course that's the Muggle term for it.

LadySnake - I've already been nominated and the link to my story has been placed on the website under Original (rated Hard R at my request), but thank you for the thought. All that's left now is for them to find enough judges and get a few more entries. Not sure when we will find out the results (My entry alone probably added at least several days worth of reading to their plate!), but she said after the judges make their decision there will be a viewer's choice poll that will be open to everyone. I'm not sure how exactly that will work yet as it's not up quite yet, but I'll be sure to tell you all when I find out! Of course if you find any other contests you want to sign this fic up for, feel free :)

Appletini84 - Man are you psychic! I was _just_ thinking the very same thing! (Lucius sharpens his knife and gets out the bamboo slivers) (evil grin) If only they wouldn't use names that sound too weird to be real names...

Madbiker52 - well, Blaise is, as you said, a very flamboyant character. He's always been completely open with his sexuality and never been the type to calmly insinuate himself into a story. To make his introduction subtle would be 'out of character'. I'll look at it when I'm editing, but don't know that I'll change anything. He's the type to enjoy shocking others :)

Jennyrain - the summary isn't misleading, it's just _really_ outdated. I haven't bothered to update it since this fic began (except I updated the little teaser sentence once by removing the word "mild" from in front of slash ;P). This started off with my intending just a short story to see if reviews were a bit better in the Harry Potter section (since my post in Enterprise met with a truly abysmal total of 4 reviews). I just intended it as a bit of... well almost fluff, which was only supposed to be like 10 chapters tops, and I had no intention of getting graphic with the slash or do much more than simply make the occasional insinuation that it was happening. The problem is the characters. They got out of hand. Blaise is just too bloody irrepressible and he kinda took over. Not to mention the readers expressed a definite interest in reading more 'slash' and asking to see more of the relationship developing between Ron and Blaise and _boom_. shrugs To tell you the truth, I'm merely the writer. I have very little say over what my characters do. To be honest, I sometimes write just because I want to know what happens next! The 'planned' ending to this story and how I'm getting there has changed well over a dozen times already, so _I_ don't even have a clue how it will end. I just have a vague idea of what I want to happen. I sometimes jot down what I want to happen in the next like four or five chapters, then the very next chapter changes everything and out go the others. ;P And I can't help but notice a definite hesitance and borderline fear in the suggestion that you see a problem with my fic. People keep walking on eggshells after I chew someone out... but I don't freak at just any suggestion... I just get upset at the ones that are hurtful and unconstructive. In fact, that I can think of, I have only ever really bitched at two people specifically (though one was repeated a couple times) and a couple of general gripes about some overall nagging. You gave reasons why you weren't all that pleased with the slash... I can understand that. It's not for everyone, and there's nothing wrong with that. I haven't updated the first chapter because I haven't been refreshing any of my chapters yet unless they have technical problems, but I am correcting my own copy as I reread it and I will probably go through and repost the chapters with the corrections at some point (probably when I'm done, or I may take a couple of days to do that before the judging starts actually), but right now I don't want people seeing I posted and then getting disappointed when they find out I was just reposting for some spelling errors. When I was a reader I always hated that. I toyed with the idea of making a slash-free version of this fic a while back... but as you've pointed out, that's virtually impossible now. This story wouldn't be this story without it. :P See? I didn't even use my claws! I was nice:)

That said...

Fiby - best bloody suggestion I've heard yet. Definitely run anything you intent to post where thousands of people can see it past someone else first. I don't need everything candy coated, but I do need reasoning behind negativity, otherwise it's nothing but hurtful and as you can tell I don't take well to that. I've been around blunt people before, and I can deal with them, but even they didn't seem to feel the need to include some kind of slight or negative comment every time they talked to me. Maybe you just don't see it, but it's there and it makes it very difficult for me to 'appreciate' your reviews like you seem to think I should. Saying sorry at the end of each review, surprisingly enough, does little to counter the emotional affect of the review. That's like calling someone some really foul names, and then saying 'no offense' and expecting that to be ok. Ya know what? It isn't. And just a hint: if you start a sentence with the words "You people", 9 times out of 10 it WILL be insulting. I certainly hope my fellow writers on here are not getting similar treatment, because if they are I implore you to have someone else proofread and post reviews for you, because something you might not even think is bad might well cause a more fragile writer to cease posting. You don't seem to realize just how vulnerable putting your art out there for everyone to see can make you feel. You are leaving yourself completely open where anyone can see... and negative comments made when you're that emotionally exposed can be devastating. I've known some very talented writers that have stopped writing simply because of a couple of harsh words, and admittedly it has very nearly happened to me as well, and I would hate to see that happen to anyone here. As for your comment about you've probably read more books than me... perhaps, but _you don't know me_, so I don't see how you could even hazard that guess. I think it's pretty safe to say I have read at least a thousand books in my life, and I may well be underestimating. It's the only way I made it through puberty (and college for that matter), so let's not go making baseless assumptions. I think that's what upset me the most about your latest review... you make a shitload of assumptions about me, who I am, what my background is, and even what I'm FEELING when you have _no fucking clue_. I refuse to have a one-upmanship contest with you over who's had a shittier life, because I know full well there are tons of people out there that have had it much worse than me... but on the other hand, I have some pretty decent ammo in that field myself! You also insinuate that some people are lying to me when they say they like my work, which means you are making assumptions about _them_ as well. Why would they take the time to write a review telling me they liked my story if they didn't? That makes no sense whatsoever. If they didn't like it and just wanted to be POLITE, they could simply not comment. Believe it or not, the people who are putting down my story are not the only ones capable of telling the truth. Next time you write a review, if you aren't going to have someone else check it first, why don't you at least try _reading back through it_ as if this is a review you have received on your own work (Which I would _LOVE_ to see by the way!). Maybe that will give you a hint as to how very insulting it can be. I'm done being all "high and mighty" now. I certainly hope you are too. This will be my last response to you here unless you sign up, in which case I'm sure you can expect email responses to any further reviews.

Anonymous reviews are no longer accepted for my story. I truly apologize to those of you good reviewers who simply don't have an account here. I just wanted to say that I do appreciate _most_ of you. I hope the inability to review anonymously will not detour you all, but I will understand if you don't sign up simply for my benefit. You can always still email me comments if you just don't want others seeing them. That's certainly understandable considering the nature of my story. Many people probably just don't want to admit they read anything containing slash and such. I'm sorry this step has become necessary, but I think I'm gonna go mental if I have to hear one more person slight me and/or my work without the ability to address them directly. I'm sure those of you who provide constructive reviews are tired of seeing me bitch and complain at someone for a whole page just because I have no other recourse to address their comments. Not saying I'll never bitch at someone at the end of the chapter again if I think others need to see my response, but hopefully it will cut down on the clutter.


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

Molly entered the darkened room as the house elf that had led her there slipped out silently. She let out a soft sigh as she saw her husband. The heavy drapes had been pulled, shutting out what little daylight there was, making the fire in the grate and the single candle setting on the desk before him the only sources of light. She went to him quietly. When she was closer she saw the newspaper on the desk before him. It was folded so that only the Author's note from the two articles showed. He was just sitting there, staring at it.

As he noticed her, he looked up sharply, anxiety evident in his eyes. She patted his shoulders, trying to force a smile. "No change. Just wanted to tell you that the twins should be arriving back soon. Delse says they just passed the outer perimeter." He had said he needed some time to himself and left the others shortly after the twins had left. She hadn't told him when their hands on the clock had briefly slid over to Mortal Peril. It had almost made her heart stop, but the hands had slipped back away from that dreaded spot after barely a moment.

He just nodded silently, his eyes resting once again on the passage before him.

"Arthur?" She asked gently, reaching out and putting her hand on his shoulder.

"I've failed one of my children, Molly." He said softly.

Molly sighed, "We didn't know. _None_ of us knew, dear."

"Exactly. And that's my fault." He said softly, "I let my foolish pride blind me. One argument and I turned my back on my own son. What kind of a father am I? And now he's in danger and what kills me the most is knowing that, had I just swallowed my pride, I could have been there for him... protected him."

"Oh, now... don't be so hard on yourself. Reconciliation takes two, and he's hardly made an effort either." She knew she'd said the wrong thing before the words even finished leaving her mouth.

Arthur had dropped his eyes again, a few tears that had been threatening spilling down his cheeks. "He has." He said so softly she barely heard him. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "He's been writing since a bit before Easter. Barely a week goes by that I don't get at least one letter. They're sitting, collecting dust in a little box under the bed back home. I never even opened them. I returned the first letter, but when it just kept coming back I stopped bothering. Just threw it in the box along with all those that followed and never gave them another thought." He ran his hand over the article on the paper before him. "How could I have not known my own son wrote this? It should have been so obvious..." he said, his voice breaking slightly. Molly slipped her arms around him, holding him comfortingly.

After a moment, she patted him on the back, easing up on him. "We should get going. I expect they'll be arriving soon."

Without another word Arthur nodded and rose, wiping away the tears that had escaped him. His face hardened anxiously as he headed for the door.

> > > > >

They gathered up outside the main back door, since that was the direction the twins appeared to be approaching from. They scanned the sky, waiting a bit nervously. The snow had at least let up quite a bit. There were still huge, fluffy flakes drifting down around them, but the light of the sun was finally able to filter through enough to make it evident it was still daytime and they could see quite a ways.

"I'm glad they took the Thestral at least..." Delse said a bit nervously. "They didn't have wards with them, but I gave temporary permission for entrance into the ground by air using the Thestral as the key. The flying creatures we have shouldn't bother them either since the Thestrals are guests of the master of the grounds. If they've got the gargoyle with them, then they'll definitely have no trouble. Even if it's injured, none of our creatures would attack one." She said reassuringly, but she couldn't quite hide her worry. The grounds were quite dangerous for those who entered unprotected, even without her activating the defenses.

They all got quite nervous when they finally caught sight of them. There were nine large shapes approaching. Their nerves eased a bit (though a few hands remained on wands just in case) when they got closer and they were able to see that it was most definitely the Stallion Thestral in the lead, and two of the other forms appeared to be the twins on their brooms.

They all stared in disbelief at their entourage. None of them had ever seen even a single gargoyle before Kulia's had arrived... and yet now there were half a dozen coasting in for a landing, four with cloaked riders. They had thought all gargoyle would look pretty much the same, but the new arrivals showed quite a bit of variety in both size (one being even larger than the Thestral Stallion, another so small it was surprising it had been strong enough to bear the small figure perched on its back) and shape. One had a long, slinky, cat-like body, yet another was short and stocky, the rest ranging in-between. The largest even had long spiraling horns protruding from its head that gracefully arched back, spike-like spurs along its jawbones, and what looked like thick scales lining the underside of its neck and trailing on down to cover his underbelly like armor.

Hagrid looked ecstatic.

"I ran into some family. They heard the cry for help as well. Hope you don't mind my bringing them along. I still have to remake the portkey to my home, so I really had nowhere else to take them." Kulia said as she slipped gracefully off the Thestral's back.

The Thestral hurried past them for the door, obviously tired and very uncomfortable with the growing light level. He was more tolerant to light than many of his kind, but he didn't linger in it when it wasn't necessary.

"No problem at all. We're just relieved you returned safely." Delse said, then looked over at one of her elves. "Make sure the Thestral is dried off and cared for properly, then prepare a couple more of the suites for our new guests. Open up the east wing." She furrowed her brow. The elf appeared to be listening, but it hadn't taken its eyes off of the new arrivals. When it didn't move right away she snapped her fingers, wondering what was wrong with it. It looked over at her, looking a bit startled, but nodded and dashed off.

She looked around, noticing that the House elves she had brought out to bring in the injured gargoyle if need be had spread themselves out into a line between them and the newcomers, and were now shifting to cover the gap that the one she'd ordered away had left.

Balthys slid off the back of the largest gargoyle and came up to stand beside Kulia as his children dismounted as well. He chuckled softly as he surveyed the house elves. "My family and I intend no harm to this home, its occupants or their guests." He said to them, sounding slightly formal in his declaration.

The house elves' stances seemed to ease slightly.

"The injured gargoyle is over there. She needs tending immediately." He said, indicating the large bundle on the back of the short, stout gargoyle. A few of the house elves broke off, going to fetch it, but a couple remained firmly between him and their mistress.

Delse was watching them, puzzled. "I'm terribly sorry. I don't know what has gotten into them." Delse said apologetically.

"No problem. I'm used to that type of greeting." He said, lowering his hood.

They all stared. He looked like a snow elf... but at the same time entirely different. His ears were a bit smaller, though still pointed, his features broader and more masculine than normal. His hair was a mix of snow white and jet black like someone had taken random snatches of his hair and dipped them in ink. That wasn't nearly as surprising as the short horns that peeked about an inch out of his hair and his startling citron colored eyes. When he grinned they could see that his eye teeth were not much more that normal length, but undeniably pointed.

Fred and George stared. They hadn't seen him with his hood down, and with it up there hadn't appeared to be nearly as much difference between them.

"I thought he was your brother?" Fred asked tentatively.

Kulia smiled, "Half brother. We had different fathers... obviously."

"What the bloody hell _was_ your father?" Tonks asked somewhat less than tactfully, but with no more than innocent curiosity in her voice.

He smiled at her impudent question. "Mother had a bit of a run-in with an incubus in her youth. They seem to be particularly fond of the fair folk, but snow elf females are fertile so rarely that actually conceiving from such an encounter was extremely rare, even back when I was born. The fifteen hundreds was a bit of a high point in the recorded encounters with such creatures."

"Oh why don't you just flip out your fuckin wings and hiss at them!" Forester growled angrily, "Why do you insist on _telling_ people?"

Balthys gave a deep sigh and rounded on his son, walking over to him and lowering his voice. "Because I'm not ashamed of what I am. You shouldn't be either."

"Why not? Every other snow elf that crosses our path is ashamed we were even allowed to live! We're freaks if you haven't noticed! We should be back on our island were we belong! Mom may have been a treacherous bitch, but at least she had more sense than to go parading me around!"

Balthys' hand whipped out, slapping his son's cheek. "Don't talk that way about your mother!" he said sternly.

Forester just glared at him, then shook his head, "You still think she's coming back. That's really fucking pathetic. She's gone, and I say good riddance!" He growled, then turned and stalked away. The gargoyle he had been riding quickly fell in behind him, following silently.

Balthys just stood there, still facing away.

Carys sighed, looking over at the somewhat stunned onlookers. "Sorry about that. Mum ran off when she was knocked up with Forester. Kept him til he was about eight. She just shoved him in the attic like some dirty little secret and tried to pretend he didn't exist. It really messed with his loaf. She just brought him back and dumped him off when she got tired of having him around. She stayed a couple of days and then split in the middle of the night again. She's not exactly the maternal type."

"Don't you talk bad about mum!" Celestial said crossly.

"Oh what are you going on about? You're lucky she only waited three years to dump _you_ off!" She looked over at the others, "Like I said, mum stayed a couple days when she dumped off Forester."

Celestial folded her little arms across her chest, glaring up at her sister.

Kulia had gone over to Balthys, who was still standing there with his back to them. "Are you ok?" She asked softly.

He took a deep, shuddering breath. "She just... she has emotional issues..." He said softly, "She'll come around. She _will_ come back..."

Kulia's eyes teared up. "You fell in love with her..."

He dropped his eyes. "No matter what I look like... no matter what is in my blood... I'm still a snow elf in my heart." he said in a hoarse whisper.

She wrapped her arms around him, holding him tight. He slipped his arms around her, hugging her back.

"I pray when you choose... you choose with much more wisdom than I have." he said in a low, aching voice. He held her for another moment, then released her and straightened, wiping his eyes on his sleeve. "This isn't the time for this." He said, turning and going back over to the others.

"Forgive me." He said penitently. "I'm sure the long standing issues of my family are not what is of interest to you right now."

Arthur stepped forward, "Did you see what happened?"

"We got there when the battle was nearly over. We tried to fight off the attackers, but they managed to apparate away with one of them. The other got away on the back of the other gargoyle, but I don't know where they went. They were both cloaked heavily against the cold, so I'm afraid I cannot even tell you which one was taken and which escaped."

"Which...?" Arthur asked, looking puzzled.

"Percy or Penelope. I believe those were the names..." He said, glancing over at Kulia, who nodded in agreement.

"Penelope?"

"Percy's wife." Balthys replied, perplexed. "Are they not relations of yours?"

Arthur was looking stunned. Molly looked like she might faint. Kulia shot a glance over at the twins. They were both pointedly avoiding meeting her gaze. "Yes... Percy is their son, but they've been on the outs for a while so they weren't aware he had married."

His eyes darted over to the twins as well, but then he just nodded. "I see. Well I hadn't intended to inform you of such a thing so abruptly. My apologies."

Arthur just nodded, still too stunned to speak.

Balthys looked over at Delse. "I know your earlier acceptance of us as guests was without full knowledge of our nature. I'll not hold you to it. We can find our own accommodations."

Delse waved it off. "Don't be ridiculous! There's nothing within a good hundred miles of here. We have more than enough room. Besides, we're family now, so I insist."

Balthys looked a bit surprised, glancing over at Kulia.

Kulia smirked, leaning closer. "She's shagging a shadow demon, and the others are getting quite fond of it as well. I don't think a little incubus blood is going to phase this crowd."

Balthys smirked, looking over at the others. None of them looked all that frightened of him. He was rather used to everyone being shocked, afraid or at least disgusted. It was quite a nice change.

Delse had been watching Forester pensively as he kept walking, growing more and more distant. "Um... you should really probably get him back... Even with a gargoyle, the grounds aren't very safe."

Balthys chuckled softly, "He's a quarter snow elf and a quarter incubus. Unless you have a nundu out there, he'll be just fine."

Delse looked thoughtful. "No... I'm pretty sure my late husband got rid of that when it took to eating the smaller dragons."

> > > > > > > > > > >

Draco had been a bit nervous at the thought of trying to heal perfect strangers at first... but once he'd started on his first 'patient' a strange sort of calm had settled over him. He knew the spells and he'd seen some pretty grievous wounds in his life (though most of those had been on his own body). Still, even he was surprised with how well he was handling this. He didn't flinch or get horrified by even the worst of the wounds he had tended. It was simply another challenge, and he was surprised how few were beyond his abilities. He'd only had to get a more experienced healer twice, and he'd tended to nearly twenty people already. His eyes had gotten him a second glance a number of times, but thankfully no one had appeared to recognize him. Draco suspected the demon had done a bit more than merely changing his hair color.

Darien's knowledge of Green Magic had even come in rather handy. He'd been passing by where one of the ranking Healers was having no luck removing a curse that was slowly killing a woman. Darien recognized the curse and took over almost immediately, pushing past the onlookers and starting to cast as soon as he reached her. She'd been alarmed when tendrils had shot from the tip of his wand. The plant-like creation formed a denser section over the wound, then spider webbed out around her, securing itself as the dense central portion sent thin, splinter-like thorns down into her skin. The pain of the punctures was negligible in comparison to what the curse was doing to her, but it had alarmed her. The woman's husband nearly had his wand out before the Healer caught hold of him, recognizing the spell. When Darien was done casting, he'd simply told her to leave it where it was, and that it would come off on its own once it had finished drawing out the curse, then walked away as they stared after him in shock.

Draco smirked as Darien eased back into the back of his mind. **_Tact and fair warning might be preferable in the future. If you've forgotten, us living folk prefer to have some explanation before someone comes bursting in and casting at us._**

**_That curse is like poison._** Darien replied patiently, **_You have to get to it as soon as possible. If it had reached her mind there would have been no saving her. Sometimes politeness is not an affordable luxury._**

**_Point taken, but just try not to do anything that will get us cursed or bludgeoned by people we're trying to help, ok?_**

**_I'll try._** Darien replied mirthfully.

Draco spotted a man who hadn't been tended to yet and headed over. There were still a few more wounded trickling in as volunteers sifted through the wreckage of Diagon Alley and recovered any that were still breathing. The man had a rather nasty wound on his leg that looked to be caused by flying shrapnel from stonework. He pulled over a chair and set to work. It was tedious removing the stone shards but he got the major ones and healed the wounds they left easily. Simple physical wounds were easy enough.

"That should hold it for now." He said, using a cleansing spell to clean off the blood and double checking his handiwork. "I've taken care of the major wounds and stanched the internal bleeding. We're just doing triage here, but you'll need a bit more work. Someone will be along shortly to collect you and take you to a room so they can finish putting you back to rights. They'll check for any remaining bits and you'll need deep tissue healing. Hopefully one of the regular healers will be able to tend to you within a couple of hours. If you start feeling pain before they get to you, just pull the call cord and someone will bring you a draught."

"Thank you." The man said a bit wearily, obviously weakened from bloodloss. "My daughter... we got separated..."

"What is her name?"

"Abigail. Abigail Litton."

Draco blinked, furrowing his brow. "I think I know her... short little thing with mousy brown hair? She goes to Hogwarts, doesn't she? Fourth year Hufflepuff?"

The man blinked up at him. "Yes. How did you know?"

"I go to Hogwarts as well. She filled in for the seeker on her House team for a couple games while he was recovering from a particularly bad hit he got from a bludger in practice. She was pretty good. They were daft to take their old seeker back when he was recovered and give her the boot, but considering I'm on an opposing team, I didn't object!" He'd also seen Blaise leading her into the Room of Requirement a couple months back, but he didn't feel this man really needed to know that.

"You're a student still?" He asked in surprise, glancing down at the robes he was wearing.

Draco glanced down as well. "Yes... well this is my first go at this job really, but you could say I have a rather extensive background." He said, quickly covering, "Situation like this they have to utilize anyone with training. My wife and I just came today to get a pregnancy test performed."

"You're married?"

Draco grinned and nodded, "Just got married yesterday. Got a wife and a baby on the way all in one night!"

The man smiled. "Congratulations. Sorry you had to have something like this happen right when you're just starting your healer training. I hope it doesn't make you change your mind!"

Draco glanced down at the bloodstains on his robes. "It's been a bit of an initiation by fire I suppose... but... " He looked around at the wounded and other healers in the room. "I never realized how gratifying a job it could be... I mean a couple of the people I've helped... they might have _died_ if I hadn't helped them... it's kind of a profound thought." He said introspectively.

His gaze fell on a small figure laying on a pile of blankets across the room. He stared, his eyes widening in recognition. The man followed his gaze. "House elf. There were a number of them. Don't know what they were doing in Diagon Alley, but they're the only reason there were this many of us left intact enough to make it here. As soon as the Death Eaters started attacking they worked together to put up some kind of shield... covered almost an entire block and none of the Death Eaters could get through it. It shocked the ones who tried pretty bad. Not even the Avada Kedavra could penetrate it! Never heard of anything able to deflect that curse. Most of the survivors here are the ones who were able to make it through into that shield. We passed through it like it was nothing... I don't know how it could tell who to let through... it was amazing."

"It wouldn't let anyone with the Dark Mark pass. It worked. Bloody Hell, it worked!" He said with a touch of awe, letting out a little laugh.

"You know the spell they used?" He asked, surprised.

Draco grinned. "I should. I helped teach them. That's my elf. My wife's brothers have a shop on Diagon Alley and I gave them six elves to help out for the holiday rush. Never even thought about them knowing that spell. All of my elves know it, but they've never had a chance to test it. I can't believe it worked!" He said, starting over towards the elf. He paused, glancing back, "I'll keep an eye out for Abigail and make sure they send her to your room when I find her." He said quickly, then hurried off.

A cloaked figure that had been silently observing them started moving after him. It stopped as Gladys clamped her hand on its shoulder, turning it around. "I thought that was you." She growled irritably, taking the figure by the arm, propelling it forcibly towards the door. "If I see you here again when you're uninjured, you won't stay that way!"

The figure glanced back into the room before the doors closed, shifting its head subtly in Draco's direction. A second figure that was standing in the shadows nodded back in acknowledgment and started drifting over in Draco's direction.

> > > > >

"Thyra. Hey, Thyra." Draco said gently.

The elf stirred, blinking her large eyes open and trying to focus them. "Master!" She squeaked, the glamour upon him not phasing her in the slightest. "Thyra is getting up." She said, shakily trying to rise.

He quickly pushed her back down. "Rest."

"Thyra is sorry master. I is being weak. The other elves is being at the shop. I is not wanting to leave my post, but I is not being able to stop them from taking me."

"You're exhausted. Let them take care of you. I heard what you and the others did. That spell couldn't have been easy on you."

"Master is not being mad at Thyra?" She asked, blinking in surprise.

He grinned. "Are you kidding? I've never been prouder." He said sincerely, stroking her bald head affectionately.

Her eyes filled with tears of joy. Considering the family she had served all her life, she hadn't heard many words of praise before.

He placed his hand on her chest. He could feel her muscles twitching from overexertion and strain. The spell had used far more energy than many elves were capable of maintaining for long, and they appeared to have encompassed more area and held it much longer than he would have thought possible. He muttered softly in elvish, tapping the back of his hand with his wand. Blue light sprang from his hand, flowing down into the elf. Slowly, her muscles relaxed and the strain eased from her face a bit. He regretfully pulled his hand away after a moment. He knew she could use more, but that would have to be enough. The spell was incredibly draining, feeding his own magic into her directly, and he knew he would still have need of his magic today. He stroked her forehead as her eyes drooped tiredly. "Sleep for now." He said softly, "I'll be back for you when I'm done."

"Yes master..." She said softly, drifting off even as she said it.

He draped a thin blanket over her, tucking it around her gently, then went off in search of Abigail.

He searched for nearly ten minutes before he caught sight of Abigail. She was laying on a gurney near the corner and Becka was at her side with her back to him. He slowed as he approached them. Becka's shoulders were shaking slightly and as he looked Abigail over he realized with a cold trickle of fear that her chest wasn't rising and falling.

He came to a stop beside Becka. She glanced over at him and he could see a tear sliding down her cheek. She quickly looked away, taking ahold of a sheet with hands that were trembling slightly. She didn't say a word as she draped the sheet over the girl. Draco closed his eyes and let out a pained breath. The worried, anxious look Abigail's father had worn when asking after her plagued him. For some reason he felt guilt welling up inside him. He'd told her father he would find her. Had told him he would send her back to him.

"She insisted I help the woman she came in with first. She kept her cloak closed. I had no idea her wounds were so bad. By the time I was able to get to her there was nothing I could do." Becka said, still staring at the shrouded form, her voice strained and aching. "I've never lost one before. I know it happens to every healer sooner or later... but..." She looked over at him, her bottom lip trembling, her eyes full of pain and brimming over with tears.

He sighed, reaching over and taking her into his arms. She pressed her face to his shoulder, breaking down and sobbing as he held her comfortingly, tears stinging in his own eyes. After a moment, she pulled herself together, pulling away and sniffling. "There's no time for this now." She said, wiping away the tears angrily. "Help me get some dividers around her until they can take her away. It's too distressing for the other patients to see sheet covered bodies laying about..."

Draco grabbed her hand as she made to go over to fetch the divider against the wall. She turned back towards him, surprised. "You go and take a breather. Splash some water on your face. I'll take care of this." He said gently.

She looked around at all of the work she still had to do, all the people who still needed help, and finally nodded. They needed help from someone who was calm and in control of their emotions and she needed to gather herself properly before she could tend to them competently.

When she had gone, Draco went to work moving the nearest divider around, his heart heavy. He placed it at the end of the gurney, bending the last section around a bit, trying to make as small a space as possible to give others room. He spotted another divider against a nearby wall and went over to get it. He had to go the long way to get it back around the gathered patients, some of which were simply sitting or laying on the floor. When he finally got it back and started to move it into place he froze. Blaise was standing on the other side, between the wall and the gurney, staring down at Abigail's shrouded body. His eyes were a brilliant white that all but glowed, the flashes of color he had seen before now blazing and swirling around like smoke in the wind. Draco looked around, then slipped around the divider and pulled it into place, enclosing them. He quickly pulled out his wand and cast a silencing spell on the dividers, then turned back to Blaise.

"Blaise! Where have you been?" He asked, moving closer.

Blaise seemed to know he was there, but didn't act as if he heard his question, intent only on the body before him. "Fix her." He said softly, continuing to stare down at the shrouded form.

"She's dead." Draco said sadly, "There'd be no point."

He looked over as the outside sounds suddenly returned. Pax was slipping between the dividers. The sounds ceased abruptly as he moved the divider closed again.

"Fix her." Blaise repeated, still seeming oblivious to his surroundings.

Pax looked over at him, his eyes beginning to glow. "What are you waiting for?"

Draco looked between them. They both seemed perfectly serious. Pax gave him a light shove towards the bed, then slipped around him, going up to the head of the gurney and peeling away the sheet, dropping it on the floor. Draco moved closer, then hesitantly opened her cloak. He flinched at the sight. He couldn't figure out how the girl had remained conscious when so badly injured, let alone able to walk in on her own and talk coherently.

"Get cracking!" Pax said with a smirk, "Not like she'll stay fresh!"

Draco looked over at him, puzzled, "Her insides are a wreck! I can't fix this! I wouldn't even know where to start! I wasn't exactly _conscious_ when they had to go poking about through my innards, and the diagrams I've seen hardly looked like this mess."

Pax rolled his eyes, reaching over and grabbing Draco's head, sinking his talons in without preamble. Draco's mind spun as a torrent of information flooded through it. It was even more disorienting than when Darien had done it. At least those thoughts had been familiar and human in origin. When his mind settled he found he knew the human body inside and out. Every last organ, muscle and bit of sinew was mapped out in his mind in explicit detail for males as well as females.

"Today if you please." Pax prompted with a smirk.

Draco blinked his eyes open, staring down at the girl before him once again. He instantly recognized every bit of exposed tissue and knew exactly where it should go. He brought his wand to bear, removing several large chunks of sheet glass and starting to magic her insides back together.

After a moment, he was shocked to his core as she took a breath. He looked up and saw Pax cradling her head in his hand, holding it carefully still. It was apparent that the talons of the hand nestled under her head were embedded in her. "Don't get too excited yet. Just tapping the primitive portion of her brain that controls baser functions like breathing and heartbeat. It's a lot more complicated to do manually than you'd think, so I hope you don't mind if I don't chat much..." He said, a look of concentration on his face.

Draco quickly went back to work and within a few minutes, he was closing her up. She would need some work for the finer repair, but he was confident that he had done a good job.

"Blood replenishing potions." Pax said, eyes closed in concentration.

Draco went over to the emergency cart against the wall and rifled through it until he found the requested potion, grabbing a couple and returning. He waited as Pax propped her up, then opened her mouth and poured in one of the doses. Pax shifted his hand slightly and she swallowed mechanically.

"Another." Pax said.

Usually the doses were given spaced apart by at least fifteen minutes or so, but from the look of her robes, she didn't have enough left in her to allow for much leeway in the matter. He poured another dose down her throat and watched as Pax made her swallow again.

Pax watched her for a moment until a bit of color returned to her pale cheeks, then nodded. "Well, here goes." Pax said, easing his talons out of her.

The breath sighed out of her, and she lay there lifelessly for a moment. Then her chest rose weakly. In a moment, her body had taken over, settling into a shallow, but somewhat steady breathing pattern.

"So we have a live vegetable. Now what?" Draco asked in exasperation.

Even as he spoke, Blaise was shifting closer to the girl. He slid his hand under her neck, tilting her head back a bit and gently opening her mouth. Draco watch in stunned surprise as Blaise leaned down and appeared to kiss her. Suddenly the fine hairs on his arms rose as the air around him seemed to crackle. Blaise slipped his arm around her and she took a sudden, deep breath.

He eased his lips from hers, but continued to hold her for a moment, running his hand down her back. "Stay put now, naughty girl..." He said softly, a little smile slipping over his lips as he gave her a gentle peck on the forehead and released her, shifting away from the bed.

"What did you do?" Draco asked, staring at the girl. Her breathing had deepened and settled into a steady pattern.

"Just putting back what she'd lost." Blaise said, glancing up at Draco. His eyes had eased back to half-turned, looking like they usually only did when he was drunk.

"You put her soul back? How did you even _get_ her soul?"

Blaise smiled. "It came to me of course. All the lost ones do, but hers was particularly eager. Seems she has a bit of a crush on me. Guess that 'present' I gave her for her fifteenth birthday made a bit more of an impression than I thought..."

"'All the lost ones'? What does that mean?" Draco asked, looking Blaise over worriedly. He was acting a bit more himself now, but his slightly distant, utterly calm manner was still rather disconcerting.

"The souls that didn't know where to go. Expelled from their bodies too quickly and left confused and alone. This place is full of them. I've found well over a hundred already..."

Draco's eyes widened, then darted around. "I haven't seen any souls wandering about."

Pax snorted, "Well you wouldn't have, would you? Souls are only visible to normal blokes like you if they've been pulled from their body before their time by a magical creature like a demon, wraith or Dementor. Ones that go naturally because of the death of their body would be invisible to you. Otherwise you'd be seeing them all over the place, now wouldn't you?"

"Oh..." Draco said softly. It made sense. He'd seen a number of people die, and had yet to see a soul drifting away from one of them. He looked up at Blaise. "Are you alright?"

Blaise sighed softly, closing his eyes. "Tired..." He said with a definite edge of weariness, his face looking a bit paler than usual, "Very tired... but there's too much left to do. We should get moving."

Draco reached out to feel his forehead, but Pax immediately seized his hand, pulling it away from Blaise. "Are you mental? Don't touch him!"

Draco pulled his hand away and glared at Pax. "What's your problem?"

Their attention was drawn over as Abigail stirred slightly. Blaise reached out, brushing her cheek. Her eyes fluttered open, going immediately to him. It took her a moment to focus on him, but when she did she blinked in surprise. "Blaise...?" She said uncertainly, her eyes shifting around somewhat dazedly, "What...?"

He smiled down at her. "You should rest. It will all make more sense once you've had a chance to settle back in."

"Settle back in?"

"You should sleep now. It will make it easier on you." He said before she could ask too many questions. "I'll see you at school."

"But..." She started, but Pax gently touched her temple and her eyes fluttered and closed as she sank into a deep, peaceful sleep.

Blaise brushed her hair away from her face affectionately, then sighed, moving out from behind the bed.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked in surprise as Blaise reached for the edge of the divider.

Blaise looked back at him and smirked. "Same as you I'd wager. I'm going to help people."

> > > > > > > > > >

"I don't understand it." Molly sighed in exasperation. "I know it's been fifteen years since I added a hand to this clock, but I'm sure I did it correctly..." She sighed again, then got up, taking the clock and returning it to the nail the house elves had put in the wall to hold it. She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head, puzzled. Ginny's hand was on 'Hospital', but the new hand containing Draco's picture rested firmly on 'Work'.

"Maybe it needs a bit more hair to work properly." Arthur suggested, trying hard not to look at Percy's hand, which still had not moved. The only solace the clock provided was the knowledge that he was not dead... at least not yet.

It was a testament to how much emotional strife Molly had been through recently that she was able to remain calm in the face of such trying times. As long as she had something to do, she could keep her mind of of what might be happening to her child. "No, I used a good three strands," Molly replied, "And it was much longer than the hairs I got from the children when they were babies. Maybe it'll right itself once they get back. I've never set a hand while the person I was adding was away."

"That's probably it, dear." He said softly. He was trying to sound supportive and encouraging, but his heart wasn't in it. The arrival of their new guests was the only thing keeping him from returning to their room once again. Somehow he felt it would be rude.

"Soon as they all get back I'll be getting hairs from the others as well. Seems we're all pretty much family now. I'm going to need a bigger clock..." She mused.

Arthur flashed her a little smile. That was a bit of an understatement. He looked over at where the wounded gargoyle lay at the far side of the room. Kulia was sitting tailor fashion, cradling its head in her lap and stroking its fur soothingly. Charlie and Balthys were both crouched beside it, avidly discussing gargoyle anatomy and how it compared to that of a dragon. Balthys showed him some new spells while they worked on tending to the gargoyle's wounds. Celestial was sitting on the other side between Tonks and Hagrid, watching avidly though somewhat tiredly as she lay propped against the side of her own small gargoyle. The other gargoyles had remained outside (much to Hagrid's disappointment), flying up and stationing themselves around the roof on the main portion of the Manor. Celestial and her father had both doffed their outer vestments, but still wore the light trenchcoat-like jackets that had lain beneath. Celestial's hair was a bright pearly white with just a sprinkling of black hairs, as if they were merely highlights in reverse. Her hair fell in a smooth flow, showing no evidence of horns.

Carys didn't have horns either... but they had still been a bit surprised when she took off her heavy cloak. They knew Carys and Forester's hair hadn't looked as bright as Kulia's, but the lack of light in that small alleyway had effected the twins' sight even more than they realized.

"So, how are you related?" Carys asked brightly, leaning over the back of the couch Ron was sitting on and peering at him intently, her long hair flowing down like a sheet of shimmering pearly pink. It was almost bubblegum colored, but much lighter.

Ron shifted a bit uneasily, she was draped over the couch very close to him, her shoulder brushing his. "Um... Fred and George are my brothers. They're the fathers of Kulia's twins."

"Ace!" She said with a brilliant smile (He noticed her eye teeth matched her father's, as did Celestial's). "That mean they're going to have orange hair?" She asked, reaching over and stroking his hair.

"Um... maybe. The color is usually referred to as 'red' or 'ginger' actually. It's dominant in my family, but I don't think we've ever had mixed species children before, so I'm not sure if it'll carry over... the white of a snow elf's hair seems pretty dominant..."

Carys grabbed up a snatch of her own hair and glared at it. "Tell me about it! Everything else those berries touch turns blood red, but will it work on this bloody stuff?" She huffed slightly, then dropped the bit of hair and started playing with his again. "I love the color of your hair... it's so rich and vibrant... I didn't even get any black hair. Just plain dull white. Mum was a blonde. Well, it was more like white hair actually, but she wasn't really old or anything. Just in her blood." She was staring at him intently again, shifting closer and staring at his face from mere inches away as if she found it fascinating.

"You have pretty spots..." She said with a grin.

He blushed, as much from her extremely close proximity as her words, "Um... freckles. Yes, well they tend to come with the hair color."

"I have spots too!" She said eagerly, "See?" She pointed to the bridge of her nose, then to her high cheekbones. From that distance, he could make out a few tiny little freckles spattered about. "Oh, and I have a bigger one too!" She said, and too his surprise, she shifted the rest of the way over, sliding down the back of the couch as she deftly twisted around to land on her back, her head coming gingerly to rest in his lap. She quickly untucked her shirt. He blinked as she pulled it halfway up and pointed out a small birthmark that was about the size of an average freckle near the middle of her flat, pale white belly.

"Um... that's very nice..." He said, shooting a somewhat furtive glance over at Pansy, who was sitting at his side. She had her hand over her mouth and was obviously trying hard to cover her amusement at how embarrassed he was getting at the girl's overly 'friendly' attention. "I'm Ron by the way. Don't think we were formally introduced... and this is my girlfriend, Pansy." He said, putting a slight emphasis on the 'girlfriend' part.

Carys looked over at Pansy and smiled. "Hi. I'm Carys."

"Pleasure to meet you." Pansy said with a smirk.

"So, does he have those spots all over?" She asked Pansy curiously, reaching over and pulling up the hem of Ron's shirt.

He quickly put his hand on his shirt, pressing it back down. "Ya. Pretty much all over." He said quickly. His ears were burning as he glanced over, seeing Bill and the twins cracking up silently across the room. His mother didn't seem quite as amused, but was holding her tongue. His father seemed a bit too distracted to even notice. Hermione's reaction was the only one he found truly odd. She was watching Carys almost as if she were viewing a particularly fascinating nature show.

His eyes were suddenly drawn over as Balthys rose from where he had been crouching. He had been working on the gargoyle for a good twenty minutes or so, and it looked as if the position it had forced him to maintain was less than comfortable. He did some stretches, then finally removed his thin jacket. He looked to have some kind of black cape on beneath, which Ron thought odd. How many layers of clothing did he need? Then he realized it wasn't a cape. A huge, bat-like wing stretched out, followed by the other. They all watched in fascinated silence as he flexed them and worked the kinks out. When he was done, the wings settled back neatly against his back, taking up surprisingly little room. He noticed their stares and grinned, "Sorry about that. Haven't had many places to stop and stretch properly along the way. Gets a bit cramped being pent up under a bunch of heavy clothing."

He then knelt back down and went back to work as if it were nothing to have a pair of wings with a wingspan of a good ten meters sprouting from your back. It was a true statement to just how large the room they were in was that he had been able to spread them to their full extent without at the very least knocking something over. Ron had thought Forester was just joking about wings before, but apparently not. He looked down at Carys, who seemed quite content with her current position, "Do you have wings too?" Ron asked curiously. He hadn't seen any sign of them on her, but Balthys was able to make his really compact, so he wasn't sure.

She grinned wolfishly, "Would you like to check?" she asked with a definite suggestiveness to her tone.

Ron blushed bright red once again.

"She doesn't have wings." A somewhat irritated voice replied. Ron looked over, spotting Forester making his way across the room. "She won the little genetic lottery there. All she got was the fangs." He paused looking them over. "And the hormones." He said, rolling his eyes. "Dad, could you put a leash on her or something?"

Balthys looked over and spotted his daughter, then sighed. "Carys, what did we talk about?" He asked with what sounded like somewhat worn patience.

Carys looked thoughtful. "Bubbles." She replied with a smirk.

"It's called 'personal space'. Humans, and most other creatures as well for that matter, need their own space. You are currently invading his."

She looked up at Ron, batting her eyelashes at him, "Am I invading your bubble?" She asked with a smirk, nestling down and nuzzling his belly affectionately.

"Um..." Ron stammered, clearing his throat, his cheeks blazing. Pansy was carefully hiding little fits of laughter at his embarrassment.

Balthys sighed and got up. He walked over and looped an arm around Carys' waist, picking her up bodily. He hauled her over and deposited her in a nearby empty recliner. "Stay." He said firmly, then returned to the gargoyle.

Carys pouted. She hooked her leg over the arm of the chair and flopped back, arms folded across her chest in an obviously petulant manner.

"You'll have to forgive her." Balthys called over his shoulder as he worked, "She's spent her whole life on an island with no one else but us and the very rare visitor or two, so she hasn't had much practice on the finer points of social propriety. Besides, it's close to the full moon and the females are a bit more effected by it. It's the peak of their hormonal cycle."

"No problem." Pansy said, shifting around a bit, slipping her legs up across Ron's lap. Molly, who had just taken her eyes off of the pink haired girl, gave her a little smile, obviously thinking the gesture was proprietary. Ron was studiously not looking at Carys or his mother, incredibly thankful to Pansy for obscuring an _achingly_ embarrassing problem.

Since Balthys had already revealed his wings, Forester didn't bother hiding his own. He shed his winter cloak and under jacket, hurrying over to the large fireplace and settling down on the floor with his back to it just as close as he could get. His hair, unlike that of his father and sisters, was almost a dishwater blond, though still very light. His eyes were the color of sunlit grass, making it easy to see where his mother had come up with his name. Without the long winter coat they could see he was wearing a ratty pair of faded Muggle bluejeans and what looked like an old, oversized and very worn black muggle t-shirt with a faded band logo on the front. It trailed all the way down to mid-thigh on him, split in two places in the back to allow for his wings of course, with buttons somewhat crudely affixed near the small of his back to close it back up. He rubbed his arms, trying to work some warmth back into them as his wings spread a bit to gather the heat of the fire. Unlike his father's wings, Forester's were light colored, looking no darker than lightly tanned skin and haphazardly mottled with paler markings. He looked up and caught Tonks staring at them and quickly jerked them back in, making them disappear behind his back as he blushed, shifting uneasily.

Tonks crawled over closer. "Why are yours so pale?"

He eyed her warily, "They darken with age. You want black wings you'll have to check back in a couple hundred years."

"Oh." She said, settling down a couple of feet from him. "Can I touch one?"

He just stared at her for a minute as if trying to spot some kind of deception in her innocently curious request. Tentatively he extended one towards her.

Tonks took ahold of it, feeling it. She was expecting it to be tough and leathery, but it felt more like a fold of soft flesh. It was warm to the touch and she could feel his rapid heartbeat pulsing through it. She looked closer at one of the light patches. The thin membrane-like flesh thickened there. She stroked her fingers down one and he suddenly snatched the wing back. By the time her eyes could dart up, it was already tucked neatly out of sight behind him.

"Sorry. Did I hurt it?"

He glowered at the floor. "No. They're pretty indestructible." He said shortly.

"He doesn't like people looking at his scars. I think he tried to get rid of his wings before." Carys said with a smirk.

"I did not!" Forester snapped.

"Then why do they look like that?" His sister asked, grinning.

"I told you before, that's none of your fucking business! Just shut up and quit talking out your ass about stuff you have no clue about!"

Carys rolled her eyes. "What a mouth!" She looked over at Tonks. "He spent his formative years listening to Muggle music and watching Muggle American television. Knowing mum, that was probably how he learned to talk. He certainly didn't get that vocabulary from us! Not to mention the funny accent..."

Forester just glared at her.

"Dad would have straightened him out, but as soon as mum took off, so did Forester. Went off and built himself his own little shack. Dad tried to convince him to come back, but he wouldn't, so he just built him something a bit nicer and left him be. There's food growing all over the island year round and it's not like there was anything there that could hurt him, but dad gave him one of the gargoyles to watch over him anyway. We've only seen him occasionally when he comes for his share of the shipment of clothing and odds and ends from the mainland dad has flooed in each month. Forester usually tries to slip in and swipe it unnoticed though. Not much for mixing with other folk. Right little hermit."

"And you should have just left me there." He muttered darkly. "I've done just fine on my own. I wouldn't have even noticed you were gone."

Tonks' eyes widened. Forester was so irritated and distracted that he didn't even notice what he was doing. A long, slender tail that had obviously been wrapped around his waist had uncoiled, slipping out from under his t-shirt, the end lashing irritably. Tonks reached out, touching it as it momentarily came to rest near her. Forester jumped slightly, his eyes darting over. She was running her fingers over the flat, spade shaped tip.

When he didn't pull it away immediately, she grew bolder, picking up the end and placing it in her hand so she could examine it closer. The spade was about the size of the palm of her hand. It was soft as well, feeling like nothing more than muscle covered in delicate skin. It conformed to her hand, and as she stroked her fingers over it, it tentatively curled around one of them. She grinned as she stroked it, enjoying the feel of it pressing up against her palm. It reminded her of a thin, smooth tongue in a way. It was extremely supple and very warm, almost hot. She moved her examination down a bit more, looking at the tail itself. Unlike the tip, it was firm and somewhat bony. She could feel the ridges of the many small vertebrae that made the main part of the tail very flexible as well. It was narrow where it joined with the thin, boneless tip, but quickly thickened to about an inch in diameter, then stayed pretty consistent after that, thickening only slightly near the base.

"Why is it I can't even be sociable and Forester get to be fondled right in front of everyone without anyone saying so much as a word?" Carys asked plaintively.

"Leave your brother alone, Carys." Balthys said with a sigh, not even bothering to look over.

Tonks was looking from Forester, who was now blushing all the way to the tips of his delicately pointed ears, to Carys, who was looking extremely amused. "What? It's just a tail..."

Carys shifted around, hanging over the arm of the chair and cupped her hand, whispering into Tonks' ear. Tonks listened. After a moment her eyes went wide, then darted down to the tail. Carys giggled, then leaned over again and whispered for another moment before plopping back into her seat, grinning and watching her brother's discomfort with relish as she giggled merrily.

"You don't say..." Tonks said softly, her fingers stroking slowly over the spade and on down the tail a bit as she stared at it with renewed fascination, a little smile drifting over her lips.

Forester shifted uneasily, gently slipping his tail out of her grasp. He lifted the edge of his t-shirt, letting the tail slip back under, coiling around his waist and disappearing from sight once more.

"Tails." Carys said, shaking her head. "Just hanging out there in plain sight like that. Must suck to be an incubus."

"But... aren't you all incubuses?" Ron asked uncertainly.

Hermione let out a little amused snort. "_Incubi_, Ron. And only the males are called that. The females are called a succuba or succubi for plural. Well, that's the correct form at any rate. Most people call them a succubus, but the 'us' extension is masculine in Latin. The name comes from the Latin _succubare_ which means 'to lie under', as opposed to the masculine incubus which means 'to lie on top'."

"'To lie on top?'" Ron asked, furrowing his brow.

"Yes... well..." Hermione said, suddenly blushing brightly.

Forester rolled his eyes, "They are demonic sexual predators. They molest people while they're sleeping."

"Actually, the encounter might not have been sought out in most cases," Hermione said quickly, her desire to correct the overly negative description overriding her embarrassment, "But it is usually described as quite pleasurable. They don't hurt their 'victims', though some say they do draw off sexual energy in a vampire-like manner. They caused quite a bit of stir in the Muggle world during the rise of the Christian belief system, which views such activities as appalling sins and sacrilegious, but they are usually seen as being rather harmless overall. One of the nicer varieties of creatures labeled as 'demonic' really. They are also said to be very powerful magically. In fact, Merlin was said to be half incubus."

"Ya, well let's see how far he'd have gotten if he looked like me!" Forester said, ruffling his wings.

"Forester!" Balthys said in an exasperated tone.

"What? Come on! I look like fuckin Satan!"

Balthys turned, glaring at his son. "You _do not_ look like Satan! Now stop it. We've all been Baptized, as you well know and not one of us melted or burst into flame or some bloody thing like that! If someone insists on thinking we're evil, then they can go discuss it with the _priests_."

"Forester had to be Baptized twice!" Carys said in a mirthful stage whisper.

"That had nothing to do with him." Balthys replied immediately, "I just wasn't sure his mother had gotten him Baptized, so I did it again just in case. It's probably just an old wives tale about that being what keeps us of incubus blood from turning evil, but better safe than sorry." He said with a shrug, "Besides, like the young lady said, even the pure blooded incubi aren't completely without redeeming qualities. I certainly never heard my mother complain."

Hermione quickly nodded. "Some people were even said to have sought out encounters with them, feeling that the energy they might syphon off was more than worth the pleasure they received in return."

Forester snorted derisively. "Who would want to have sex with a winged freak? I mean if women were so desperate for sex that they'd voluntarily spread their legs for _us_, then dad wouldn't have to keep mooning over mom like a lovesick school boy, now would he?"

Balthys, who had just been returning to his work, turned sharply, glaring at his son. "My love for your mother is not just a matter of other women being unavailable. I'll have you know I've been with quite a number of women in my life."

"Well you're like five hundred years old! Anyone could have found their way into a loose pair of panties or two in that amount of time!" Forester replied dismissingly.

"Not that you ever bother to _ask me_ about my past, as intent as you are on living in denial of your lineage, but I've been married six times, and fathered twenty three children. That I know of. Not including you three."

Forester was looking at his father in stunned silence. Even Carys had pulled her eyes off of Ron and was now staring at Balthys. "Where are they? Why haven't we met any of them?" She asked once she'd shaken off her shock.

Balthys dropped his eyes, his face taking on a slightly haunted look. "Because they're all dead." He said softly, "My first two wives died of sudden sicknesses. They were Muggles and with medicine what it was back then, they only made it to around their mid fifties, even with my help. My other wives and my children died in accidents, a couple of duels, and... two I lost to wizards who sought to use them in some bloody spell or another. After my last son died when he was only in his twenties I gave up on having a family. It was just too painful when they left... I dropped all contact with other people... even my own family, and left. That's when I found our island. I've lived there ever since. Meeting your mother was pure chance. The warding spells around the island were weakening and I had to return to the mainland to get some of the supplies I would need to renew them. I went to a relative I knew would have what I needed and that's where I met her. We were no more than friends for a good five years or so before... well, before any of you ever became possibilities." He said with a small, wistful smile.

They all looked over as a house elf burst through the door breathlessly. It came to a stop as it saw all eyes turn towards it, taking a step back in embarrassment. "Begging your forgiveness." It squeaked, then shuffled a bit self-consciously over towards Arthur, holding out a slightly crumpled envelope. "This is arriving for you. It is looking urgent, so I is bringing it right away."

Arthur snatched the envelope from the elf's hand and looked at it. His name was scrawled across it with obvious haste, followed by 'Zabini Manor'. Arthur flipped it over. There was no seal, the flap just being tucked into the envelope to hold it shut. He pulled it open and took out the letter. The writing was just as hurried looking on the letter itself. Arthur tried to keep his hands from trembling as he read it. Molly hurried over, reading it aloud from over his shoulder:

I know you hate me, and I know I have no right to ask, but I have no one else to  
turn to. I need help desperately. I know I cannot evade my pursuers much longer.  
I assume this creature that has aided me was sent by you, for which I am eternally  
grateful as without it I would surely have been captured, but it is injured and  
I'm not sure how much longer it can continue on. There has been some kind of  
disturbance, and most of the Aurors have left the Ministry building. I know it  
inside and out and can move through it unnoticed, and for the moment it is  
providing me with refuge. I doubt they will think to look for me here of all places.  
I will try to meet you at your office. Please come as soon as you can. You are the  
only family and the only hope I have left.

"Who's it from? Percy or Penelope?" Charlie asked quickly, hurrying over and looking over his other shoulder.

Arthur shook his head. "It's unsigned, and it's been written too quickly for the handwriting to be recognizable."

"Could be a ploy." Bill said grimly.

Arthur looked up, seeing a second elf entering the room. He held a somewhat battered looking owl perched on his arm. It was Percy's owl.

Arthur stood suddenly. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He said briskly, handing the letter to his wife and starting for the door.

"You aren't going alone!" Charlie said quickly, hurrying around and getting in front of his father, blocking his way.

Bill was right behind him, as were the twins.

"Too right!"

"We aren't letting you run off alone!"

"It could be a trap!"

"Of course it could be!" Arthur said irritably, "That's why none of you are going. I've already got one son on the wrong side of that bloody clock, I'll not take the rest of you into an unknown situation!"

"Draco's insistence that all of you remain on the grounds was for your own protection." Kulia said softly from where she sat as she gently shifted her gargoyle's head off of her lap, "Lucius isn't likely to be amused by his son marrying into your family. If he gets ahold of any of you..."

"Yes, well he may well already have one of us!" Arthur said shortly, then reeled himself in a bit as he saw the alarm and worry in his wife's eyes. "I'll not put any of my other children in danger." He said firmly.

"Absolutely correct." Kulia said, rising. "It'll just be the two of us."

"No bloody way!" The twins said in perfect unison.

"I must agree." Balthys said quickly, "There's no reason for you to be there and no way I'm going to let you take that kind of risk." He dropped his voice, "You can't risk those babies again. It was blind luck that it was us you found in that alley instead of a group of those men waiting to kill you."

Kulia's hand drifted unconsciously to her belly and she gave him a pained expression. "My gargoyle is hurt. You heard what she read..."

"Someone else can care for it." He said gently, then turned to Arthur. "Do they check people when they enter? It might be a bit difficult to explain me to your authorities..."

Arthur shook his head. "They would hold us up for hours if they got a peek at you. No offense, but I doubt you're properly registered."

"Well, it's me then." Charlie said grimly.

"No!" Arthur said in exasperation.

"There's no more time to waste, dad." Charlie said as gently as possible.

Arthur looked grim, but let out a sigh and nodded. "Me and you then."

"And me." Tonks said, rising. "I need to check in anyway if there's something going on over there."

"Fine. Let's go then." Arthur said impatiently. He paused, kissing Molly on the cheek comfortingly, then led the way quickly out.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - Sorry this took longer. Last week was terribly busy, stressful and tiring, then the weekend that followed was even worse, then of course that meant I was sick by monday. Been feeling wretched and my head has been aching like mad for days. Hard to write and edit with what feels like ice picks through your eyeballs. I intended them to leave the hospital in this chapter, but it will have to be the beginning of the next because I know that won't be a short bit (least not short enough to fit in this chapter comfortably). Gotta wrap that up and all. I'll try to get the next chapter out soon. So far as I know I should have a bit of writing time this weekend.

LMAO - In the current copy of Movie Magic, "Harry Potter's new adventures unfold" they have an interview with Daniel Radcliff (Harry) in which they say, "Dan kind of likes 'older' women!" (giggling giddily) TOLD YOU! It's a brill magazine actually. Cost $10, but it has almost literally half the mag dedicated to Harry Potter. They even have an article at the end about Harry Potter fanfic! I wouldn't use it as reference material, because they have more glaring mistakes than you can shake a stick at (Tons in the sections where they try to tell you about like the spells and people and such, and in a couple of picture captions) and that's just the ones I saw while glancing through (I even saw them misspell Voldemort! Where's their spell checker man?), but they mostly have interviews and such, and there are some more current pictures of them that make it worth it. My only real complaint (ok, other than poor research in areas) was that I only saw three pics with Draco, and only one of them (a head shot) was current. I'd really like to see how he's maturing so I can get a better mental image of what he'd look like at nearly seventeen. Ginny is also finally starting to look a bit more like a teen. I think they only had one pic of her... surprise, surprise! Man... Ron actually is getting cute... (chuckles) hey! I said GETTING. Of course, he's almost seventeen now irl... not much longer til he'll be legal! ;P What I found shocking was the pic of Percy! Now he _is_ actually cute with the longer hairstyle! I was stunned. (can anyone tell I have a thing for redheads?) I think he looks old enough for me to say he's cute without people getting all 'Ew! He's half your age!'. Course I'm rather fond of Snape as well, and he could easily be my father! (age wise! no hanky panky with my mum!) The character isn't that much older than me, but the actor (I hate to tell ya if you don't know already) is quite nearly twice my age! Well, if he were perhaps 4 or 5 years older anyway. I still can't believe it when I look at him in his Snape getup. He looks positively shaggable. Well, I preferred him in the first movie. They changed the cut of his clothes a bit and made subtle changes to his hair and such after that I believe and he didn't look quite as attractive. I suspect too many of us lonely gals found him hot and they wanted to reinforce that he isn't supposed to be liked so they made him less appealing (though he still has his 'damn I wanna shag him!' moments anyway). Why do I always seem most attracted to the 'bad' characters? Anyway, I'm just babbling now so I'll cut off this conversation. On to the answer portion of our program:

DreamDeferred - Actually Tobias is not a Muggle. He's a wizard. In fact, his talent was too strong. That was the problem that caused the memory charms not to work properly. He and his family live on the outskirts of Hogsmeade, an entirely magical town, so they would have to be magical. Besides, they'd hardly leave Muggles running about free in their magical hospital!

Vixenfairy27 - FYI - girl. Now as to the question... No, Narcissa is not a werewolf. It is just a procedure only usually done on them, because werewolves are the only ones with which the benefits of moving the child to a non-werewolf surrogate mother would be worth the risk of losing the baby. It was developed for them to try to make it so their children might have a chance at a normal life.

Morena Evensong - About Narcissa knowing Lupin was a werewolf. Well, I'm sure she was a very bright girl, she's Sirius's first cousin, and I suspect she may have paid a bit more attention to Lupin than most :) Overall, I thought it a reasonable guess that she could have divined his true nature. Not to mention that in the little 'flashbacks' from the pensieve, the 'Marauders' didn't seem super careful with not mentioning anything. I remember them joking about it not too discretely after their O.W.L. exam and having to be hushed. Heck, if she was anywhere near them at the time then she might have overheard and found out right then! Not to mention Snape found out (quite nearly the hard way), so he may have let it slip to some of the other Slytherins. I mean he would have been more than happy to see Lupin expelled.

Tsuyoi-84 - Narcissa saw his eyes the first time we 'saw' her, and she spent time talking with Arthur and Molly when explaining about the wedding, and Arthur knew (and we know he told them about Harry and the demon at that time), so I assume they would have told her about Darien then. With this many characters, I find I'm having to let my readers 'assume' a lot, which I know isn't good, but hey, you'd all be bored senseless otherwise (as would I!).

Nanook1844 - I agree that it's irritating when people, for example, call Winky 'elf' all the time, but that's because she has a name, they KNOW the name, and yet feel her unworthy of even the modicum of respect using her name would require. And as for people who name their dog "Dog", well that's just laziness or total lack of imagination at work IMHO. The demon, on the other hand, they do not know the name of, and he has been called simply 'demon' for over 700 years and doesn't seem to have any problem with it. He _has_ a name, but he chooses not to share it with them, and therefore accepts a 'generic' name, and they are respecting his wishes. What I think would be disrespectful would be if they tried to give him a name just because they would be more comfortable with calling him something a bit more personal. He's not a dog that they can just name as they see fit.

Dweeb - no, Blaise hasn't stolen any souls. He is merely absorbing free floating souls that have become 'lost' and don't know where to go. Most of them had just been drifting around the hospital aimlessly for years. The wraith in him draws them like a magnet.

Jenny777 - I have tried writing without ellipses or at least cutting back because people have complained about it before... but it doesn't seem to work ;P It's just how I write. Truth be told, I have no great burning desire to change it either. Like I said, it's just my style. If it annoys you just copy it into a word editor and do a search and replace and replace them all with commas or something, but I just don't feel it looks right without them. Spent too much of college online I guess, so I know how very differently people can take what I write just because they read it differently than I would. You can say the same words ten different ways and get as many different meanings out of them. I add the pauses (...) and inflections (italics and bold) on occasion because I want people to know how the words were _intended_ to be read.


	68. Chapter 68

A/N - Adult stuff. Just near the beginning. Don't skip the rest of the chapter if you're not the type that likes that kind thing or you will have no frickin clue what's going on. This is the repost of this chapter that I promised. I didn't make near as many corrections as I thought I'd have to, but I did insert one whole scene and bits and pieces here and there. Don't want to give anything away, so if you just want to read that new scene scroll down to the end authors notes and I'll tell you where it is.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Chapter 68

Draco sighed as one of the helpers led away the woman he'd just finished patching up. The latecomers had been among the worst. They were the ones who had been trapped under rubble and such. A number of them hadn't made it until the searchers could find them, or had expired in transit. A couple had even died while being tended to, though luckily not by him. He felt a bit guilty being glad someone else was going to be the one left wondering if they had done something wrong, or if there was more they could have done... but at the same time, he wasn't sure he would have handled it as well as they did. Healer training must include some kind of grief management training, because he didn't think he would have been capable of just getting up and moving on to the next patient like he'd seen a couple of them have to do.

Becka had always been a strictly research and special cases healer. She'd probably never even imagined she would someday lose a patient. Of course she hadn't really. He had to grin as he remembered her reaction when she'd seen Abigail picking her way through the others, looking for her father. The girl was probably still wondering why a full grown woman had latched onto her and started sobbing hysterically. He had given Becka a little smile when she had looked over at him, but she hadn't asked him any questions, for which he was grateful.

There had been a sudden influx of new healers in the past hour or so. He'd seen at least a dozen that he didn't recognize, all of different nationalities. St. Mungo's must have sent for reinforcements. It was certainly a lucky thing since the searchers had recently uncovered a basement were a good thirty people had managed to take refuge. Many of them might not have made it if not for the new healers who had been fresh enough to take up the slack left by St. Mungo's own now exhausted staff.

Draco looked around, feeling a bit dazed. The only wounded nearby were already being tended to. He took a deep breath and sighed it out, moving over to an empty gurney and flopping down on it. He'd never felt so drained from just spellcasting. He doubted he could so much as light the tip of his wand at this point. He just lay there on his back, one leg dangling off the side of the gurney, feeling the slightly chill air cooling his bare chest. He felt like shifting his robe to cover himself a bit more, but he couldn't work up the energy to. The gurney was surprisingly comfortable actually. He felt his head lulling to the side as weariness began to overtake him.

The gurney shifted beneath him.

"I'm fine... just getting up..." He said quickly, though he couldn't quite muster the strength to follow through on it.

His eyes sprang open as he felt a body settle down beside him, an arm slipping around his waist. "Ginny! What are you doing here?" He asked tiredly as she smirked up at him.

"What did you expect me to do? Just sit there waiting patiently, having no idea where you'd run off to? You have any idea how long you've been gone?"

He blinked, thinking about it. "Haven't a clue. A week?" he asked with a little smile. He knew it couldn't really have been more than a couple of hours, but it certainly _felt_ like a week.

She grinned and started to shift closer, then pulled back. "Agh! You're a right mess!" She said, pulling out her wand and casting cleansing and scouring spells on him, and on the few smudges of blood she'd already managed to get on herself as well of course. In moments all that was left was a few vague stains on the previously pristine white healer's robe. She sighed, "I'm going to have to work on my cleaning spells looks like." She shrugged and tucked her wand back away, snuggling up against him. "You look exhausted."

"Funny... that's exactly how I _feel_ too." he said with a little grin, letting his eyes drift shut again.

"You also look a bit odd with that color hair. Don't get me wrong, it looks good on you, just not what I'm used to..."

He reached up, touching his hair as he remembered what the demon had done. "Oh yeah... well I couldn't exactly go around with my hood up. This bloody robe doesn't even have one. It's just a glamour so people wouldn't recognize me, what with that bloody article. Suppose it's a good thing, really. White isn't my color, but hopefully it doesn't look quite as bad with darker hair..." He said with a smirk, then blinked, looking down at her, "In fact... how did you recognize me? I mean I've seen a couple people I know here and they didn't seem able to recognize me... I figured there was a bit more to this little 'glamor' than just hair color..."

She grinned. "It was a bit odd when I first saw you, there was something about you that didn't seem to want to let me recognize you... but I don't think any glamor could hide you from me for long... when I close my eyes and try, I can feel you..." She said with a grin, slipping her hand over to rest on the unicorn horn symbol etched on his belly where it peeked out of the top of his pants.

He grinned and slipped his hand down, entwining his fingers with hers, then met her kiss eagerly as she shifted closer. When she let up, she sighed contentedly, shifting down and laying her head on his chest. "What happened to your shirt anyway?" She asked after a moment.

He let out a little embarrassed laugh. "Um... don't ask."

She grinned, "Ok... for now." She said mischievously. "Your mum was asking after you."

He stirred, opening his eyes again. "Is she alright? Are... _they_ alright?"

She nodded against him. "She's still pretty out of it though. Cullis wandered up a bit ago to check on her. He looked almost as done in as you do, but he said she was doing well. Both of the babies are all settled in and thriving." She lay there thoughtfully for a moment, "Isn't that odd? She conceived the same night that I did. One night and she's going to be a grandmother, and a mother again as well!"

"With any luck, maybe she'll be a wife again soon too, but _by choice_ this time. They were looking a bit cozy, weren't they?"

Ginny grinned. "Ya... I'd say it's a bit soon to be making any kind of assumptions considering it's been like twenty years since their little... _whatever_ it was that happened in school. Still, I hope they do get together. He's a good, gentle and loving man. I think they'd make a good match, and they both certainly deserve some happiness after the lives they've had to endure, and they've already waited more than long enough to be together. It'll almost be like a whole new start for her. A new man in her life... well, different at least... and new children..." She let out a little sigh, "_Twins!_ She's a lot braver than I am. I'm scared silly and I'm only having one baby!"

He pulled her tighter, "Well I'm not going to let anything happen to you and you're going to be the best mother ever, so don't worry." He sighed happily. "I need to have Blaise get you one of those little model houses to design too. We should really have a home ready for when the baby arrives. I know we'll probably be just about back in school, if it doesn't run over into school a bit that is! But..."

"Our own house?" She asked, shifting up and staring at him.

He grinned. "You didn't think we would stay at that wretched Manor, did you? It's no place to raise children. Besides, I've been dying to get out of there for... well pretty much since I could form such thoughts! No idea what I'll do with the Manor, since I doubt anyone would want to buy it, but I certainly have no intention of ever living there again. I'm sure mother would like to get out of there as well. I'd level it, but I don't think that's possible. It's been charmed and warded against damage and attack for centuries."

"A new home would be just fine with me... to tell you the truth, I wasn't exactly comfortable there. Well... except perhaps in your room..." She said, nuzzling up to him. She cracked her eyes open, peeking up at him, "You weren't going to insist we make it some gaudy color like Blaise's, were you?"

He chuckled. "Na. You can pick. Anything but white. Never going to live in a white home again. Just give it some color and I'll be happy.

"Definitely colorful." She murmured. She shifted her hand up, brushing back his sleeve. "How's your arm doing?"

He looked down at his tightly bandaged arm in surprise. "I'd forgotten all about it... it's fine I guess. Don't really feel any pain anymore I don't think... but then again, I might just be too tired to notice."

"You should probably keep the bandage on until morning just in case." She said, absently running her fingers over the St. Mungo's emblem embroidered on his robe.

He noted her attention and blushed. "Not exactly my usual attire." He let out a little chuckle, brushing his own fingers over the symbol. "Father would be livid if he ever saw me in this getup. He's always thought of Healers as servants. He never could understand why some people would choose to serve others... to wear these robes and go about healing people. I wonder if he's ever tried it. Healing others that is. Then again, I'm not sure he'd be able to comprehend it even if he did. _Dispensing_ pain is the only pleasure he seems to know... and for that reason alone, I almost feel sorry for him. He'll never know what it feels like to bring someone back from the brink of death... to know that someone is alive because of you... to take away someone's pain and make them whole again. It's... the most amazing feeling I've ever felt..."

Ginny looked into his eyes. She'd never seen him look so at peace before. She sighed happily, "I wouldn't mind being a Healer's wife..." She said with a grin, leaning over and kissing him deeply. They just lay there for a time, kissing and forgetting all about their surroundings.

When they settled back into just holding eachother he smiled, closing his eyes. "Father must be playing merry Hell right about now. Those house elves I gave your brothers put up a shield that protected nearly a whole block from what I'm told. Only kept out the Death Eaters and their spells. The other people were able to get through it and take refuge there. Probably really cut down on the death toll they were expecting."

Ginny's eyes popped open and stared up at him incredulously. "House elves? How could they cast a spell like that?"

"We taught them to. Father was always completely paranoid, so he assumed there was always a chance his precious 'Dark Lord' and his minions would turn on him one day. He has aspirations of taking over the reins once that bloody snake finishes taking out the competition, hoping either he and Potter will kill eachother, or that the survivor would be weak enough to finish off easily, then _boom_. He'd be in charge. He knew if that was ever discovered he would be history if he didn't have some kind of protection. He did most of the research on it... but I helped a lot with the specific spellcasting techniques. He'd never bothered to get to know the house elves' capabilities, so he had no idea how to do it wandless. He was probably surprised I would voluntarily help him in one of his endeavors. Hell, a shield that could be cast by any common house elf that could block out Death Eaters and even the Avada Kedavra? It was the only worthwhile project he's ever undertaken. Bet he's doing his nut right about now. What I would have given to see his face when that shield went up! Oh, and to see him trying to explain it to his precious 'Lord'! That would be priceless! That one really came back and bit him in the arse. He never counted on his house elves hating him so completely after lifetimes of nothing but abuse from him that they would accept a simple Ministry decree that he held no legal standing as good enough and sever all ties to him. Hell, right now they'd kick his arse but good if he came after me while they were around, and with great pleasure at that!"

Ginny giggled. "I'd like to see that." She said, kissing him again.

"Beat it before I sic Gladys on you again!" A voice growled nearby.

Draco broke the kiss, glancing over. Harry was shoving a shrouded figure towards the door. It scurried out quickly. When Harry returned his attention to Draco, Draco saw he was once again wearing his old robes and glasses, though his scar was still obscured. "Come on. They have more than enough people here, and you're obviously wiped out. You should head back up." He said wearily, ruffling his fingers through his hair, "Snape's already started looking for Blaise. We'll find him and bring him up."

Draco nodded, then furrowed his brow. "Potter?"

Harry flashed him a little smile and nodded. "Quick on the uptake, aren't you? _He_ is taking a nap now... Conked out about twenty minutes ago. Least he was nice enough to toss me a few spells before he left me all on my own. I'm not exactly as experienced at healing as you obviously are. I've heard the other Healers talking. You've made quite an impression. They won't be able to figure out who you are until we're gone though. Well, Becka was right there when he cast that glamour, so she obviously knows, and he kinda granted a few other ranking Healers 'permission' or whatever in case you needed people to vouch for you, but the rest don't. _Snape_ didn't even recognize you while staring directly at you. Of course he didn't recognize me either until I told him who I was. These are some pretty impressive glamors. I wonder if he'll teach me how to cast them..." He said, rubbing his forehead where his scar lay beneath its concealment. He looked down at Draco again. "Never would have figured _you_ to be the type to go about healing people."

Draco didn't take offense at his words, though Harry usually had a way of getting on his nerves with pretty much every comment he made. "Me either." He replied honestly, "Probably a good thing no one recognized me really. This would hardly be good for my reputation." He said with a grin.

Harry let out a snort of laughter before he was able to clap a hand over his mouth to stifle it. As he got himself under control, he dropped his hand. "Ya. Sure. Real good thing no one noticed." He said with a bit of a knowing smile that made Draco wonder. "Well, you two head up, I'll round up the wraith." He said merrily, moving off before Draco could question him further.

"Hey, get my elf while you're at it!" He called after Harry's retreating back. Harry just waved in acknowledgment, not even turning or pausing. Draco looked down at Ginny. "What do you suppose that was about?"

"No idea." She replied, just as puzzled. "We probably _should_ get going though. We've done everything we came for and then some, and Mum must be beside herself with worry by now."

Draco nodded and wedged himself up into a sitting position as Ginny slid off the other side of the gurney. She came around and helped him up with a smirk, then slipped an arm around his waist under his robe. He draped his arm around her shoulders and made his way wearily towards the door. When they were out in the main reception area, it was blissfully empty and silent. He sighed in relief and led her over towards the closet where Becka had stashed his robe. Blaise probably wouldn't care if he left it, but he could hardly wear the healer's robe out. When he had the door open he tapped the panel just inside and a pale globe of light sprang to life against the back wall. He looked around. They had obviously had to grab a lot of supplies hastily from the small storage space. It was about half empty. That should have made it all the easier to spot his robe, but what supplies were left were in great disarray and he didn't see it anywhere. Ginny closed the door behind them as he started to pull off his healer's robe.

He stopped in surprise as Ginny put a hand on his shoulder. "Don't take it off yet..." She said in a soft voice. He looked around at her in surprise. There was something in her eyes... and the way she was smirking at him. She sidled up to him, straightening his robe back into place, then slipped her arms around him, pulling him up against her. She looked up at him. "Just how tired are you?" She asked suggestively.

His eyes widened as a smirk flitted across his lips. "What did you have in mind?"

She chuckled, running her hands down his back, then letting them come to rest on his bum, "Hmm... I've got a cute young Healer in a supply closet... too tired from a long day of saving lives to muster much resistance... I can't help but wonder if he'll give in and let me have my way with him..." She purred, pressing up against him and nibbling on his neck.

He let out a little groan. He loved it when she got assertive. His answer wasn't too difficult for her to discern. He may be tired, but he wasn't _dead!_ She grinned, easing back and undoing his pants, pushing them and his boxers down. She kissed him deeply, scootching him back, then guided him to sit on an open spot on the bench that held the towels and bedding.

He watched with a grin as she stripped off her pants and knickers. "I should have worn a skirt!" She said with a rueful smirk. She left her robe and the rest of her clothes where they were, not waiting any longer. She tossed aside her knickers and pushed him back so he was leaning back against the wall. She then deftly straddled him, placing a knee on the bench on either side of him, just as she had out in the garden. He found he greatly preferred it while in a warm closet and half naked. She let out a groan and started kissing him fervently as their bodies joined together. Their unicorn horn marks rubbed together, sending sparks of pleasure through them. He shifted forward a bit on the bench, pulling her hips closer to try to bury himself deeper.

She broke the kiss with a little inarticulate sound of pleasure, quickly starting to move. In moments she was having to grasp handfuls of his robe to keep from falling off as fiercely as she was riding him. The crackling energy caused by the friction between their marks settled into a continuous flow of pleasure radiating throughout their entire bodies. He kept his hands on her hips, but it was more for extra support... she appeared to require very little effort on his part.

Despite not doing much of the work himself, he was soon gasping for breath. He just watched her, amazed by her fervor. When she looked at him again her eyes were half lidded and filled with more raw lust than he'd ever seen there before. It took all of his will not to finish right then and there. He let out a deep moan, shutting his eyes as his hands trembled slightly with the effort to hold out.

Suddenly she wrapped her arms around him, thrusting up against him as she let out a strangled cry. He let himself crash over the edge with a groan of blissful release as she trembled and shuddered against him. It was several long moments before her body very slowly started to relax. They just sat there, holding eachother and panting for breath between light, tender kisses.

Once they had both settled down a bit, he let out a contented sigh. "Ok, ok... you've convinced me. I'll have Diamond whip up a healer's robe as soon as we get home." He said with a smirk, "Shall we add a supply cabinet to our new home, or would you settle for house calls?"

She just giggled, kissing him again.

> > > > >

As they approached the door of Gray Feather's room, Draco spotted Cullis standing there talking with Becka and Harry. They looked over as he came to a stop a couple of feet from them, making him feel a bit uneasy with the avid way they were watching him. Much to his surprise, Cullis held out a neatly folded shirt to him. He took it, looking at it questioningly.

Cullis grinned. "I saw you lose yours and I always keep a couple of spares around."

Draco's cheeks tinged pink. "Thanks. I was afraid I was going to have to swipe this robe. Couldn't seem to locate mine."

"Oh, I brought it up. Sorry." Becka said, "It's in the room. Didn't want you to have to go searching through that mess for it, and then I got caught up in something for a bit, and by the time I went to find you to tell you, you were already gone. I was surprised when I found I'd beaten you up here."

Draco studiously kept his eyes from glancing over at Ginny, very thankful Becka hadn't found where he'd been 'hiding'. He quickly covered by doffing the Healer's robe and pulling on the spare shirt. It was somewhat big on him, and the cut was a bit more 'business' than he usually went for outside his school uniforms, but it was comfortable enough. He looked up hesitantly as he buttoned it up. He wasn't looking forward to the endless explanations he knew were probably going to be requested at any moment.

"Chill, master." Pax said with a smirk. "I've been filling them in already."

Draco blinked in surprise. "I thought you were taking a nap?"

"Yes, well we recuperate quickly. Not near back to snuff yet, and I'll be fit for a serious nap when we get back, but for now I'm good enough." Pax said with a shrug. "Snape has Blaise in the room. We found him conked out on the floor behind one of the gurneys. He woke up by the time we got up here, but Snape was carrying him and he apparently felt Snape needed a little work done. He's passed out again."

Draco's eyes widened with worry, "Is he going to be ok?"

"No. Not if we don't get him out of here. He hasn't got near the energy to fix everyone in this hospital... but he's going to keep trying until either we get him out of here or it kills him."

"I checked him," Becka said somewhat grimly. "The essence that was in his blood... he's gone through it already."

"Gone through it?" Ginny asked worriedly.

Becka nodded. "Burned it up like fuel to let him keep doing... _whatever_ it is he's doing to people. It's no wonder his body accepted the Re'em blood and then adapted it to create the substance so readily. I doubt he'd have survived more than a couple of 'sessions' in a single day without it. His body is replenishing his strength as we speak, but even with it producing the substance with impressive speed he can't keep up with constant use like this. What I've distilled from the blood I took from him earlier is amazing. The strength you could get out of that one pint of his blood was equal to at least a _dozen_ pints of Re'em blood. It was even more concentrated than I estimated. Narcissa won't need more than two drops a week, perhaps moving up to three in her final trimester." She pulled out a dark, cobalt blue glass bottle that looked capable of holding about seven ounces of fluid. "This is far more than she could possibly need for the pregnancy, and I even had some left over. I kept a small sample for myself of course, but even after that I had some left over for Blaise." She said, pulling out a little one ounce bottle of the same dark glass. "Just in case he decides to dose anyone for _safety_ reasons..." She said with a smirk, obviously insinuating pre-intercourse administration.

"Well I'm sure he'll appreciate _that_." Draco said, taking the bottle and holding it up to the light curiously. The glass was too dark to see more than a vague indication there was even anything in it.

"The dropper is clear." Becka said with a smirk.

Draco carefully unscrewed the lid and lifted it out, looking at the liquid in the dropper built into the lid. It was fascinating. It appeared to be perfectly clear... but then if he turned it and caught the light just right he could see little wisps and swirls of brilliant color shimmering through it.

"It's lovely..." Ginny breathed, resting her head on his shoulder and watching the play of color in the dropper.

"Isn't it?" Becka asked with a smile, watching the dropper as Draco slipped it back in the bottle and carefully sealed it. "You should see it in sunlight! I always knew there was something beautiful inside that boy. Just never imagined that beauty would be _tangible_ one day!"

Draco looked up at Cullis hesitantly, "So mother and the babies... they're going to be ok?"

Cullis smiled, "I think they are going to do just fine. She's still worn out of course. The procedure isn't exactly an easy one, but I believe she'll be ready to go home within the hour. In fact, I'll probably have one of the helpers take her to get changed. I'm sure she'd like to get back into her own clothes. You might want to go ahead and precede her so you can be waiting at the gate for her. I believe that's the closest she'll be able to Apparate if his grounds are anything like yours, and someone should really be there with some kind of conveyance. I certainly don't want her walking great distances any time soon. Don't worry, she's not going to be delicate for the whole pregnancy, but for the first twenty four hours it's best to take it easy. After that I'd say she shouldn't have any more restrictions than any other woman carrying twins."

"Well..." Pax said, clapping his hands together. "I say let's finish this so we can go then. The sooner we get Blaise out of here the better."

"Finish what?" Ginny asked, perplexed.

"The family of course. Can't just run off only having done a half-arsed job. Three down, two to go." He said, flexing his fingers, his shadowy talons flicking out. Becka started in surprise, while Cullis just eyed the talons with interest. He'd felt them before of course, but he'd never had a chance to actually look at them. Pax then retracted his talons, slipping a hand into his robe and retrieving Harry's wand. He flicked it at Draco and it felt like a light, tingling breeze washing over him. Pax tucked the wand back away. "There. Wouldn't want your own mother unable to recognize you. Blaise's been out for about ten or fifteen minutes..." Pax said thoughtfully, then gave a nod. "Adult trauma doesn't usually go as deep as it does in children, so he should be strong enough for them by now."

"Ok then. If you're sure he can handle it..." Draco said with an edge of worry.

> > > > >

Gray Feather woke slowly. She could hear soft murmuring across the room. She clenched her eyes shut harder, fighting off the instinctual fear that instantly blossomed in her. She was in the hospital. The Death Eaters weren't going to show up and attack her and her family again. It wasn't them. She had to keep telling herself that. It was probably just some Healers checking on them. She shifted slightly. There was a deep, dull ache in her stomach. She tried not to think about why it was there. She prayed she had made the right decision. The idea of taking a life, even one spawned from such evil, had tortured her ever since she had made the decision, but she had felt it was the right one at the time. She just hoped her sympathies and trust had not been misplaced in this woman. She didn't know what she'd do if the child grew up to be even half the monster its father was.

She felt the reassuring warmth of Tobias curled up beside her and slipped her arm around him, pulling him closer. She had to head off her train of thought as it tried to move to what would become of her son. She cracked her eyes open, looking over towards the voices to try to distract her overwrought mind.

There were two young men standing on either side of her husband's bed. They looked much too young to be Healers. She watched silently as they talked too quietly for her to hear, then the one on the far side wearing white reached out, slipping his arms around her husband and getting ahold of him. She blinked and rubbed her eyes. The boy seemed to be slightly blurred around the edges, as if he had an ever so slight whitish halo around him. It reminded her of when she'd spent too much time in a pool treated with Muggle chlorine and it had made her see auras around lights for a time afterwards. She let out a gasp as she caught sight of his eyes.

The other boy heard her and turned. She stared, frozen in horror for a moment as she stared at his glowing red eyes. It clicked instantly in her mind. The demon. The one from the paper. Draco's demon. In a rush thoughts flooded her mind. Draco had what he'd wanted. Was he now done with her family? Was he going to have this creature finish them off so they could cause no further problems? A quick glance revealed that the bed they'd brought for Narcissa was now empty and she was completely alone with the two boys... this more than anything seemed to confirm the hypothesis. She instinctively snatched her wand off the bedside table, springing off the bed.

"Let my husband go! Get away from him!" She demanded angrily. Blaise didn't seem to hear her at all.

"He can't." Pax replied softly, "Not until he's done. Now just calm down..."

"Help! Someone!" She called out, looking anxiously towards the door, not taking her wand off him for a moment.

"They can't hear you. It's a hospital. All of the rooms are soundproofed..." Pax said, reaching up and taking ahold of the blue pull cord over the man's bed and pulling it.

She caught the movement from the corner of her eye. Her eyes darted back over to him, a spell springing from her mouth instinctively, "_Telum!_" she cried. She didn't see the other movement until it was too late. Tobias stepped between her and Pax, holding up his hand in a placating gesture, but by the time she saw him, the spell was already bursting forth in a flash of brilliant golden light from the tip of her wand.

With supernatural speed, Pax snatched up the boy, spinning around and blocking him with his body. The spell hit him squarely in the back and he crumpled to the ground with a sound half way between pain and surprise.

The next thing Pax knew, he could feel someone holding him. He shifted his head around awkwardly, trying to see who it was.

"Can't you keep yourself in one piece for five minutes?" Blaise asked him with a smirk.

Pax looked around dazedly. Draco was standing behind Blaise, staring down at him worriedly, and he could see the others standing around as well. He could feel something like a focused blast of cool mist against his back and the aching pain there began to ease. He sighed, resting his head against Blaise as fingers gently probed his back. "The boy?" He asked tiredly.

"He's just fine." Cullis said from behind him as he used a patching spell on the hole burnt into the back of his clothes.

Blaise eased his grasp on him, letting him shift more onto his back as Cullis rose and moved over to check on Gray Feather. She was crouched on the floor, sobbing hysterically and hugging her son to her in a death grip.

"Mum! Can't breath!" Tobias' muffled voice said as he struggled to prize himself away from her.

Cullis muttered softly, touching the tip of his wand to the side of her neck. The tension slowly flowed out of her as her sobs eased, her eyes losing focus slightly. Tobias stopped struggling once her hold on him loosened. Cullis knelt down beside her. "I'm terribly sorry. The sedative spell I cast on you earlier wore off sooner than anticipated. You should have slept right through it."

"Slept through what? What were they doing to my husband?"

"Young Mr. Zabini has been touched by the White Wraith curse, and acquired the wraith ability to heal souls. That's what he was doing to your husband. He has already tended to your children, as you may have noticed..." He said, indicating Tobias.

She looked down at her son, her eyes tearing up again as Tobias grinned up at her. "But... I don't understand... you said there was nothing you could do..."

"And there wasn't. They are not members of our staff. They are merely Draco's friends. We are obviously thrilled that they have chosen to help, but it was entirely their own choice to do so."

"They?" She asked, her eyes darting over to Pax warily.

"I can only heal the soul." Blaise said softly, "For full recovery, the memories must be removed as well. That's where he comes in."

"Oh..." She said softly. "I... I'm sorry..."

Pax waved it off. "I'm used to it. If it's got red eyes, shoot it. Pretty common rule of thumb. Can't say as it's off too often either..." He said, sitting up with some help from Blaise. He looked over at her curiously, "What the bloody Hell did you hit me with anyway? That hurt worse than Avada Kedavra!"

She blushed slightly beneath her olive complexion. "Telum. Weapon of light. A very powerful spell that is devastating to anyone it hits, but especially effective on demons. It should have knocked you out of your host and destroyed you with light."

"Well, I guess I have yet another reason to appreciate this little bauble..." He said, pushing down his collar and running his fingers over the thin filigree encircling his neck. "Still, that was wicked strong. I can't believe it's not banned."

"Actually..." She said a bit abashed, "It _is_ banned in America except in self defense against demons. I guess not many people here know it, otherwise it would probably be on their 'Unforgivable' list as well. I don't know of anyone who has ever survived a direct hit from it. Well, except for one now I guess..."

"Really? Hmm... very interesting. I really must remember that one. Was that a clockwise twirl, then flick?"

She blushed darker. "The last part is a thrust forward about two inches. There is a variation for a moving target with the twirl followed by a left to right sweeping gesture, but it weakens the force of the spell and has a much greater chance of hurting innocent bystanders."

Pax grinned at her, "Now why would a nice girl like you know a nasty little spell like that in the first place?"

"My family moved to Hollywood California for a while there. You have to know those kinds of spells if you're magically endowed and live _there!_ The demons there don't have much truck with witches and wizards."

"Demons?" Pax asked curiously, "I didn't think there were many of those left...?"

Gray Feather gave a little snort, wiping her damp cheek with a bit of her hospital gown, seeming a bit out of it. "Please! They've learned a great deal about the art of subtlety, but there are a great number of them left. Some of those Muggle American cities are simply crawling with them! If you guys are running short on them here, I can certainly tell you where they went! Ever heard of the Salem Witch Trials? Demons. Possessed good people and set them against witches and wizards... well and whomever else they didn't like. Apparently the magical community in Europe had gotten too good at exterminating them and they were doing their part to keep down our population in their newly adopted homeland. They've calmed down a bit since, but it's still not a good idea to get them riled."

"Wicked! Sounds like I found my next vacation spot!" Pax said with a grin. Draco held out his hand and Pax took it, getting gingerly to his feet. "Well, let's get this over with before someone else takes a potshot at me." He said grimly, going over to the unconscious man, taking his head between his hands and sinking his talons in without preamble.

Blaise got back to his feet, dusting off his robe. "That'll just take him a minute. Weeding out and sorting and the like." He said, going over and plunking down heavily in a chair. "Hope you don't mind if I take a breather."

Tobias slipped out of his mother's relaxed hold and hurried over to him. "You ok?" he asked worriedly.

Blaise grinned at him. "I'll be just fine." He said, reaching up and ruffling the boy's hair affectionately, "I'm just a bit worn out. There are so many damaged souls here... I can hear them calling to me..." He said softly, dropping his arm and letting his eyes drift shut as he appeared to be listening to something.

"You need to go take a nap!" Tobias said firmly.

Blaise let out a little laugh. "Probably."

Gray Feather rose a bit unsteadily and made her way over towards her son. Blaise drew back suddenly, shoving the chair he was sitting on back, making the back of it hit the wall as his eyes sprang open. "Stay back!"

Gray Feather stopped in her tracks, looking at him in wide eyed surprise. "I was just going to..."

"Just stay away!" Blaise said urgently, pulling his legs up and drawing himself as far away from her as he could get, "I said I need to rest first! I don't know what would happen if I conked out in the middle of fixing someone, and I'd rather not find out!"

"I... I wasn't trying to..."

"Doesn't matter. You already call to me so loudly it echoes in my head. You touch me and I'll have no choice in the matter. I can't stop it once it's started."

"Oh... sorry..." She said, quickly moving back to sit on her bed.

Draco narrowed his eyes slightly, something the demon had said earlier clicking in his head. He looked over towards him... but he was gone. He hurried over to where he'd been, looking around. As he came to a stop, he heard something. He listened harder, then followed the soft sound, getting onto his knees and peering under the bed. It wasn't too difficult to make out Pax's dark form huddle in the shadows, sobbing softly.

"You ok, demon?" he asked gently.

Glowing red eyes opened, peering at him. "Just leave me for a minute." He said in a low, aching voice.

"Where you able to erase his memory?"

"I can't erase memories. I wish I could." he said with a slightly bitter tone.

"But I thought you said..." Draco started.

Pax gave a little snort, cutting him off. "I said I could remove them. I can only _steal_ memories. They aren't gone, they're just relocated."

Draco's eyes went wide. He had thought he merely preserved the memories from the abused little girl to help bring her abuser to justice... he had never imagined the demon was taking all of the violent and traumatic memories upon himself. How much horror and anguish had he voluntarily taken into his heart to ease the pain of others in this one day alone? He felt his eyes stinging angrily. "Take your time. We'll wait just as long as you need." He said, reaching out and stroking his hand down his cheek, wiping away some of the tears. "You have no idea how much I appreciate what you've done today... what it means to me. Thank you. I mean it."

"Not that it was all for _you_... but you're welcome anyway, master."

Draco get him a little smile. "Call me Draco. Circumstances may technically make you my servant... but I'd rather consider you my friend."

Pax's eyes teared up again, and he could muster no reply.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Arthur had a very hard time keeping his pace normal, his expression pleasant as they made their way from the Apparition arrival area in the Ministry of Magic. The usual wait and checking in process had been annoying ever since they had implemented it the summer before... but today it was excruciating. The man who had been checking them was an old friend of the family and hadn't seen Charlie since he had been about ten, so he'd naturally wanted an update. Charlie had been as quick about it as possible without seeming rushed, but it had still taken much longer than they liked to get out into the Ministry building proper. There were surprisingly few people there, despite it being a holiday. There were usually quite a number of people who chose to work through the holiday, having no family (or having families they preferred avoiding!).

Arthur nodded cordially to a Ministry official from the Foreign Affairs Department that he worked with on occasion. "Anders."

The man stopped in his tracks. "Sweet Merlin, they haven't gone after Muggles now, have they?" He asked in alarm.

Arthur came to a stop. "Pardon?"

"Did you get called in?"

"No... I was just... taking my son to see my new office. He's in town for the holidays." Arthur said, trying to make it sound convincing. Charlie smiled and nodded, looking around and staring casually at the new sculpture they had erected in the great fountain. They had obviously tried to duplicate the former sculptures, though the wizard in the middle now bore a striking resemblance to a young Cornelius Fudge.

The man's eyes shifted over to Tonks and she grinned, "I'm shagging his son. Just thought I'd tag along." She said without missing a beat, slipping her arm around Charlie. Charlie looked over at her, then grinned at the man, giving her rump a playful swat.

"What's going on?" Arthur asked, quickly diverting Anders' attention from Tonks.

"Death Eaters. They attacked Diagon Alley. How they got there in numbers like that with the anti-Apparition shielding and no floo network is beyond me. They said there were over fifty of them."

"Fifty?" Arthur asked, shocked. He hadn't known there even _were_ that many Death Eaters. Voldemort had obviously been doing some heavy recruiting.

The man nodded. "They say it's horrible. Nineteen confirmed dead at last count, probably a couple hundred injured. Diagon Alley has been a traditional place for families to visit during Yule for generations. The shops stay open and it's all lit up... usually a very festive event. We really should have spotted the possible target and taken better precautions. I know that's what the paper will be saying." He shook his head. "I just can't believe even _his_ minions would do such a thing... If I hadn't had that report to finish, I would have been there with my own family... We changed our plans at the last minute... were going to go this evening instead..."

Arthur's heart ached in his chest, knowing the man was imagining his wife and three adorable little girls running for their lives in terror. It was hard to comprehend such evil. He clapped him on the shoulder comfortingly. "I had best get up to my office and see if there's anything I can do."

Anders nodded, the haunted look still in his eyes. "I'm heading out to Diagon Alley. They're still looking for survivors."

Arthur nodded quickly, "Good luck then." Anders nodded and headed off. "No wonder the place is abandoned." Arthur muttered softly once he was gone, feeling cold inside. Nineteen dead. He quickly shook it off. "We had best get moving." He said briskly, leading them on.

They took the elevator to the proper floor. He was still relatively near where he had been before, but now he had much roomier accommodations. He literally now had more room in the closet they had given him for his files than he had had before for his entire office (which he'd had to share!).

Tonks paused as they exited the elevator. "I had best get my Auror robes. I'll meet you there." She said hurrying off around the corner.

Arthur nodded, letting his pace hasten as he headed in the opposite direction towards his office. He'd barely gotten a dozen paces when he nearly collided with a shrouded figure moving quickly around the corner he was approaching. It jerked back with a squeak of surprise, then reached up and flipped back the hood.

Arthur stared down into the startled eyes of the young woman before him. Before he knew what was happening, she had flung herself against him, wrapping her arms around him and letting out a sob of relief. "You came!"

"Penelope?" Arthur asked uncertainly, his heart plunging. He was glad she was alright, but that meant he knew what had befallen Percy.

Charlie eased up closer. He looked her over and nodded. "That's her. I... um... kinda saw her with Percy once..." He said delicately.

Penelope looked over at him, blushing brightly, then looked quickly back to Arthur. "I thought maybe they had held you up and I was getting worried. I left him in your office along with a note. Please take care of him." She said pleadingly.

"Of course, but why were you leaving? We have to get you to where it's safe." Arthur said, looking her over. From what he could see she looked pretty battered, her face smudged with blood and dirt, her jaw darkening with bruising.

She shook her head and he could see her hair had been hacked off in a clean-cut, but obviously unintentional bob. She saw his gaze and reached up, feeling her short cropped hair as her eyes teared up. "One of them got ahold of my braid. Percy hit it with a severing charm a split second before the man Apparated away. He saved me... but he left himself open to do it. One of the others got in a cheap shot and... it was all down hill from there. He made me make a run for it..." She said, tears coursing down her cheeks as she slipped her hand in her cloak unconsciously.

Charlie reached over, pulling it aside. He ran his hand over her swollen belly in stunned silence. "How far along are you?" he finally managed after a moment.

"About five months." She said softly, putting her hands on her belly protectively. The tears were streaming from her eyes now. "They aren't going to care. They've already killed so many people... My parents..." She said, her voice catching in her throat. "Percy sent me off to stay with them but he wouldn't tell me why... yesterday I ran a present to a friend of mine who lived nearby. When I got back there was nothing left of my family home. There was just a pile of rubble with this big ghastly glowing skull floating over it..." She said with an anguished sob.

Arthur's eyes teared up and he stepped forward, gently taking her into his arms

When her sobs had calmed a bit she went on softly, "I tried to go back to our flat... but that was gone too. I went to the little abandoned cabin we found out in some back woods last summer. I knew if he had escaped that was where he'd go. He was there. Unfortunately, the Death Eaters are a lot smarter than the Ministry. They simply gave a letter addressed to Percy to an owl and followed it on brooms. He'd made the cabin unplottable, but somehow that doesn't stop the owls. He knew what they'd done the minute the owl arrived. Luckily the owl was a fast one and the trees are particularly thick there or we'd never have been able to escape. We Apparated out just before they could block us." She sighed, holding onto him, "When they catch me I'll have no hope of protecting this baby." She said achingly.

"They aren't going to find you. We'll take you back to Zabini Manor. There's no way anyone's getting in _there_ any time soon." Arthur said soothingly.

"It's too late." She said softly, then pulled away. She reached into the pocket of her robe and pulled out an envelope, handing it to him while wiping the tears from her eyes with the other hand.

He looked at it. It was addressed simply to Mrs. Penelope Weasley. He flipped it open, but it was empty. He looked up at her questioningly.

"It arrived just a few minutes ago. That's why I wrote the note and started to leave. They know I'm in the building. They couldn't exactly run in here in hot pursuit of an owl and expect to go unnoticed, but if they don't find me soon they'll just send another. They put up a ward, blocking the building off to Apparition. I've checked."

"Well this is the Ministry of Magic! Even with so few people here a group of Death Eaters can't just come marching in unnoticed!"

She looked at him in stunned silence for a moment, then said softly, "You haven't a clue, have you?"

"A clue about what?"

"All they have to do is change robes." She said sadly, "You think Death Eater is their _day job?_ There were Aurors there when we were attacked in that alley. It certainly wasn't _us_ they were helping!"

Arthur's eyes had gone round. "_Aurors_ attacked you? Alongside Death Eaters? In broad daylight? _In uniform?"_

"Several. They had us pinned down in an alley with an anti-Apparition spell firmly in place. They probably didn't think we'd have much of a chance to tell anyone." Penelope said darkly. She looked over worriedly as she heard one of the elevators start to rattle its way slowly down. When she looked back she gasped and turned to run.

Charlie caught ahold of her, keeping her from escaping. "Calm down! It's just Tonks. She's on our side." He said soothingly.

"Tonks?" She asked tentatively, looking Tonks over as she approached, adjusting her Auror robes. "I thought she was younger... and had purple hair..." she said, eyeing Tonks' hair, which was currently a somber black. She was already taking on a more 'dignified' appearance, as she often did in tense situations when she might be called upon to put on a good public face in her position of Auror. Florescent hair and the appearance of a teenager didn't exactly inspire confidence. Right now she looked more like Madam Hooch with tamed hair than anything.

"She's a Metamorphmagi."

As they watched, Tonks stumbled slightly as the hem of her robe caught under her shoe, but caught herself, starting to grow slowly taller to take up the slack in her uniform. A little smile flitted over Penelope's lips. "I see the resemblance now..."

Tonks looked up and came to a stop beside Charlie. "Wotcher! You must be Penelope."

Arthur cut in, wasting no time. "She says there were Aurors amongst the men who attacked her and Percy. They've discovered she's in the building and have blocked it off to Apparition, so they are probably already searching it. We need to get her out of here. I doubt they won't think to check her Father-in-law's office! Are there any back ways to smuggle her out?"

Tonks looked at him wide-eyed. "We've suspected a couple of the higher ranking Aurors for a time now, but only this morning had at least one confirmed in _his_ ranks. If it's the ones we suspect, it's bad. Very bad. They put together all the newfangled wards and protections around the Ministry."

"So it's hopeless!" Penelope said in a pained voice, "You might as well just let me draw them off so they don't get you as well!"

"I didn't say that. We've just got to go old school on them." Tonks said with a grin.

Penelope blinked, obviously confused. "What?"

"This building has defenses and escape routes that have been here since it was built, and I've studied all of the ones that are still on record. Most of those men think of them as obsolete, so they haven't bothered. If we can get you to the lobby, just go to the fountain. Use your wand to tap the four corners of the dedication plaque in a clockwise direction starting in the upper right hand corner and say 'help'. It will open a trap door that leads to a tunnel. There... may be a bit of a drop," She said with a smirk, "But don't worry, there are spells to catch you at the bottom. Once you're in, hit the panel at the bottom with your wand and say 'block pursuit'. That will seal the passage for precisely two hours so they can't follow you even on the off chance one of them actually knows how to work it. Follow the tunnel and it will take you about a kilometer to the South, but you don't need to go that far. Their shield can't extend much further than these walls, so once you get past them you can Apparate out. We'll met you at the gates of Zabini Manor."

"But I don't have one of those ward things Percy told me about..." Penelope said anxiously.

"You're a Weasley. The house elves at the gate will guard you even before they get confirmation from their master. If you can get on those grounds, you'll be safe."

Penelope bit her lip uncertainly, but nodded. "But how do I get to the lobby in the first place? They're bound to check any elevators that are moving about..."

They all looked over as one of the elevators came to life with its usual clinks and clanks. They hurried over to the shaft and peered down. Penelope clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a little cry of fear. She backed away quickly before the four men slowly rising in the elevator could spot her.

"It's some of _them_." She whispered hoarsely.

Tonks took ahold of her and all but dragged her over to the elevator that they had taken up, which still sat there, waiting patiently. "Ok, listen to me carefully." She said in an urgent whisper. "These elevators will remain on the floor unless called by another, but no two elevators will wait on the _same_ floor for more than thirty seconds. This one is already here, so if they get off on this floor, theirs will move off to a different floor once they have disembarked. You must wait for theirs to leave first, that's very important." She paused to make sure Penelope was following her. Penelope quickly nodded, though she couldn't seem to take her eyes off of the place where the men would stand in just a moment.

"Ok, I want you to get in the elevator and crouch down in the bottom so no one can see you unless they look straight in through the door. Don't do anything unless they spot you. If they do, I want you to say, 'Merlin code blue, lobby direct'. Have you got that?"

Penelope nodded quickly, "Merlin code blue, lobby direct." She repeated in confirmation.

"Exactly." Tonks said, then nudged her into the waiting elevator, where she crouched quickly down on the floor. "Oh... and one last thing... when you say it... hold on!" She said with a smirk, then hurried off to stand beside Arthur again.

They stood there, trying to look casual as the elevator continued to clank its way slowly closer to them. "Where's that other gargoyle?" Tonks asked softly.

"She said it was in the office." Arthur replied, glancing worriedly at Penelope. She was crouching there looking completely terrified.

"Well then we definitely stay out here. Wouldn't want them catching sight of that. They'd recognize it for certain. They aren't exactly common these days. Charlie, you stay with the gargoyle if we have to give chase to make sure she makes it."

"She's carrying Percy's baby!" Charlie whispered hoarsely, "I'm going to go help her!"

"There's nothing you could do but get yourself thrown into Azkaban, and someone needs to be in that office to make sure that gargoyle doesn't come after Penelope. We've seen how loyal they are, and if that thing goes after an Auror in public view it has signed its death warrant. Any magical creature that poses a threat to the wizarding public at large can be killed on sight. Don't fool yourself into thinking they won't! It already deprived them of their quarry once!"

They tried not to tense as the elevator came to a stop on their floor.

"So I should probably head down to Diagon Alley and see if they still need help." Tonks said in a normal voice, "Sorry. I know I said I'd make Christmas dinner this year, but..."

"I'm sure Molly will understand." Arthur replied, waving it off. "This is much more important."

Tonks nodded. "Well, tell her I'll stop back by to see her later if I can."

"That'd be great. And I'm sure we'll all be eager for an update. I just can't believe they would do such a thing..." Arthur said, shaking his head.

"Ya, well they're sick bastards. There's no accounting for them." Tonks said grimly.

"What are you three doing here?" A suspicious voice called from behind them.

They turned, feigning surprise. The Aurors came to a halt, their leader's arrogant sneer losing a bit of it's superiority upon seeing Tonks' robes. She vaguely recognized him. She couldn't remember his last name, but she was pretty sure his first name was Adrian.

"I was just going to show my son my new office. He's in from out of country for the holiday." Arthur said quickly, trying hard not to look over at Penelope.

"Well this isn't exactly the time for sight seeing tours." One of the others snorted derisively.

"Yes, well I had no idea about that when I brought him. There hasn't been any official notice that I know of. I'm surprised they haven't put out a special edition of the Daily Prophet yet..."

Adrian rolled his eyes. "Probably just gathering all the shite against the Ministry they can and hoping they can get permission to print the more graphic pictures. Fat chance, that!"

"So, what are you four doing here then?" Tonks asked curiously, "Surely you don't think those cowardly troll shaggers would be _here_ of all places. Those sick headfucks are probably off diddling eachother or bending over for that demented snake lord of theirs."

They grinned, but she was pleased to see the little, barely perceptible flashes of anger in their eyes.

"Probably." Adrian said with a little laugh.

Tonks felt a wave of relief when the elevator they had used finally started making its way back down. The Auror in the back turned at the sound, spotting the elevator descending. As he was turning back, his eyes strayed into the other elevator. Tonks saw his eyes catch on Penelope, who was clearly visible from this angle.

"Who's that?" Tonks asked curiously even as the Auror's mouth opened to tell the others. The others followed her gaze, catching sight of Penelope as well.

"Hey you!" Adrian called out as they all started for the elevator.

"Mer... Merlin code blue..." Penelope stumbled in a terrified voice, "Lobby direct."

The doors to the elevator instantly snapped shut and the elevator zipped away so fast it almost seemed to simply disappear.

"Bloody Hell!" Tonks said, going over to the edge and looking to see if she could spot the elevator, "How'd she know that?"

Adrian glared at her suspiciously.

Tonks looked over at him, "Did she do something?"

"She's wanted for questioning." He answered shortly, hitting the elevator button angrily. The elevator had already fixed on a floor to rest on however, and wouldn't respond to the call until it reached it. "Let's go!" He snapped angrily and he and his men sprinted over, disappearing through the door to the stairwell.

Once they were gone, Tonks hurried over, lowering her voice just in case, "Charlie, get in that office. Arthur, you coming?"

"There's no way we can keep up with those men!" Arthur said worriedly, looking towards the door they'd gone through.

"Those men have no patience." She said, strolling over to the elevator call button. She took out her wand, touching the tip to the panel just above the button, circling it clockwise, then poked the button itself. "Now." She said softly.

The elevator arrived within seconds, the doors whipping open. Tonks grinned back at Arthur, tucking away her wand. "I've built my own trick or two into the building as well..."

She entered the elevator and he followed. "Assume the position!" She said with a smirk, crouching down and taking a firm grasp on the handrail. He took her word for it, doing the same.

The doors opened into the lobby barely ten seconds later. Arthur quickly disembarked, feeling slightly queasy. He was grateful to be on solid ground again, but it didn't feel quite as solid as it should at the moment. He kept feeling the residual sensation of rising and falling suddenly in his stomach.

"It goes away in a few minutes." Tonks said, clapping him on the shoulder, appearing completely unperturbed by the terrifying ride as she glanced around, trying to spot Penelope. "Oh bloody Hell!" She said in dismay, spotting her.

Penelope hadn't made it to the dedication plaque. There were a number of other Aurors encircling her and slowly closing, wands drawn. One was standing directly between her and the plaque, effectively blocking her escape whether he knew it or not.

Tonks' eyes darted around for a way to get her out, then caught on something. "I'm going to go do what I can. You..." She said, taking ahold of his arm and turning him slightly, "Do what you have to, but keep your name out of it!"

Tonks then sprinted over towards the impending confrontation. Arthur spotted what she had been indicating and gave a groan of dismay. Then he took a deep breath and sighed it out. Desperate times called for desperate measures. He tensed, trying not to cry out as one of the Aurors hit Penelope with a stunning spell from behind.

He hurried over as the Aurors closed in around Penelope's unconscious form, grabbing the arm of the woman who was just walking towards the fountain, having spotted the odd movement of the Aurors. "I thought you'd been asked not to come here anymore." He said crisply.

Rita Skeeter, her usual garish attire covered by more subdued colors today, looked over at him sharply. "It is a public place, and as such I cannot be banned from it!" She said pointedly.

"Well, you should just turn around and go back to that wretched paper of yours right now." He said, dropping his voice. "There is nothing for you to see here. No atrocities of justice are being committed right this moment over by that fountain. Those most certainly are not Ministry Aurors, and they are not attacking an innocent, _very pregnant_ woman who happens to be the wife of the man who may have, at any point, submitted articles to your paper containing highly confidential and scandalous information that cast a very bad light on this Ministry. Furthermore, said man has not since disappeared just this morning under very suspicious circumstances involving one or more Aurors, so I suggest you realize that no one wants you here and go home!"

With that, he released her arm and left.

A wicked grin spread over Rita's face. "I'm getting to like that redheaded lot!" She said with a chuckle, grabbing ahold of her cameraman's arm and bustling over towards the fountain.

It took all of Arthur's will to force himself back into the elevator and take it back to his floor. He knew he couldn't get directly involved or the rest of his family would be in great danger, but it was killing him inside to leave the fate of his grandchild in the hands of others. He blinked back tears of worry and frustration as the elevator doors opened. Well, now he was faced with the dilemma of how to get a large, conspicuous animal out of the building with everyone stirred up.

When he got into his office, he saw Charlie over behind the desk and he could see a bit of the gargoyle as well. "They got her." He said grimly, "Took her down before she could get to the fountain. Tonks is going to do what she can, but I don't know how far that will go. Why did she have to come here if she knew Aurors were involved?"

"She needed shelter. Someplace safe. Besides, would you have gone out to some dodgy alley or something just because an unsigned letter asked you to?" Charlie asked, keeping his tone soft.

"Well if she was so keen on getting my help, why was she leaving when we got here?" Arthur asked in frustration.

"She was drawing them off so they wouldn't search your office."

"The gargoyle saved her, but I hardly think it was worth her getting caught to keep it from being discovered. They probably would have just taken it into custody as long as it didn't..."

"That wasn't what she was protecting." Charlie replied softly.

Arthur came around the desk, wondering what in the world his son was talking about. The gargoyle lay there, curled up and looking a bit worse for wear. As Arthur watched, Charlie shifted its wing aside. There, nestled safely against the gargoyle's side and fast asleep, was a small child. The shock of red hair peeking out of the blanket it was wrapped in made it unmistakably a Weasley.

Arthur felt like he couldn't breath. He moved closer, dropping down to his knees and reaching out, gently brushing the sleeping child's cheek. It snuffled softly in its sleep, but didn't wake. "Is... is this...?" He asked tentatively.

"According to this letter, this is Justin Arthur Weasley. Percy's first born. She must have gotten pregnant right around or a little before the... parting of ways."

The child's name deepened the pain in Arthur's heart immeasurably. Percy had named his first born after him, even thought they weren't even talking at the time. And the child looked to be around nine months old... which meant he must have been born right around the time Percy had started writing to him. Percy must have been telling him about the birth of his child. How much had he already missed because of his stubborn pride?

He gingerly gathered the little boy up in his arms, cradling the sleeping child to him and staring down at him in wonder, tears streaming from his eyes. This was his grandson. His very first grandchild. The boy seemed so big... nearly a toddler already, and yet this was the first he had set eyes on him. He just sat there and held him, feeling the unreasoning fear that if he let go the child would vanish and be gone forever... just like his parents... He clenched his eyes shut, cutting off the morbid train of thought. He would get his son back, and he would get Penelope back, along with the child she carried. He couldn't let himself even entertain any thoughts to the contrary.

"She placed a sleeping spell on him so he wouldn't wake and cry when he found himself alone. We had best get him back to Zabini Manor before it wears off. We're strangers to him, and he's bound to cry and attract attention."

That hurt as well, but Arthur knew it was no more than simple fact. The child didn't know them and they were likely to frighten it. He nodded, then rose, taking the little boy over and taking a seat in his chair, just holding him and staring at him in silent contemplation while Charlie went to work fixing up the gargoyle.

> > > > >

"For the last time, this is none of your affair, it is a confidential Ministry matter, and that is all you need to know!" The Auror said in exasperation, trying to look intimidating.

Unfortunately for him, intimidation only works if the person you are trying to intimidate has enough common sense and self-preservation to know what's good for her and when to back off. This was not such a woman. "Is this some kind of Ministry plot to cover up the abduction of that woman's husband?" Rita asked with a look of a ravenous carnivore set loose amidst a flock of unsuspecting prey.

"This is entirely unrelated!" He growled angrily. They had been going round and round for the better part of ten minutes and the woman just refused to accept any of his answers.

Rita grinned brilliantly, "Then you admit that her husband was indeed abducted and you, a Ministry Auror, has full knowledge of the incident."

"I... I said no such thing!" He said, stammering and looking back at the other Aurors, several of which rolled their eyes at him in irritation.

"You didn't refute that he was abducted or claim no knowledge of the incident, which is an admission in and of itself!" She said with a wolfish grin.

"If I may." A voice said softly from beside the flustered Auror. He looked over in surprise. He didn't recognize her, but she was wearing Auror robes and seemed willing to take over the little 'interview', so he didn't even object, quickly stepping aside.

Tonks stepped up, folding her hands calmly before her, her eyes the blue-gray of the sky over the sea in the wake of a storm. She smiled, seeming to exude serenity. "I'm afraid there has been some kind of misunderstanding here." She said calmly. "The report of Percy Weasley's abduction has not yet been confirmed, but due to the destruction of their home, which you reported on yesterday I believe, it was surmised that he and his wife had become targets of He Who Must Not Be Named. As such, we were under orders to take them into protective custody. We were unable to locate Mr. Weasley, but Mrs. Weasley obviously came here seeking asylum. A couple of our somewhat _overzealous_ new recruits appear to have misunderstood their orders. It is probably merely a result of all the tension and anxiety caused by today's deplorable attack upon Diagon Alley. They will of course be reprimanded for their rash actions. Mrs. Weasley is, as I have stated, merely under protective custody, and we will use the full resources of this Ministry to insure her safety as well as that of the unborn child she carries."

"Is it standard practice to stun pregnant women when they are being put under 'protective custody'?" Rita asked shrewdly.

"As I said, that was the actions of a few unruly recruits and not our intention whatsoever. The way they approached her in number obviously frightened her and caused her to attempt to flee. I can personally assure you that Mrs. Weasley will be kept as safe and comfortable as the Ministry can possibly make her." She had spotted the four Aurors from before approaching warily. Adrian was eyeing her with a calculating look. He seemed to come to some kind of decision, walking briskly over to stand beside her.

"Absolutely." He said, putting on a winning smile. "She is _absolutely_ correct. This poor woman has been through a great deal and we at the Ministry only wish to see her to safety. The Auror who stunned her was obviously unaware of her current condition or he would never have cast the spell in the first place. Even still, his only desire was to restrain her so she didn't injure herself or flee, putting herself into danger. We will, of course, open a floo link and take her directly to St. Mungo's to be looked over immediately. I'm sure she is fine, but we at the Ministry are not willing to take that chance in such a delicate matter. You are of course free to accompany her entourage to St. Mungo's, where you will see that we have only her and her child's best interests in mind." He then turned to Tonks. "I see you have everything well in hand, so why don't you head up the security detail that accompanies her?"

Tonks looked into his eyes. There was just something indefinably sneaky and loathsome about him. St. Mungo's was a low security location. No Auror in their right mind would take a high risk target into such an unpredictable and strategically dangerous establishment. There were just too many people... and most likely even more than usual right now with the attack. He was planning something, of that she was sure. It would be the best chance to take out Penelope before she could talk to anyone, and they could blame it on the hospital's lax security. Anyone with half a brain would simply move her to a safe location and bring a healer to her. Still, St. Mungo's might be the best place for Death Eater's to get a chance at Penelope, but it was also her best chance of getting Penelope away from them!

"If that is your decision, Adrian, I would be honored to lead up the security team."

"Excellent!" He said with a grin, though she saw a flash of something in his eyes. He obviously hadn't expected her to know who he was. She had noticed that he had carefully not introduced himself and kept 'conveniently' turning away whenever the photographer snapped a shot in his direction. He probably hoped to get out of being mentioned or remembered at all. "She is really one of our very best, and I'm sure Mrs. Weasley is in very good hands. I, unfortunately, still have duties to attend to in relation with the _tragic_ Diagon Alley incident, so I will have to leave this matter in her more than capable hands."

She carefully restrained the laugh that so desperately wanted to escape her. He had no clue who she was, that much was obvious. She hadn't worked with him much, but she had noticed that he was one of the types that always made a point of using your name frequently when talking to you as if to assure you that he remembered you and 'cared'. Maybe it was this smooth, obviously premeditated and emotionally manipulative habit more than anything that had always struck her as somehow _slimy_, even before she had so much as suspected him of being on the other side. "Why thank you. Your confidence in me is well placed, I assure you. I will guard her with my life."

He grinned, and she could easily tell that that is _exactly_ what he expected her to do. She could almost see him planning his statement on the tragic incident at St. Mungo's that had taken the life of their ward, as well as most, if not all of her entourage. She watched him curiously as he selected Aurors to accompany her from the growing group of Aurors clustered around where Penelope lay. She noticed most of the ones he selected were ones who had filtered in from various parts of the building, attracted by the disturbance. A number of them she knew to be fresh from training, a couple with no more than three months on the job.

One of the others he selected she had worked with and knew well. He was an old timer (being quite nearly a century old, which was getting along for an Auror, though he still looked to be no more than in his early fifties), and quite a lovable one at that. He was a Muggleborn who went simply by Christian. He had never asked her first name, and she had returned the favor. Truth be told, she had had more than a passing interest in getting to know him a bit better _off duty_, but unfortunately he had suffered a number of injuries, as was rather common in their line of work, and was consequently unable to 'pursue the interest'. It was absolutely _tragic_ in her opinion, as she felt sure he would have been amazing in the sack.

Despite the fact that he was just as strong, spry and magically powerful as any other wizard she'd ever met this side of Dumbledore, the Ministry had already started shunting him into the little useless duties that invariable preceded retirement, whether voluntary or not. There wasn't a single doubt in her mind that he was firmly on her side, especially after seeing the surprise in his eyes when he was selected. He looked over at her, having no trouble by this point recognizing her in whatever form she chose, and a look of understanding passed between them. It had not passed his notice either that such a trip was ridiculously foolish, and all of the members of this detail were very much expendable.

"Right this way." Tonks said cordially to Rita, heading towards the nearest Floo link. Rita and her photographer followed eagerly.

Christian quickly scooped up Penelope as one of the green recruits tried to gather her awkwardly into his arms. "I got her, just get that link open." He said shortly.

The young man nodded quickly and ran ahead as Christian fell in behind Tonks.

Adrian watched them go, then turned to two of his men who stood nearby. They quickly closed ranks as he dropped his voice. "That woman had a baby. I can't imagine it's wandered far. Send that other newbie to search for it." He said, nodding covertly towards a young Auror who looked no more than twenty who was standing by, looking uncertain as to what he should do now that the excitement appeared to be over. "I'll wager it's somewhere on that floor where we saw her. Have him check Weasley's office. If he finds it, have him bring it himself, and make sure it disappears in route in another 'tragic little incident'. We can pass it off as a fatal rookie mistake."

One of the men nodded and eased casually over towards the young Auror.

Adrian then turned to the other man, "You will have to drop the barrier and go rally the troops. Small incursion, no more than eight men. More than that and they won't go unnoticed, and St. Mungo's is too dodgy a place to risk that many. A swift, unexpected attack should be sufficient. Either take the woman or kill her. She can't be allowed to regain consciousness and talk. She saw a number of us, and with that wretched Skeeter woman about you know they will be more than willing to print her accusations whether they are provable or not." He grabbed ahold of the man's shoulder as he turned to go. "As a matter of fact..." He said with a slow smile. "It wouldn't break my heart to see something tragic befall her as well..."

The other man grinned and headed off.

Neither of them noticed the tall, dark haired woman who was leaning casually against the column nearby, watching them contemplatively. Once they were gone, she pushed off from the column, plucking up her briefcase from where it rested. She reached up and pulled the clip out of her hair, making it fall halfway down her back in a waterfall of rich chestnut. She tucked the clip away, then started casually towards the elevators as the young Auror hurried off on his task.

> > > > >

Charlie shifted back in surprise as the gargoyle got a bit unsteadily to its feet. It went over, nuzzling the sleeping baby briefly, then went to the door. Charlie rose and went over, opening it and peering cautiously out. The gargoyle slipped out into the hallway. Charlie looked back at his father, but Arthur just shrugged. When Charlie looked back, the gargoyle had vanished.

"I... guess he'll meet us back at the manor." Charlie said, slipping his wand away. He'd only had a chance to mend some of the most grievous wounds, but it should hold the gargoyle for a while as long as it didn't get into any more fights.

"Right." Arthur said, rising, "We should get going as well."

Charlie stepped in front of him and held out his hands for the baby. Arthur looked at him in surprise. Charlie sighed, "If anyone sees us here they are probably going to recognize you. Everyone would know if you'd had another child, wouldn't they? I've been out of country for years. If push comes to shove we can say he's mine. Who's to refute it?"

Arthur sighed and nodded, reluctantly handing the baby over. He sealed his office while Charlie carefully arranged his cloak to cover Justin. As they made their way out towards the elevators, they could see one of them just coming to a stop on their floor.

"Just keep it casual." Arthur whispered as they saw the Auror in it.

The Auror looked up as he heard their footsteps and hurried out of the elevator. "Hey, you there. You Arthur Weasley?"

They came to a stop, "Yes. May I help you?" Arthur said, unconsciously sizing the boy up and trying to think of all the available escape routes.

"They said I should be checkin with you first. That woman that was up here earlier, did she happen to leave a tike with you?"

Arthur blinked and looked at Charlie, carefully covering his nervousness. "A tike? As in a _child?_ Why would some woman leave a child with me?"

"Well, seein as how she's married to your son a'course." He said, frowning.

Arthur's eyes widened in feigned surprise. "Is she? Must be Percy she's married to then. I'm afraid we've been on the outs for quite a while now. Don't believe we've so much as spoken two words to eachother in well over a year and a half. You say they have a _child?_"

"Ya. And seein as the father's missin and the mother's in custody, it's my job to find the _child_ and see that he's taken to the proper authorities to be cared for until such a time as its parents can."

"Percy's missing? Well... that's... I don't know what to say. Listen, if you do find the child, I would very much appreciate it if you could bring it to me and my wife. We may have issues with my son, but we'd be its closest blood relations, and we're not going to hold its fathers transgressions against it. I assure you we'd take very good care of it until my son is able to once again."

"Well that's not exactly my call, mate. I'll put in a word for you though if you like."

"That would be very much appreciated. We should really get going now. My wife will be expecting us."

"Hold up." The Auror said, putting a hand on Arthur's arm as he turned to go.

Arthur and Charlie paused, looking over at him and trying to keep the anxiety off their faces.

The Auror moved a bit closer and sniffed. He moved over to Charlie, sniffing some more, then reached out and pulled open Charlie's robe, revealing Justin. "What's this then?" The Auror asked, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at them.

"Um... this.. no he's actually..." Arthur started quickly.

"There you are!" A cheerful voice called out. They all looked over and spotted a very attractive young woman with long brown hair waving at them from the elevator that was just arriving. She rushed over as the elevator doors opened. "Sorry it took me so long. You know the paperwork around here! You ready to go?"

Charlie and Arthur looked at eachother, "Um..." Arthur started uncertainly.

"Come on. Molly will be beside herself with worry." She said, slipping her arm around Charlie's neck and pulling him into a deep, sensuous kiss. He certainly made no objection. When she finally broke the kiss, he looked slightly stunned.

Arthur took her briefcase instinctively as she held it out to him, then she slipped Justin out of Charlie's arms before he could even think to object. "There's my little precious." She cooed softly, cradling the little boy. "Oh you finally got him to sleep." She said, smiling over at Charlie. "I thought he'd never stop crying. We really need some more teething tonic. Could you pick some up tomorrow, dear?"

Charlie blinked. "Sure." He said quickly.

She grinned at him, leaning over and giving him another little peck. "Come on, let's get him home before he wakes up."

"That's your baby, is it?" The Auror asked skeptically.

She grinned. "Takes after his father mostly, I know. Hopefully the next one will look a bit more like me. Not that this one isn't absolutely adorable just the way he is, but I'd like people to be able to at least tell who its mother is!" She shifted back a little, pressing up against Charlie. "We'll have to work on that..." She said mischievously.

He grinned, slipping his arms around her and entwining his fingers over her flat stomach, pressing up against her and nibbling on her neck. "Definitely." He said in a low, husky voice.

She giggled, then sniffed. "Oh dear. Smells like someone has a pooey nappy! Do you have any diapers on you? I forgot the bag..."

"No. Sorry." Charlie replied.

She looked over at Arthur, but he just shook his head. She sighed. "Well let's get him home before he gets a rash." She said, nuzzling the boy's bright copper curls affectionately.

"You're expecting me to believe that you just _happen_ to have an entirely _different_ grandchild of just about exactly the same age with you when one goes missing here abouts?" The Auror asked suspiciously.

The woman looked over at him and a slow smile slid over her lips. "Aww..." She said softly, batting her eyelashes, "Don't you believe me?"

The Auror had a slightly dazed look on his face as a little grin tugged at the side of his mouth. "Um... I... uh... I didn't say that..." He cleared his throat and beamed at her.

She smiled, "I didn't think so..." She said, reaching over and patting his cheek. "You're so sweet to be looking in on us, but we'll be fine. See you later!"

"Any time..." He replied, a silly grin now firmly in place.

Arthur and Charlie quickly followed as she got into the waiting elevator. She grinned and waved as it started towards the lobby. The Auror just waved back with that same dazed, silly look on his face until they disappeared from sight.

She shifted around, making sure they were completely out of sight, then dropped her smile. "Ugh! Someone take this thing!" She said, holding out the baby. Charlie quickly took it. "This stink better come out, I happen to like this blouse. What in Merlin's name are you feeding that thing?"

"How did you do that?" Charlie asked in surprise.

She glanced over at him, "What? Throw Gomer up there for a loop? Oh please! Men are putty!" She said dismissingly, pulling her hair back and twisting it up expertly into a tight bun. clipping it into place. "Stop at the next floor." She said to the elevator.

"_Why_ did you do that?" Arthur asked.

She rolled her eyes. "Like I want to have to deal with that kind of paperwork! Honestly!" She said, holding out her hand and snapping her fingers impatiently. Arthur handed her briefcase over. "I'll take the stairs, thanks. It's getting a bit ripe in here!"

The door to the elevator opened and she stepped out, then turned, holding the door. "Now get the rug rat out of here, get back to your little hidey hole and STAY THERE!" She said in an exasperated tone, releasing the door and turning, "I don't have time for this shite!" She muttered to herself as she walked away, "Playing bloody nanny! What next? Completely bloody unprofessional."

They just watched her disappear in stunned silence as the elevator continued along its way.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Draco watched silently as Blaise took Gray Feather into his arms. The woman was surprisingly docile. He supposed it was either from the calming spell Cullis had placed on her or the fact that Pax had already finished with her. He'd gone first to give Blaise more time to rest. Draco tried not to look at where Pax lay crying softly under the portable gurney they had brought for Narcissa. Pax had tried to hold it together after he finished with Gray Feather, but he'd broken down and crawled under the gurney when Draco asked him if he was ok.

Tobias had crawled under the gurney after him, slipping his arms around him and letting Pax hold him. Pax held on to him with a slight air of desperation much as Gray Feather had before, as if Tobias was the only thing keeping him sane. Pax now had the memories of both of Tobias' parents from what was probably the most emotionally ravaging experience of their lives. Draco didn't even want to venture a guess as to what he must be going through trying to sort through those memories and push them back to the back of his mind.

Draco heard the door open and close behind him and assumed it must be his mother and Lupin returning. Lupin had taken her to get back into her own clothing and get a few more tests done. He looked over as he heard a soft gasp. Grimsby was standing there, staring at Blaise through the odd, square spectacles that he had worn when working on binding Draco and Darien together. They made his eyes look very strange, seeming to shift around slowly, warping his eyes this way and that like mirrors in a carnival fun-house.

"Oh... I don't think we'll be requiring your services after all." Draco said, keeping his voice down. "The problem has been seen to..." He furrowed his brow. Grimsby didn't seem to be paying any attention to him.

"What _is_ that?" Grimsby asked in an awed voice.

"That's Blaise. He's my best friend. He's not hurting her."

"I see that." Grimsby said shortly, "But what _is_ he?"

Draco looked over at Blaise again. It was a bit hard to focus on him, his outline looking a bit smudged and out of focus when he was doing whatever he did to people, but it was hardly noticeable. He couldn't figure out what this man found so shocking. "He's human if that's what you're asking. Got hit with the White Wraith curse by a shadow demon and it had some... well... lasting effects I guess you could say."

"A wraith with a soul?" Grimsby said, obviously stunned by the very idea.

Draco got up. "He's not a wraith! He's just got some of their powers. He's..." He trailed off, having caught a glimmer of something through the edge of Grimsby's glasses. He plucked them off the man's face and put them on before he could even object.

Draco's jaw dropped. The world looked radically different through these bizarre glasses. He could see little of the room, no more than the faintest outlines in otherwise pitch blackness in fact. All he could really see was its occupants... but even those looked otherworldly. Gray Feather was no more than a flow of soft shades of turquoise and shell pink. What drew his attention, though, was what stood at her side.

Blaise was a nearly blindingly white stream of light with lightning-like flashes of brilliant color streaking across at random. It was as if the coloring of his eyes had spread out, engulfing him. He remained vaguely human shaped, but the whole surface of his body seemed in a constant state of flux both in color and shape. Tendrils like wisps of smoke curled out from him lazily, flowing around Gray Feather as he held her. This strange visage was both breathtakingly beautiful and at the same time inexplicably frightening.

"May I have my spectacles back now?" Grimsby asked a bit testily.

"What are these made of?" Draco asked, ignoring the man's request.

"They are made of what is called Spectral glass, and they are _extremely_ rare, and I can't do my job without them, so I'd appreciate it if you would return them."

Draco looked over at the man. He was a sort of dark blue-green, but he also had pale, barely visible wisps flowing around him. Draco reached for the glasses to return them, but then thought of something, "Just a minute..." He said, turning and looking under the gurney behind him.

His breath caught in his throat. The demon was quite easy to spot... and strangely beautiful. He was obviously seeing both Harry and Pax at the same time, but it was hard to tell which was which. He was a wild blending of starkly contrasting shades of brilliant orange and royal blue. He didn't know why, but when he looked at him, he could almost feel the emotional pain radiating from him. The boy... he would never have expected what met his gaze when he looked upon him. He was a brilliant inferno of crimson with flickers of yellow, blue and tiny glimpses of white. As he watched, the boy turned his head towards him. Draco was shocked to see his eyes... he couldn't see the eyes of the others, but Tobias' were solidly visible... though they didn't look 'normal' by any means, being no more than eye-shaped spots of glowing turquoise.

The boy watched him for a moment, then got up, making his way over to his mother. Blaise had released her and lost much of his brilliance, now a more normal shade of white with only tiny wisps of color, though the ghostly, smoke-like tendrils still clung to him. Blaise backed away, letting Tobias crawl up on the bed beside his mother. Draco just watched the boy mutely. The colors that were his mother seemed to strengthen as he held her.

"They told me, but I didn't believe them..." Grimsby said as he stared at Tobias. "Beautiful, isn't he? That boy has amazing potential. You have no idea how relieved I am that he'll have the chance to live up to it." He glanced over, reaching up and gingerly removing the glasses from Draco's face, taking them and slipping them back into their protective case. "I don't know how it was accomplished, but I can't thank you enough for it. I've never been so saddened by failure as I was when I couldn't bring him back. Still... I have to ask... how?"

Draco looked over at him, still blinking his eyes to try to readjust them to normal vision. "That took a cooperative effort. Blaise took care of the soul, the demon stole the memories."

"A demon?" Grimsby asked, alarmed.

Draco nodded, looking back under the gurney. Pax had turned over, facing the wall. "Shadow demon. Same one that cursed him in the first place actually, but that was when he was my father's. He's mine now. He's taken on a lot today... couldn't have done it without him."

Grimsby took out the glasses again, slipping them on and looking at Pax. "Well would you look at that! Always wondered what one of those would look like." He said, lowering the glasses. "You sure it's safe?"

Draco smiled. "Depends on who you are. As far as _we're_ concerned, yes, he's safe."

"Who is that it's inhabiting?"

"Harry Potter. That moronic git Fudge trapped him in there, so he really has no choice in the matter."

Grimsby nodded. "That would explain it. Raw coloring that strong isn't exactly common."

"So blue is strong?"

Grimsby gave a snort. "The color doesn't necessarily indicate the level of strength when in the cooler end of the spectrum. The warmer colors do tend to be the strongest magical talents leading up to white, which is pure light... but this is often wild and untamed magic. In this case, the color mostly indicates the level of control. It's hard to explain, but after a while you can recognize what is weaker and what is merely better controlled. There is more to it than just the glasses. I, myself, was touched by the White Wraith curse as a child... though it was merely cast by an older boy who was meddling in the dark arts, not a shadow demon. My father was a healer with a great number of antidotes at his disposal, including the one for that curse, so I was only under it's influence for a few minutes before being cured... but the memory of it stayed with me. Combined with the Spectral glass I've been able to be of some modest help at least. It is woefully incomplete compared to what I experienced under the curse, but it is at least a vague glimpse. Now your friend... Blaise? His talent is untamed as well really, but will most likely remain white no matter what level of control he gains over it due to the purity of its nature. As for the demon... you've made the assumption most probably would. They all immediately associate demons with the blazing inferno of Hell and would therefore assume he was the orange. These are merely silly notions spawned by Muggle religions. With the exception of a few rare sub-species, demons have very little to do with fire. In my experience, demons, unless very young, tend to be shades of blue at the spiritual level, as this one is. Harry is the orange. I admit I haven't seen many demons, but this one's particular shading is... unusual. Perhaps it's just the type it is... but most of the demons I've seen tend to be very dark shades... almost black." He shifted back slightly and took off the glasses as Pax turned back over, glaring at him, obviously not caring for being talked about as if he wasn't even there.

"Yes... well since you don't appear to need my services, I should probably run along. I may not have your friend's skill, but I'm still rather busy..." He said, tucking away the glasses and starting for the door. He paused half way there, turning back. "Oh... and Blaise?"

Blaise turned and looked at him, looking a bit dazed. "Hmm?"

"If you ever consider making this your profession, I would be honored to take you on for your apprenticeship. I believe we could learn a great deal from eachother."

Blaise scratched his side groggily, then wandered over, plopping down in a chair. "I'll bear that in mind should I get the urge." He said, settling in and closing his eyes.

Grimsby gave a little nod, then left.

> > > > >

"Everything's done then? We all ready to go?" Draco asked gently.

Pax took a deep breath and sighed it out, then nodded. He had finally come out from under the gurney and settled down in a chair. "Everything from before the hospital is gone from her mind." He said softly.

"Just before the hospital? Shouldn't you have wiped it all the way up to the present?"

Pax shook his head. "No. She asked to keep those memories."

"Why?"

Pax looked over at him. "There was a _newspaper article_. It didn't give names, but it can't be too hard to figure out. The outskirts of Hogsmeade aren't exactly teeming with people, and this family has been gone since the incident. Other's will figure it out. _They_ will figure it out. They had to know what happened in at least a vague way, otherwise it would just traumatize them all over again to find out a second time. Besides, she wanted to make sure she remembered _why_ she did what she did. She wanted to remember your mother. She wanted to remember _you_. Admittedly, I nipped and tucked her memory of her little attack on me. Made her forget the whole nearly killing her own child thing. That's a trauma all on its own. I... I'm sorry it's taking me so long to bounce back. It's been a very long day..."

Draco gave him a little smile. "Like I said, take all the time you need."

Pax sighed. "Let's go. Blaise's had a good rest, so if we don't leave soon he's libel to go wandering off."

Draco looked over. Blaise had indeed perked up again and was already eyeing the door. "Right. Time to leave then." He got up and went over, kissing his mother on the forehead. "I'll make sure they have the nicest, most comfortable coach available waiting for you when you get there. Take your time and don't rush it."

"I'll see that she makes it back." Lupin said with a little nod.

Draco smiled, "I thought you might." He said, clapping him on the shoulder as he passed by. "Alright then, gather up and let's head out."

Snape came over, his eyes on Narcissa as he came to a stop next to Draco. "I believe I'll accompany her as well. He's too weak right now to carry her if she should require it."

Draco smirked as he nodded. He knew Snape wasn't fond of Lupin. He was probably the only one who didn't appear too attached to the idea of Lupin and Narcissa together, but what he said was true. As much as he liked Lupin, and he really_ was_ getting to be quite fond of him, he wanted his mother and new siblings to be protected. He accepted the belt as Snape pulled it off, handing it to him.

They all looked over as there was a tentative knock on the door. Nancy was standing there, and Draco could see a number of Healers he didn't know standing behind her. They appeared to be some of the foreign Healers he'd seen helping out before.

Seeing she had their attention, she hurried over while the others peered in curiously. She came to a stop in front of the chair Pax was sitting in, "Um..." She blinked and he smirked. It was obvious she had been about to say his name, but only belatedly realized she hadn't a clue what to call him.

"Try 'Harry'. For simplicity's sake."

She grinned gratefully, "Harry... I was wondering... we were hoping you could do us a favor..." She said, indicating the waiting Healers.

"You want a favor from _me?_" He asked, surprised.

"The spell you... gave me. Do you think you can give it to them as well? I would simply teach them myself, but these fourteen have patients that need it immediately, and so there really is no time to learn it the old fashioned way... I can teach the others myself of course. I wouldn't even ask this much if it weren't urgent."

"Others?" He asked, rising.

She nodded. "There's about fifty more so far. They came from all over. Werewolves are not limited to a single region. It's a blessing really. They pitched in and helped us with the wounded when we needed it the most. New discoveries are broadcast over the interhospital link. I had no idea there would be this kind of response."

"Interhospital link?" He asked, looking at her, obviously bewildered.

"For new cures and treatments. We write it up and slip it in the outgoing box and a copy of it instantly appears in the incoming boxes of every other major hospital in the world."

Pax grinned over at Draco. "Guess you're not the only person who pays attention to the Muggles. Mind if I pop out for a moment?"

"Be my guest." Draco said with a smirk. He went over and took a seat in the far corner. Ginny was over talking to his mother and Lupin as Snape watched over them, Blaise was curled up in a chair resting, and Gray Feather and her husband were both fast asleep. He settled back, enjoying the calm respite. It had been quite a day.

Tobias slipped off the bed where he'd been lying next to his mother comfortingly. He looked around, then made his way over Draco.

Draco smiled up at him as the boy just stood there looking hesitant. "Hey there. Something on your mind?"

Tobias glanced over to make sure no one else was close enough to hear, then said in a quiet voice, "Can I come see her?"

Draco blinked. "Come see who?"

Tobias stuck his hands in his pockets uneasily, then gave a little nod towards Narcissa.

"My mum?" Draco asked in confusion.

Tobias rolled his eyes. "Not her, silly. My sister."

Draco blinked again, stunned and unable to think of any reply.

Tobias sighed. "I'm eight. That doesn't make me daft. It also doesn't make me _deaf._"

Draco let out a pained breath. They had apparently been a bit too loose lipped around the boy. "Listen... there's something you have to understand about that..." He began sadly.

Tobias scuffed his toe against the rug under his feet. "I know it's your dad's. I know he's a bad man and he did awful stuff to us. I don't remember it, but I know it happened. I won't tell my sisters or my parents or anything... I just wanted to see her sometimes..."

Draco felt a lump catching in his throat. He nodded. "Sure." He finally managed. "Anytime you want."

Tobias grinned happily, then he looked Draco over thoughtfully. "So... if my sister is your sister too... does that make us brothers?"

A grin slipped over Draco's lips. "I'm not sure if it does... I'm not great shakes at the whole technical familial ties... but I wouldn't mind having a little brother..."

Tobias' grin lit up again. "So is the white-eyed spirit's boy going to be another brother?"

That took him a second to unravel. "If his is a boy it would be my brother... it wouldn't have any more direct blood relation than you and I, but I guess you could consider him yours as well if you like."

Tobias looked positively jubilant. "Two brothers..." He said in soft spoken awe. "Been askin mum my whole life for brothers instead of poxy sisters! Not that the new one will be poxy, but older ones are. You two'll be enough for me. I can stop buggin her now."

Draco grinned, then furrowed his brow. "What makes you so certain your mother's will be a girl and Blaise's will be a boy? In fact, how did you even know it was Blaise's?"

Tobias' grin became a bit mischievous. "They just are." He said with a little knowing shrug.

> > > > >

Christian sidled up beside Tonks as Tonks waited at the reception area of the emergency room for the receptionist to return. The other Aurors were milling about, several of them peering through the doors into the triage rooms. Rita Skeeter and her cameraman were interviewing one of them, and seemed to be watching warily for something... or someone. Christian glanced around, then spoke in a low voice, moving his lips very little. "This is a setup, isn't it?"

"Mmhmm." Tonks replied softly.

"And yet you agreed to it?"

"Mmhmm."

"That bastard's gone over to the other side, hasn't he?"

"Mmhmm."

"Sweet Lord, you had best have a plan little missy! These kids couldn't take on a single Death Eater if they joined together! They're still practically in diapers! Except for Conners. He's been watching us like a hawk the whole time. Whatever this is, he's in on it."

"Mmhmm."

Tonks caught sight of a Healer and hurried over. "Excuse me!"

The blonde smiled, coming over. "How badly are you hurt? The triage is set up by severity."

"Oh no... we didn't come from in Diagon Alley. I am Auror Tonks, this is Senior Auror Christian..."

The woman blinked, "Tonks? Nymphadora Tonks?"

Tonks grimaced and the woman smirked. "I'm Healer Becka Sanders. Draco's told me a bit about you. Have you come to see him? He's just about to leave..."

"He's still here?" Tonks asked in surprise. She thought sure they would have concluded their business and been gone long ago.

"Yes, well he played healer and helped us out quite a bit. He has quite a natural talent for the field actually. Last I heard he was finishing up his business with the Rayne family and was scheduled to leave soon.

A plan started forming in Tonks' mind. "We have his sister-in-law here. She is under our protective custody. We can't mix her in with the general populous for safety reasons. I'm sure the family would prefer to have someone they know look after her... do you think you could ask Draco to do the honors?"

Becka's eyes flicked to the other Aurors and took in the way the short blond haired man was watching them. "But of course. In fact, he's in the best area of the hospital for high profile patients. The whole half of that floor has been secured. Let me just get someone to lead you there..." She looked around, spotting one of the helpers and hurrying over to him. She whispered softly to him, indicating the woman Christian still held. Tonks looked over at Christian. Penelope's weight didn't even seem to phase him. Tonks smirked as she looked him over.

Christian caught the look and smirked back. "Eye on the ball, kitten." He whispered softly. She just grinned at him mischievously.

The helper hurried up with a gurney and Christian carefully deposited Penelope on it, then took up position on one side while Tonks took the other. The other Aurors trailed behind them. Their disorganization irritated Tonks, but not as much as realizing that it was Mad-Eye Moody's influence that made her even pay attention to such things. She silently promised herself she wouldn't turn into a little Moody.

> > > > >

"Ready to go?" Becka asked briskly as she bustled into the room.

"Hmm? Oh..." He looked over, spotting Pax making his way back into the room. "I guess so."

"Good. Let's get you ready." She said, pulling off the robe he'd just put on and snatching up the Healer's robes he had worn earlier.

"What are you doing?" He asked her warily as she tugged the robe onto him hurriedly, transferring his wand to the new robe.

"You have one more patient to see on the way out. I'm pretty sure it's urgent."

"Another patient... I'm not really a Healer if you've forgotten. Wouldn't _you_ be better qualified?"

"Personal request. It was Tonks. She is bringing a woman she says is your sister-in-law and she has a whole bevy of Aurors with her. She says the woman is under protective custody."

"The Aurors have Penelope?"

"Oh bloody Hell." Pax breathed. "We have to spring her."

"From the Ministry? That would be just _slightly_ illegal..."

"In this case, legal equals _dead_. Am I gonna have to try to hint at you incessantly to no avail again?" Pax growled irritably.

"I think that's what Tonks had in mind as well. The springing part that is. She was very specific about wanting you to see to the woman, who is quite pregnant by the way..."

"What?" Ginny asked in shock.

"Approaching her third trimester from what I could tell. I have one of the helpers leading them here. I cut through the back passages and such to beat them. So get out there... but do that thing with your hair against first..."

Pax whipped out his wand and quickly waved it at Draco. Then at Ginny, Blaise and himself.

"Would it even be _safe_ for a pregnant woman that far along?" Draco asked, keeping his voice low.

"A damn sight safer than her current situation I'd say." Becka replied, folding her arms across her chest.

Draco sighed and nodded. "See you in a bit." He called over to his mother, thankful the 'grownups' had been out of earshot. His mother would probably hyperventilate if she knew he was even contemplating what he was about to do.

He looked down as he felt a tug on his pant leg. Thyra was looking up at him uncertainly.

"You stay with my mother." Draco said, noting how weary she still looked. Apparating would be much easier on her than Blaise's portkey.

Thyra nodded demurely, obviously thinking she was being dismissed. He sighed and went down on one knee before her. "I need you to watch over her." He said softly. "She's got two more little masters in that belly and I want them as well protected as possible. I'd feel much better knowing you were with her."

Thyra's eyes were big and watery as she quickly nodded her head. "Thyra is not letting you down master." She squeaked.

He grinned and patted her head, getting up and hurrying after the others out into the corridor. He took the lead, spotting Tonks and Christian approaching with the gurney followed by the before mentioned group of Aurors and none other than Rita Skeeter and her photographer. They came to a stop as the two groups met. "I trust you'll take care of her properly." Tonks said solemnly.

"I'll do my best..." Draco said as Ginny and Pax came up on the other side of the gurney, Blaise beside him. They all had to try hard not to glare hatefully at Rita, who was coming up behind them, looking smug and pleased with herself at having gotten into the hall that had been secured largely to keep her out.

Blaise leaned over closer, whispering softly to Draco. "I'll activate the key to send you all back, but I need to stay here."

Draco looked over at him sharply. "Not bloody likely!"

"There are people here who need my help! I can't just leave!"

Draco sighed, then saw something past Rita and the Aurors. There was a group of men moving up the hallway. They were wearing St. Mungo's Healer's robes, but what he could see of their clothes underneath didn't look consistent at all and Draco knew he'd never seen any of them on the staff before. He unbuckled the belt from where he had fastened it around his waist and slipped it out while pretending to check Penelope's pulse. He looked up sharply as Pax eased away, sidling back to lean against the wall.

Draco tried to catch his eye to get him to return so they could all get ahold of the belt at once, but Pax wasn't paying attention to him. His focus was down the hall on those approaching men. He saw his lips moving ever so slightly and felt a tickle of nausea in the pit of his stomach. The men came to a stop as the first of the Aurors spotted them.

"Get over here!" Draco hissed urgently. He couldn't leave Pax there. He would have no way back to the Manor.

"Wait for it." Pax said softly, not taking his eyes off of the men.

Draco tensed as the fake Healers pulled out their wands. Pax just watched, grinning as they all started blasting away at once. Blinding flashes illuminated the outline of an invisible hemisphere completely surrounding the disguised Death Eaters. They all watched in shock as the Death Eaters' own spells ricocheted around wildly in the confined space until they found targets. In moments the light died away. Through the smoke they could see that every last Death Eater lay on the ground, undeniably dead.

Pax let out a little giggle. "That was bloody brilliant!" He said, looking over at Draco, "Can we wait to see if they have backup?"

"No!"

Pax sighed. "Killjoy." He muttered, shifting away from the wall. As he did, they could see him pulling his wand tip away from the stone. A yellowish tendril clang to it for a moment, attaching it to the wall, but then it snapped and they heard a soft pop as the shield surrounding the Death Eaters dissipated.

Pax wrinkled his nose and hurried over, latching on to the belt. "On second thought let's get out of here. This place reeks."

"Everyone grab on and I'll send you back." Blaise said softly, looking over to make sure the Aurors were preoccupied.

Pax rolled his eyes. "Draco... time to dangle the bait."

Draco grinned. He figured that would be the demon's plan. He reached over and touched Blaise's hands. Blaise's eyes darted over to him, instantly back to their full wraith glory. He reached for Draco, but Pax seized his wrist. "Not here. You want to patch up _that_ little jigsaw puzzle you have to come with us."

Blaise strained against Pax's grasp, but the demon was stronger at the moment. He gave up in frustration, grabbing up the belt end. They all took ahold of Penelope and Blaise pressed his finger to the buckle.

Rita Skeeter turned as there was a sharp clap behind her. All that met her gaze was an empty gurney.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - Ok, for those of you only reading the major change to this chapter, the scene is right after you meet the brown haired woman at the Ministry, before Draco & Co. leave the hospital. I've removed the part about me not postin for a while cause it feels silly reposting that, but I left the rest of the author's note intact cause I'm too lazy to weed through it ;P

Hey, just a note for those of you who are interested: they finally closed the Draco/Ginny awards contest for entries and are now judging. They say it will probably be about the beginning of June when we find out the results. I said I'd tell you when I heard more about the "reader's choice" part of the contest. Well, they just put up a link on the site (www dot magicaltheory dot com) where you can go and vote. Go ahead and look over the other entries, and if you chose to vote, they ask that you only vote once. They can track where you're voting from, so I doubt double entries would be counted anyway. I'm going to try to finish this whether I win or not, but I'm really gonna do my best to wrap this up before the final results (though this bloody inspection will make that a pretty small amount of time) just in case I lose and wind up in a manic depressive funk or something. I know, promises promises, I've been saying I was going to end it since like before chapter 50, but I really am gonna try. Just having a hard time staying motivated lately. It's nice not having to deal with people leaving disheartening reviews on anonymous mode, but I must admit I miss the numbers. I'm still getting reviews of course, they just seem to have dropped off quite a bit. Yes, I got a decent rush of reviews in the first two days, and I wrote nearly half this chapter in that amount of time, but since then the reviews dropped off drastically. I didn't get a single review for like three days, and only a handful of really short ones in the couple of days before that. Since then I've gotten a couple short ones for previous chapters, but little feedback to help the current portion of this endeavor. Not unexpected I suppose, but still. Oh well, moving on.

I've had a couple of people asking me lately if they can use some of my ideas in their own fictions, such as Draco flying with the Thestrals and such... I must admit, when I was first asked, I had an undeniable wave of possessive angst. I know it's silly to feel proprietary when I'm using someone else's universe in the first place (namely J.K.'s), but I felt it never the less. I wonder if J.K. feels this way when she hears about fanfics? It's an unsettling thought. (sighs) This is, as I've said, really not mine in foundation, but I can't seem to stop thinking of it as fundamentally mine somehow. Still, that said, Thestrals don't belong to me. Draco doesn't belong to me (I wish!). Very few of these characters do. Well... hmm... actually a number of them _do_. Most of them not in the original core group actually. Thinking about it, even this incarnation of Blaise is mine. The vague physical description comes from... well whomever started it (I saw it in a number of fanfics, so am unsure of its true origin), and the name of course is J.K.'s , but I very much doubt she had this Blaise in mind at the time. Anyway... to my point. I suppose I can't rightfully tell you no, but I do ask that any similarities be vague at best, and if it shares any even vaguely recognizable aspects of my story (and especially characters I've created!), please reference me and my story in the first chapter of your story. I ask this for two reasons: One, if some of my other fans see you 'borrowing ideas' without citing the source, they may turn you in for plagiarism and get you or at least your story booted otherwise... and the second reason is a bit selfish. Plagiarism is one thing I _absolutely_ cannot abide in writing. I know, this universe isn't mine, but I have thoroughly credited my sources. I ask you to cite me because I don't want anyone to think I'm copying off of you! I plan on posting this on another site or two after I'm done, and so the start date may be after your own, and if I get people saying "hey, you stole that idea from such and such" I'm gonna get pissed off. If it really is that similar and you don't have a reference to my story I can point out to that person, we are going to have issues. Guaranteed. A reference is such a simple thing, I don't see as it's too much to ask. Common courtesy really. I'd also appreciate an email telling me about the story (with a link if possible). I can't guarantee I will read it, especially if I'm writing something else (I'm a bit of a purist, not reading anything else while I'm writing, otherwise I can lose my muse) but I'd like to have the option. Just say like "Flight of the Thestrals" in the subject line so I don't pitch it thinking it's spam (which I get _tons_ of). If you've got time when you email me, I'd appreciate it if you could also tell me what bits of mine you used. It might make reading it more enticing ;P I'm the curious type if you couldn't tell.

ShiningSilverSerpent - As Kulia explained in the beginning of chapter 45, she used a spell so that both the twins could fertilize the same egg, making it almost certain it would split. Any snow elf woman could have fraternal twins by simply using a fertility spell and shagging two guys (as Pansy found out!), but those aren't the kind that hold the special power. So, yes, they are _both_ the fathers and Kulia's twins are _identical_.

Potions Goddess - Kulia and the twins getting married... well, I'm not sure it would be legal for even _one_ of them to marry her. She is technically a magical creature, and I doubt the archaic Ministry would authorize a wizard marrying a magical creature, let alone two (let alone BROTHERS!). And at any rate, so far their relationship is still officially 'casual'. Falling in love isn't something snow elves let themselves do lightly. As we've seen with Balthys, once they fall in love, they never stop loving them, no matter what. He had only been able to remarry in the past after his wives had passed on. You never heard him say anything about ever getting divorced! And I think the number of relationships he's had is only due to his dual nature. He loves them forever, as any snow elf would, but the incubus in him makes him seek someone else to love after they have passed on. Of course then the snow elf kicks in again, making it hard for him to keep his relationships 'casual' and he winds up back in love again. It's a vicious cycle.


	69. Chapter 69

OH THANK MERLIN! _FINALLY_ I can post... been sitting on this since 4 am Monday morning since the site has been down as far as submissions is concerned. I'm particularly interested to see what you all think of this chapter. It was extremely hard-won... and I admit I strayed a bit ;P I just pray the site stays up so you can review!

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - Warning: Some Adult content. Well, DUH! Look at the chapter number! I really shouldn't even have to put the warning! It would probably be like against the law to post it without at least SOMETHING adult! ;P Oh, and I added a scene to chapter 68 when I reposted it, so if you read it some time before I posted this one, check it out.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Chapter 69

The return trip was even worse than the first. As soon as the world stopped spinning around him, Draco felt arms encircling him. The sight of the sitting room around him started blurring before it had even had a chance to come into focus properly. He felt a sudden, undeniable trill of fear go through him as his vision faded to blackness. He knew it was Blaise, and he knew Blaise would never knowingly harm him, but he wasn't entirely sure how much control he had over his actions right now. He also couldn't help but remember the sight of this raw, wild force that now inhabited Blaise's body standing before him in it's full blazing glory and wondered what it intended to do to him. The thought of something meddling with his soul... or souls really... was terrifying.

He couldn't feel his body at all anymore. It felt like he was floating. Not as if he were weightless exactly, but more like he was suspended in some kind of thick atmosphere. He suddenly became aware of another presence and knew instinctively it was Darien. They were joined together in a way, but the bond felt no stronger than thin twine looped around them.

Another presence brushed up against him. He could feel the tremendous power radiating from it and tried to pull away. It would have none of that. It wrapped itself around them both like a blanket and they could feel its presence permeate their every thought. He became aware of an odd vibration... almost like wildly discordant harmonics. There was a similar, but slightly different vibration coming from beside him and he realized it was coming from them. The overpowering presence pressed closer and he felt the vibrations changing... they were slowly evening out and losing their roughness. In moments, they were smooth and melodious. Then they changed again, slowly shifting to match eachother more closely. When it was done, they didn't match exactly, but they felt in harmony. The bond between them had drawn tighter as well, feeling like they were now stitched neatly and securely together like patches in a quilt.

The presence eased away from them and the world swam back into being around him. Draco blinked his eyes open, trying to make sense of it all. He could feel Darien as he never could before. They were both there at once, their minds still different, but somehow perfectly in sync. He could remember all of Darien's life without even asking. They were his memories as well now. Before, he'd seen everything Darien was thinking or remembering, but now it was like a whole new level. They were both there... neither dominant, neither overshadowed by the other. They both just... _were_. It made him feel oddly comfortable and secure. It was as if this was how he was always meant to be.

He felt completely at peace. The horrible memories of his youth were still there of course, as were the memories of Darien's less than pleasant childhood... and yet the feelings these memories had always caused when he dredged them up... the pain, anxiety, fear, anger, self doubt and most of all the self loathing... they were all things he could only remember having felt once. The memories no longer held that almost tangible, visceral power over him anymore. The scars that they had left in his heart and soul were healed over now... all but gone.

He became slowly aware of his body again. He was hanging limply in Blaise's grasp, Blaise's encircling arms the only thing that was keeping him up, his head resting against his shoulder. He knew he should get back onto his feet and move away, but he just felt so very comfortable there... the deep weariness seemed intent on overwhelming him.

"Draco? Are you ok?"

Draco blinked his eyes back open, realizing he had been drifting off. The sound of his name felt odd somehow... like when someone calls you by the wrong name... and yet it _was_ his name... Then he realized that, in a way, it was only half his name... He had no desire to change it, but the slight disorientation of hearing it was going to take some getting used to. He could feel Ginny gently touching him, her voice full of concern.

"Just tired..." He said, trying to shift his weight off of Blaise. He managed to get back under his own power, though a bit unsteadily, and Blaise released him.

"What was he doin to ya?"

Draco blinked over in surprise at Tonks. "You tagged along?"

Tonks gave a snort, "Like I'm staying there and getting tossed into Azkaban! Those were some very high ranking Aurors that set us up, and it won't take them long to figure out who I am, and then I'm gonna be the perfect scapegoat. I was 'in charge', you're my cousin, and I led her straight to you. It'll take them all of about two seconds to pin this entire 'abduction' on me. Even without the Dementors, Azkaban isn't exactly a vacation spot, so I think I'd rather hide out until they get those bloody traitors out of the Ministry first, thanks!"

Draco looked around as he stripped off his Healer's robe, his eyes coming to a stop on the man now holding Penelope. "And just what are _you_ doing here?"

"This woman was entrusted into my care, whether they expected me to succeed or not." Christian said evenly, "I intend to look after her for however long she requires it, no matter who's custody she is in."

"That's Christian." Blaise said softly. "Frankly, I would have been _shocked_ if he'd let you bugger off with Penelope without tagging along."

Draco turned to look at him in surprise. "You know him? Can he be trusted?"

Blaise nodded, his eyes still shifting back to normal, "I'd trust him with my life. I already have in fact. He's the one who killed my father. That's good enough for me."

They all looked over at Christian. He studiously avoided meeting anyone's gaze. "Where should I put her? She needs tended to. That was a rather rough trip."

"Give them a moment." Harry said, leaning against the wall beside a black velvet rope pull.

"Oh..." Ginny said quickly, "Narcissa doesn't want us saying anything to the others... she'll tell them when she's ready."

The others nodded, then they all looked over as the door sprang open and three out of breath house elves scampered in. They all suddenly skidded to a stop, staring at Blaise wide-eyed.

"The young lady needs to be taken to a room and tended to. She's been stunned and jostled about a bit..." Blaise paused, furrowing his brow. The elves hadn't even looked away from him to see Penelope as he indicated her. "What?"

The house elves looked at eachother nervously.

"I see you're discovering one of the lovely fringe benefits of being a 'Dangerous Monster'." Pax said with a smirk, red blossoming behind his eyes. "Welcome to the club. I'm thinking of having matching jackets made up if you're interested..."

Blaise let out an exasperated sigh as the elves scootched forward a bit, away from Pax, but obviously unsure if they wanted to get any closer to Blaise. He snapped his fingers irritably to get their attention, too tired to have to deal with this right now. Their eyes immediately shot to him, watching him warily.

"Yes, I'm just this side of a full blown wraith now, but I still have a soul, and that soul is a _Zabini_ soul, so if you want to keep serving this family you'll get over it. I have no plans to steal your souls, but if any of you have a problem with serving me and want to leave, fine. I'll go get you some clothes." He said in a cool voice.

They shuddered at the mention of clothes. The closest one quickly spoke up, "No... no, we is just being surprised Master. We is not meaning any disrespect..." It squeaked fearfully.

"Fine. Let's get her to a room then." He said, striding towards the door. "I'll go with you to make sure she's comfortable." He paused as the elves started to follow him. "Oh, and I'd prefer it if you didn't _touch_ me."

Their eyes positively bugged at that, but they all nodded and two of them hurried to get the door and lead the way, giving Blaise a wide berth, the third remaining to guide the rest of the guests.

"I'll go with you. Just to make them extra nervous." Pax said with a evil grin, falling in beside Blaise as they followed Christian out.

Once they were clear of the room Blaise looked over at Harry, noting that the red in his eyes had faded away entirely. "Why are you _really_ coming with us?" He asked softly.

Harry looked over at him. "I think he's avoiding the inevitable." He replied with a shrug. "If he needs a bit more time, I'll give it to him."

> > > > > > > > > >

"We should go meet them!" Molly said, wringing her hands fretfully.

"There are at least six different ways to get from that room to this." Delse said soothingly, though she looked a bit anxious herself. "Odds are we'd miss eachother along the way and end up having to return here anyway. The house elves will bring them, we just have to be patient."

Molly sighed and nodded, looking at the clock again for reassurance. Both Draco and Ginny's hands rested on 'Home' (Which is what it considered Zabini Manor at the moment since that was the current location of the clock). Charlie and Arthur's hands were still on 'Traveling', and Percy's hand still hadn't budged from 'Mortal Peril'. She was grateful that her husband and oldest son's clock hands had not joined Percy's, but the lack of change in Percy's current position had been slowly eating away at the hope that had blossomed in her heart at the sight of the letter. She had read the letter at least fifty times already, and was now clutching it distractedly in her hand.

"Are you alright?" Balthys asked Delse gently as he saw her worrying at the end of the ribbon at her waist, nearly to the point of reducing it to shreds.

She looked up at him, startled. He could be very stealthy when he wanted to be. "I'm fine." She said quickly, her cheeks coloring slightly.

He looked her over. She didn't look fine. "I can understand Molly's anxiety with her husband and children away... Are you missing someone as well?"

Her blush deepened. After a moment she hesitantly replied. "The... shadow demon Kulia mentioned. He was badly injured. That's why they went to the hospital so suddenly."

"Injured?"

She shifted uneasily. "It's a long story... he... thought I'd be better off without him. He tried to kill himself by disobeying."

He eyed her intently for a long moment. "It's been a long time since I've heard of a shadow demon falling in love." He said softly.

Her eyes widened and darted over to him. To her knowledge, no one had said anything about Pax to him at all other than Kulia's brief mention when they first arrived. "What makes you say that?"

He smiled. "It chose to die just because it felt it would be best for you? Shadow demons are not known for selfless acts without great motivation. That along with the chosen method of suicide makes it pretty apparent. The pain of disobeying ranks just shy of being staked out in direct sunlight. It's one of the most excruciating experiences they know. To chose to die that way when there are less painful methods available means it _wanted_ to suffer. It obviously felt it_ deserved_ it. I've only ever seen that when one was in love."

She stared at him, curious despite her intense embarrassment at how obvious Pax's feelings seemed to be to everyone but her... even this man who had never even set eyes on it. "You've seen shadow demons in love before?"

He smiled again. "In _shadow_ demons I've only seen it twice personally. Demons can love, despite what most people seem to think. I'm half demon and I've been in love a number of times. I believe my father loved my mother as well. Towards the end of her life, she admitted to me that he still visited her. Had at least every fortnight since she was seventeen. She had me when she was thirty five. Her marriage was arranged, as all the marriages were by that point. We always knew she didn't love her husband... the father of all of her children other than myself. Even _he_ knew it... but he never knew about my father's visits, other than, of course, the one that left her with me. I've only seen my father once myself. I came upon him one night, standing vigil at her grave. He was crying. As much as I've always wanted to meet him, I couldn't bare to intrude on his grief. It almost seems like we feel it even more intensely than other creatures actually... I can't imagine a human feeling as strongly about another being as I have felt about my wives... but then again I suppose everyone thinks that they are feeling more than anyone else possibly could when they are in love. Shadow demons though... most people think they are cold and emotionless... but in truth they are nothing _but_ emotion. It is the core of their being. Normally the emotions are dark and twisted... hatred, cruelty, vindictiveness and the like... but on rare occasion... with the right amount of compassion and encouragement they can discover emotions normally beyond their scope. I certainly hope you continue nurturing its emotional growth."

She flashed him a wavering smile, then dropped her eyes. "I'm not even sure it survived. They weren't sure how to treat it while it was trapped in its host."

"Well, one thing I can tell you is that there _is_ a shadow demon on the premises. I certainly hope it's yours." Balthys replied.

Her eyes darted up and widened.

"Demons can sense eachother to an extent. I don't think it has sensed _us_ yet, but then I've been 'watching' for it, and it's not expecting to encounter other demons here I'd imagine. Someone's coming by the way. The demon is not with them, but I can hear them in the corridor..."

Molly turned, the letter in her hand falling forgotten from her fingers. The door opened and she practically threw herself at Ginny as she walked in. "How dare you run off like that when you weren't given permission young lady!" She said sternly, but she she was clutching her to her desperately.

"Sorry mum... I just... I wasn't going to just leave Draco go without me!" Ginny replied, her words a bit muffled, as her mother was still clinging to her.

"Darien?"

Draco looked over, spotting Balthys standing there, staring at him as if he'd seen a ghost. Draco blinked, taking in the tail trailing down onto the carpet and the wings peeking out from behind his shoulders, then up, noting the short horns. Suddenly it clicked. "_Balthys?_" He asked incredulously.

Balthys swept forward and wrapped him in a big hug, literally lifting him a few inches off the ground in his enthusiasm. After a moment he set him back down and eased back to look him over at arms length. "I can't believe it... but how? You died!"

Kulia chuckled, strolling over, "If you have an hour or so we can try to go over the details, but suffice it to say it's... well kind of reincarnation... Anyone else look familiar?"

Balthys looked over, his eyes going wide as Molly finally released Ginny and he got a good look at her for the first time. "Ginevra!" he laughed, reaching out and pulling her into a hug as well. Then he released her, reaching down and placing his palm on Draco's stomach. A brilliant smile lit over his face. "It got used at last! I know none has ever yet failed to fulfill its purpose, but I feared there was no chance _that_ one would succeed!"

"What's he going on about?" Molly asked, eyeing Balthys warily.

"Balthys is the one who created the unicorn horn talisman for the ceremony." Kulia said with a hint of pride in her voice as she smiled at her brother, "It's a very powerful magical object that few could even attempt to create. Incubi are unusually adept at creating magical objects, and in fact I don't think anyone has ever successfully created one that was not of incubus descent."

"It's probably the only reason they didn't insist mother 'dispose' of me when I was born. Back then they could afford to lose a few for the sake of their ridiculous 'purity of blood'. A great many half bloods born in that day just quietly 'went away'. Interspecies relationships were frowned upon to the point of barely concealed threats as well. Those close-minded practices continued a bit longer than they should have obviously, practically drumming the entire species right out of being. Nowadays of course any snow elves that might be born would be of half blood or less. Any of the purebloods that are left are too closely related by this point. You're lucky witches and wizards can be born to muggle parents. You have a renewable source."

Draco grinned. "Perhaps you should write a book on the decline of your species and its implications on the practices of the wizarding pureblood families."

"Not a bad idea, but since the pureblood families probably own all of the publishing companies I doubt it would ever hit the bookstores." Balthys said with a chuckle, then drew Draco in for another quick hug, "I just can't believe it's you! I know we only knew eachother for a short time before..." He trailed off, his smile fading some, "But, well, I always feel close to those I have made life binding talismans for. I finished yours just a few hours before you... died."

Draco shifted uneasily. He hadn't know the full import of the object Balthys had made for them until he had actually used it. He had only thought of it as a ceremonial object, but now he knew that Balthys could never have even created it if he and Ginevra hadn't been truly and deeply in love. If he had only known that back then, he would never have been fooled into thinking she didn't love him. He quickly brushed aside the thought. It was no use to dwell on past mistakes. "You... look just the same." Draco said, looking him over more closely. There might be a slight bit more white to his somewhat striped hair, and it was a good several inches longer, but other than that he could discern no difference.

Balthys grinned, "Snow elves age at perhaps a tenth the rate of humans once they reach physical maturity... and to my knowledge, incubi don't age. I haven't aged much since I was about a hundred... hundred and fifty perhaps."

Ginny was looking back and forth between them. She didn't remember this man... but then she didn't really remember anything from this supposed prior life. "Um... not to be rude, but what are you doing here?"

"Kulia's twins. We sensed them and came of course. Couldn't pass up seeing such historic offspring, not to mention the fact that they'll be my little sister's firstborn children. Our family didn't spread itself around that much, with the exception of myself of course, so I simply couldn't miss this."

"Kulia's your sister?" Draco asked before Ginny even got a chance.

"Half sister, yes. I don't believe you two really met back then, did you?"

"Only when he was little. It was Albus Dumbledore who got your name from me. He could be quite the little charmer." Kulia said with a smirk.

Balthys chuckled. "Alby certainly was irrepressible. Had a way of subtly wearing away at you until you gave him what he wanted. Damn impressive talent though. Whatever happened to him?"

"He's headmaster at Hogwarts. Just as irrepressible as ever." Kulia said with a smirk.

"He's still alive? That's pretty impressive for a human. Sure he doesn't have any incubus blood?" He glanced over at Draco, "But I'm being rude... let me introduce my children... The little sleeping beauty over there is my youngest, Celestial..." He said, indicating Celestial who had curled up and fallen asleep against her gargoyle's side. She had taken off her jacket and had a cute little pair of snow white wings draped over her like a blanket, looking almost like a little angel. "And that is my oldest, Carys..." He said, turning to indicate her. He sighed when he spotted her. She was draped across the recliner in a rather suggestive way, one leg looped over the arm as she slumped against the opposite arm in such a way as to make her low slung blouse show a decent amount of pristine white cleavage as she stared over at Ron in a teasingly suggestive way. Ron was studiously trying not to look, but the embarrassed flush made it readily apparent it had not passed his notice. Balthys looked back at Draco, who had noticed the little interaction between Carys and Ron and was smirking. "Please just ignore her." Balthys said tiredly, "She's in heat."

"I suggest a bucket of ice water."

Draco started slightly. Forester had snuck up beside him unnoticed and was now standing less than a foot from him.

"Ah, and this is my middle child, Forester."

Forester was looking Draco over with a gruff, but curiously puzzled expression. He shifted forward closer still, sniffing at him. He then circled around him, sniffing.

"What on earth are you doing, Forester? Other than being rude?" Balthys asked, his brow furrowed.

Forester came to a stop, folding his arms across his chest and giving a slight shrug. "He just smells familiar." He said shortly, then turned and stalked back to the fireplace.

"Sorry. I'm afraid my children haven't had the most social of upbringings. This is probably the most people they've ever been around all at once..." He looked over curiously as Forester gave a little snort at this, but the boy made no other comment, just staring into the fire silently. "Well, that said, I must admit you do smell familiar. I thought it was just from when I knew you before, but Forester of course wasn't around then... perhaps one of your relatives visited the island some time..."

Draco chuckled. "Not unless you were invaded. My family members aren't exactly the social type either."

Tonks smacked his shoulder, "Shut it, Draco!"

Draco just smirked, then spotted the curious look in Balthys' eyes. "Oh... um... Draco is my name now. Her parents still named her Ginevra... well, we generally call her Ginny, but my father insisted on Draco. He felt Darien was a weak name, and the family is disinclined towards it since they felt I disgraced the name the first time around... Of course he's a heartless Death Eating bastard, so I don't really care what he thinks. With any luck, you'll never meet him. Mother, on the other hand, I would love for you to meet once she arrives." He glanced over, noting the way Hermione was peering at the door expectantly. "Mother, Snape and Lupin stayed behind to tie up some loose ends, by the way. They're going to Apparate to the gate in a while."

"Oh..." Hermione said softly, slumping back in her chair, looking a bit dejected.

Tonks ruffled Draco's hair, "Good thing your little pet did in those Death Eaters then. Course even the practically pre-pubescent prats they stuck me with will have figured out to call for reinforcements, so I'm sure the Death Eaters weren't daft enough to send any more of their number." She then went over and settled down beside Forester. Forester looked over at her curiously, then his eyes shot wide, "Tonks?" He asked, looking her over in shock. She had started changing her form as soon as they had returned, and now looked to be in her teens with long, straight jet black hair and somewhat pouty black lips. Even the irises of her heavily lined eyes were black as well. Her bone structure had shifted, making her face narrower and closer to that of a snow elf actually, her skin nearly as pale as well. She looked like a goth in a somewhat baggy Auror's robes (being the only one who hadn't doffed her robes yet).

She grinned, displaying slightly pointed eye teeth, "How did you guess?"

"You look different... but you still smell the same..." He said, his eyes searching her, taking in her elegantly thin fingers with long black fingernails. He seemed to find something fascinating about her new appearance. His gaze kept being drawn up to her eyes and lips especially. "How did you do that?"

"I'm a Metamorphmagi. I can look however I want." She said with a negligent shrug, "Hell, I don't even need makeup!" Her eyelashes thickened and darkened, growing a bit longer. She batted them at him. She then held out her hand, the back facing up. She scrunched up her face a bit in concentration. He stared in fascination as a intertwining black lines traced their way down from between her index and middle fingers, multiplying and spreading out, weaving their way like intricate lace down the back of her hand forming a somewhat triangular shape, wrapping around as they reached her wrist. It continued down her wrist a bit before stopping, looking like nothing more than a bit of lace fashioned into a glove-like accessory. "I love tattoos..." She said, admiring her handiwork. "I can decorate myself up any way I want and then change it or make it go away any time I like. Helps keep me from getting bored..."

Forester hesitantly reached out, brushing his fingers over the design that contrasted so starkly with her pale flesh, but felt nothing more than soft, smooth skin. He caught sight of his father watching him curiously and jerked his hand back, "That's nice." he said, quickly turning his attention back to the fire.

"Tonks... what are you doing here? I thought you went off with dad and Charlie?" Bill asked, rising and walking over, staring down at her curiously.

"Oh yeah. That." Tonks said, settling back, casually resting her weight on her arms braced behind her as she looked up at Bill upside-down. "Well we ran into Penelope, an she was seriously preggars, and Aurors were after her cause the bastards switched sides, if they were ever on ours in the first place that is, so she had to make a run for it and I had to go after her to make sure the bastards didn't snuff her. They caught her in the middle of the lobby and stunned her, so I had to chat up Rita Skeeter about how the Ministry would put it's full resources towards protectin her an all, then the bastard in charge of the turncoats put me in charge of a group of runny nosed recruits and sent us off to St. Mungo's so we could be slaughtered and written off easily. We got there and I found out _they_ were still there so I marched her off to them and the demon fried half a dozen Death Eaters right neatly, then we popped back here." She concluded with a smirk.

The others all looked a bit stunned by the amount of information she had packed into that one little offhanded spiel, but Molly snapped out of it quickly enough, predictably catching on the (to her) most important bit. "Penelope is pregnant? And you brought her back here?" She asked hurriedly.

Ginny quickly nodded, "Looked about five or six months along. They had already stunned her, and then she had to go through that rather wretched port key trip, so she's still laid up. The others took her off to settle her in and have the house elves tend to her."

"House elves! That's my grandbaby we're talking about!" Molly said a bit indignantly. She bustled over to the door. The house elf that had led Draco's group in gave a little frightened squeak and hurriedly opened it.

Bill, who had started after his mother, paused beside the couch Ron was sitting in. "Guess you weren't the first after all." He said with a mischievous smirk, ruffling his hair and hurrying out after his mother.

"We should stay here." Ginny said quickly as Ron was shifting Pansy's legs off his lap so he could follow as well. "If she wakes up surrounded by people it might be a bit of a rude shock."

He sighed and settled back down. He glanced over at Carys, then set Pansy's legs back on his lap, trying to ignore Carys once again. "So... how was the trip to the hospital otherwise?"

Ginny grinned, "Surprisingly, they told me I was pregnant!" She said with a giggle, "Draco wanted it officially recorded. But then the bloody healer just kept prattling on about how pregnancy was a big responsibility and on and on... It was quite irritating actually. She was acting like I was just sleeping around and not being careful! Then I told her I was married and I don't think she believed me, but Snape backed me. So then she starts gabbling on about eating nutritious foods and this and that like I have no clue about that kinda thing... Then Snape casually let slip that my maiden name was _Weasley_... and she _finally_ put a cork in it and let me go." She said with a smirk.

The twins moved over near Tonks while the others were distracted. She looked up, catching their furtive glances. "Ya?" She asked, keeping her tone low.

"Was Penelope..." Fred started hesitantly.

"Was she _alone?_" George finished, both looking rather anxious.

"They got Percy. Balthys told us that already." She said sadly, lowering her tone a bit more.

"Ya... but there was no one _else_ with her?" Fred continued doggedly.

Tonks furrowed her thin, delicate black eyebrows. "Not that I know of. Just who were you expecting to be with her?"

They sighed and looked at eachother, obviously dejected and anxious, then slouched away without another word, going over to a corner and talking to eachother softly.

> > > > >

Harry followed after the pensive house elf, keeping his pace as slow as he felt he could get away with in good conscious. He could feel Pax's anxiety at the prospect of seeing Delse again, but could do nothing to alleviate it. The demon seemed unwilling to discuss it, and whenever he tried to reassure him he felt a wall go up and got a heavy 'I'm not listening, so bugger off' vibe. The only thing that had convinced Pax that they should head back so soon was Molly's arrival in the room. She'd never, to his knowledge, had any house elves, but having over half a dozen children about the house had obviously trained her well for the experience. Within moments she had the house elves scurrying about fluffing pillows, getting extra blankets, stirring up the fire and fetching tea. The dizzying flurry of activity was enough to make both Pax and Harry want out quick. Blaise had remained, saying he'd be along shortly, but Christian had gone with Pax, appearing just as uneasy around the full blown maternal overprotectiveness.

Harry glanced over at the man as they walked side by side. "So. You killed Blaise's father?"

Christian glanced over at him, then shifted his eyes back forward again, obviously uneasy with the subject. "I had no choice. I don't like killing, even when it's a worthless piece of shite like that."

"I take it he was a Death Eater?"

"You'd have to discuss that with the Zabinis." He said shortly.

Harry nodded. "I'll take that as a yes. I kind of figured. Seems to be a common occupation for many of the fathers of the Slytherins."

"Blaise's a good boy, and his mother is a fine woman!" Christian growled defensively.

Harry grinned. "I know that, _trust me_. Just taking the opportunity to thank you for taking care of the bastard. You can't pick your relations. I'm all too keenly aware of that fact." He said, his expression turning dark, "You should meet the Muggles that raised _me_. My Aunt and her family. I may just go round the twist if Dumbledore tries to force me back there again this summer. Magical protection or no, I'd rather be _anywhere_ else but there. I would have preferred being tossed in a bloody orphanage. Even a Muggle one!"

"Living in an orphanage isn't an easy life..."

Harry looked over at him. "They kept me in a little cupboard under the bloody stairs until I was eleven! Locked me in there every night, then only let me out when they needed me to cook or clean for them. Occasionally they'd go on an outing on the weekend and leave me locked up in there! Mostly my uncle's work related picnics and such. He didn't want me around to mess up his image. Sometimes they wouldn't be back until the middle of the afternoon. I had to keep an empty bottle in my cupboard for times like that. I'll leave it up to your imagination to figure out what _that_ was for." He said with a little shiver of disgust. "They kept that up until I was about eight. That's when things really started happening when they made me really angry or scared and the like. They came home even later than usual one saturday. They hadn't left me any food or water and it was dark already and I was afraid they'd just completely forgotten about me and left me there to die. When they finally came back, all of Aunt Petunia's brand new water goblets were shattered in the cupboard, the recliner in the livingroom had turned to ashes and the antique clock in their bedroom was running backwards. I was just sitting there crying, still securely locked in my cupboard. They couldn't really blame me outright for those things without admitting magic existed, but they still made my life even more hellish for a good several months after that. I think I would have liked to give an orphanage a try, thanks."

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Christian gave him several considering glances before speaking again. "Dumbledore couldn't have known about that. I can't imagine he would have left you there if he knew."

Harry shrugged. "I'd like to think he didn't know." He said noncommittally. He opened his mouth to change the subject, but Pax suddenly perked up.

Christian tensed, his hand slipping into his wand pocket as Harry's eyes suddenly began to glow red, shadowy talons springing from his fingertips. The house elf let out a squeak of terror and fled, but they were close enough he didn't need its guidance anymore. He darted down the corridor, pushing open the door at the end. His eyes first alighted on the young male by the fireplace. He was watching Pax warily, but didn't even bother getting up. He heard a growl and saw a small gargoyle he was unfamiliar with laying across the room with a girl half draped against it. There was a male with an ancient feel about him sitting at her side. He was watching Pax warily as well, but reached over and stroked the gargoyle's head, calming it a bit and making the growl lower and slowly taper off. His eyes traveled back again. There was a pink haired girl sitting on a recliner smirking at him. As he looked her over, she batted her eyelashes at him and wriggled her fingers in a little playful wave.

He nearly had the breath knocked out of him as Delse darted up, throwing herself against him and wrapping her arms around him.

"I was so worried..." She said breathlessly, holding onto him as if her life depended on it.

His talons instantly vanished as he wrapped his arms around her, his heart aching in his chest at the feel of her in his embrace once more. "I would never have hurt Harry." He said softly.

She let out a little laugh and smacked his arm lightly. "I know that. Doesn't mean I didn't worry. About _both_ of you!" She shifted back a bit, looking up into his glowing eyes. "Don't ever do that to me again!" She said achingly, then pulled him down, kissing him passionately.

He sighed blissfully, kissing her back with abandon. He knew the kiss was most likely for Harry, but for some reason Harry didn't take over. He just watched silently. Pax gratefully enjoyed the moment.

"I see why you thanked me." Christian said softly from beside him.

Delse broke the kiss, looking over at him, startled. "Christian!" She said happily. She released Pax for a moment, giving Christian a hug. "It's good to see you..." She said sincerely as she shifted away again. She glanced over at Pax. "I see you've met Christian. He and my grandfather were best mates since they were in Hogwarts together!"

Christian groaned and rolled his eyes, "You're making me feel ancient again." He said with a little teasing smile.

"So..." Pax said, glancing around at the newcomers again. "What's with all the sex demons? Don't tell me, you were planning another party and weren't sure I could make it, so you picked up some extra party favors?"

She let out a little half embarrassed laugh and smacked his arm again. "This is Balthys, Kulia's half brother, and his children, Celestial, Carys and Forester." She said, indicating each in turn. Then she looked around behind him, then back at him questioningly, "Where's Blaise?"

"Trying to get away from Molly I'd imagine. He said he'd be along momentarily. He's had... a few changes you should probably know about..." Pax said, then trailed off as he saw Forester turn sharply towards him. Balthys sprang to his feet almost at the same moment as Forester, quickly moving between his sleeping daughter and the door. Even Carys scrambled to her feet.

Pax felt his talons sliding back out instinctively as the three of incubus descent seemed to bristle warily, the males half unfurling their wings as all of their eyes fastened on the door behind him.

"Hey hey now..." Tonks said, getting up, "What's the prob here? Everyone's getting awful tense all of a..." Forester's tail darted over and wrapped around her waist, jerking her around behind him as the door opened.

Blaise walked in, looking up in surprise and coming to an abrupt halt. His eyes clouded over and he felt a sudden surge of power blossom within him. It seemed to crackle through his body, waiting tensely to be released on the creatures that faced him.

Pax quickly moved in front of Blaise. "Now calm down everyone. We're all friends here. I know incubi and wraiths don't exactly get along, but this is Blaise. This is his home you are in, and I assure you, he still has his soul. He's a _good_ little wraith. Really. He just fixes souls. He doesn't steal them."

Their stances eased slightly. Once the tension in the air had ebbed a bit, Blaise could feel the power within him recede as well. Now that his defenses weren't overriding his other senses, he looked over, his eyes drawn to the boy by the fire. Their eyes met and Forester's wings slowly started to drift down, his gaze becoming fixed on those white eyes and the mesmerizing play of color flickering through them.

Ron and Pansy had gotten to their feet as well. They worked their way over to Blaise, watching Forester nervously as they passed by. "You ok?" Ron asked as he reached him, slipping his arms around him.

Blaise pried his eyes off the young incubus with great difficulty, closing his eyes and holding Ron gratefully. He was so tired at the moment that he wanted nothing more than to curl up in bed between his two loves and sleep until New Years. He knew it was just the fact that he was still 'recharging' after Draco, and he would probably be feeling back to rights in an hour or so if allowed to just recoup, but the idea of being cuddled up in their arms had definite appeal.

"Got the carriages waiting at the gate," He said wearily to Draco, not even opening his eyes. "And extra house elves as well. Some of yours insisted on being there to collect your mum, Snape and Lupin when they arrive. Oh, and the one you sent to Malfoy Manor has returned already."

"Oh good. I was afraid he'd get waylaid." Draco said, relieved.

Blaise felt an arm slip around him and the power within him suddenly surged back to life. His eyes flew open, staring at Pansy as they blazed to their full glory.

Pansy's eyes went wide as she pulled her arm away in surprise.

"I wish you hadn't done that..." Pax said, sighing and quickly pulling her away as Blaise reached for her. "We just got them to start calming down..." He glanced around quickly as Blaise shifted himself away from Ron. "Ok... I think it's time you three went and had that little private talk you wanted to have..." He said, quickly moving Pansy over towards a door to the side that led into a study. Blaise followed, never taking his eyes off of Pansy. Ron followed after him, looking confused and a bit frightened by the way Blaise was acting.

She scampered into the study as Pax pushed her through the door. When she turned, her eyes met Blaise's again and she was caught like a deer in headlights. She just watched as he walked up to her and slipped his arms around her, feeling a strange drawing sensation.

Pax grabbed ahold of Ron's arm to restrain him as Pansy went limp in Blaise's embrace. "What's he doing to her?" He asked worriedly as Pax pushed the door closed behind them. Ron couldn't help but notice that all the little hairs on his arms felt like they were on end and his eyes seemed to blur when he tried to look directly at Blaise.

"Just a little touch up work. I imagine it was probably her little meeting with Lucius that left the scars. Hopefully Blaise's efforts will be enough. I can't remove the memory." Pax said, watching curiously.

"What are you talking about?" Ron asked, baffled, but then his eyes darted back over to Pansy as she stirred, lifting her head off Blaise's shoulder.

"Ah good. Didn't think she'd take long. I'll leave you three to your discussion now. Have fun." He said, then slipped back into the other room before Ron could ask him anything.

> > > > >

Tonks tapped Forester on the shoulder. He started slightly, pulling his eyes off of the study door and looking back at her.

"Um... you can let go now..." She said with a grin.

He blushed, snatching his tail away from her.

Carys giggled as she plopped back down on the recliner. "Awww... one tail fondling and little brother's in love... how sweet..."

Forester glared at her murderously. "She was just in my way." he growled.

"Mmhmm. Sure..." Carys said with an evil smirk. "Tonks and Forester sittin in a tree..." She started in a teasing sing-song, "F U C..."

"SHUT UP!" Forester yelled.

Carys giggled merrily, then stopped abruptly. She squirmed, then hopped up, yanked out a knife and slipped it and both hands into the waistband of her pants. "Damn you Forester!" She hissed as she seemed to struggle with something on one side, then shifted around to the other side, then grabbed ahold of something and yanked as she tucked away the knife. Much to everyone's amazement, she pulled out a small pair of lacy knickers with both sides severed. As they watched, the knickers continued to decrease in size until they would have been a tight fit on a barbie doll.

"What's the matter? Got your panties in a bunch?" Forester asked, folding his arms over his chest and smirking at her evilly.

"Why you little!" Carys raised her hand, a ball of power coalescing in her palm. Before she could cast, a bubble formed around her. The power in her hand winked out and she let out a little cry of surprise as her feet slid out from under her. She fell down into the bottom of the bubble, her feet finding no purchase on the round, frictionless surface. "Daddy!" She called out indignantly, flopping around a bit as she struggled to regain her feet. "No fair! You saw what he did!"

Balthys sighed as he came up beside the bubble he had placed around her. "You were teasing him again. You _know_ what happens when you do that. How many times do I have to tell you? He's never learned how to control his powers properly. You make him mad and something bad will happen to you. He can't control it. I'm sure he didn't _mean_ to shrink your knickers. Did you Forester?"

"Of course not. Why would I want to shrink her precious panties?" Forester said, rolling his eyes.

"See?" Balthys said.

"I was trying for her bra." Forester said with an evil little grin. He settled his wings back with a little flutter, then returned to his spot by the fire.

Balthys sighed deeply, scrubbing his fingers through his hair. Carys was just glaring at him significantly, arms folded across her chest. Balthys pushed the bubble over the recliner, then snapped his fingers. Carys dropped onto the recliner as the bubble popped, then settled herself a bit irritably. "Can I please have a truce here? We are _guests_. It's rude to sit here squabbling like this. What do you say?"

"Don't look at _me_." Forester said without turning. "I'm not the one who starts it."

Balthys rolled his eyes. "Carys?"

"Whatever." She growled, glaring pointedly away.

> > > > >

"You _have_ to be joking..." Pansy said as she read the instructions on the back of the box of condoms. "They expect you to stick your hampton into a bloody _balloon_ and then try to shag me with it?" She asked, wrinkling her nose at the prospect.

Blaise smirked. "Pretty much."

"Ack! That's just so..." She just shook her head, at a loss for words. "If I wanted to shag something rubber I'd try one of those little toys you bought me in Amsterdam!" She said with a chuckle.

His grin widened. "Why don't you? Muggle women seem to like them."

She tossed the box on the little table beside the couch and settled down, draping herself across him. "Why settle for imitations when you've got the real thing?" She said, nuzzling against his belly. After a moment she giggled. "Gee... looks like you like this almost as much as Ron did earlier..."

"Teasing him, were you?"

"Not I..." She said with a mischievous glance at Ron, who had gone beat red. "A certain Succuba he met..."

Blaise looked up at Ron, "You mean that hot pink haired totty in the other room?"

"She seems to have quite a thing for our little lover... If her father hadn't grabbed her up and dragged her away she probably would have molested him right there in front of everyone."

Ron cleared his throat uneasily. "Balthys said it was just the phase of the moon." He said, keeping his eyes from meeting Blaise's.

"If you hadn't noticed, you weren't the only male in that room. I didn't see her burying her face in any of your brothers' laps." Pansy said mischievously.

"Ya, well don't worry. I'm sure her father can keep her in line." Ron muttered, his cheeks practically glowing.

Pansy let out a snort. "A horny little thing like that, that's been cooped up on an island with absolutely no one to shag her entire life? She's in the real world now. Her days as a virgin are very soon to be over whether you give in or not. In fact I'd wager she's deflowered by morning. If it's not you, it'll probably just be one of your brothers. Or a couple, whatever..."

Blaise slipped a hand over into Ron's lap and smirked. "Doesn't feel like you _want_ her father to keep her in line..."

"I wouldn't mind getting my hands on that tasty little brother of hers either..." Pansy said, practically purring as she continued nuzzling. "Wings..." She said with a little excited shiver.

Blaise groaned. "Either hand me one of those bloody balloons or stop it..." He said, shifting his hips up against her.

"I don't want to do either..." Pansy said petulantly.

"I think you should just forget about the condoms and shag her." Ron said, watching the throbbing tightness in Blaise's pants.

Pansy looked up at him hopefully. "Really? I mean I was leaning towards that as well, but I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do or just that I really, REALLY want to shag him!"

Blaise just smiled. He knew the real reason Pansy hadn't wanted to use the condoms. The feel of the boy finishing inside her was her favorite part and to his knowledge had never once failed to make her peak. He still remembered how mad she had been when she returned to the Dungeon one night because the boy she'd shagged had pulled out at the last moment. It had taken Blaise a good hour to _cheer her up_, but he had made sure she didn't have to go to bed 'empty'. No boy who denied her that had ever found his way back into her bed.

Ron grinned. "You two might be only children, but I'm not. Siblings are murder! If we want these two to have any chance of surviving any younger siblings we really have little choice in the matter..." He said with a smirk.

Pansy let out a little groan. That was all the justification she needed. She immediately started stripping off clothes.

"You'd have to get some of the extract first... and it might take a little while to take full effect..." Blaise said reluctantly, his eyes locked on her body as she revealed it.

"I prefer getting it straight from the source..." She said in a low, lusty voice as she pushed him back and straddled him, snogging him passionately.

He broke the kiss after a minute, letting out a moan of longing. He sighed, resting his forehead against hers. "Pansy... love..." He said softly.

She looked up into his eyes, noting a slight sadness in his voice. "What?" She asked, her hands stilling where they had been in the process of releasing him from his pants.

"I... I'm really tired right now..."

She blinked, her jaw dropping slightly. "You don't want to?" she asked, completely stunned.

He let out a chuckle. "Of course I want to, but after this long of a wait I want to have the strength to shag you properly and I want you to be strong enough so I don't have to hold back..."

"Oh..." She said softly, then nodded. "Ok..." she said, looking a bit put out.

He smiled and reached out, lifting her chin so she would look at him. "There _is_ something I would absolutely love for you to do right now... but it's not something I've ever _asked_ for before... guess I've always thought it was a bit rude to want someone to give me pleasure without returning it..."

A smile crept over her lips as she got what he was asking for. She finished unfastening his pants, then slipped them down to his ankles as he shifted up for her obligingly. She maneuvered him around until she had him where she wanted him, then tossed a big fluffy cushion on the floor, kneeling on it and slipping between his legs.

Blaise let out an ecstatic groan as she began. He'd never found any other female who knew how to give head anywhere near as well as Pansy.

After a minute, he cracked his eyes open, looking over at Ron. Ron was just sitting there, fit to bust the stitches on his pants as he watched Pansy.

"Ron?"

Ron blinked and then blushed as he saw Blaise catch him staring. "Um.. ya?"

"What the bloody Hell do you think you're doing?" Blaise asked, his tone neutral.

Ron looked stunned by the question. Did Blaise want some privacy? He'd thought by now he'd hardly be bashful in front of him... "Um..." He didn't know quite how to reply to that.

"She's naked, Ron."

Ron shifted uneasily. "I see that."

"What the Hell kind of boyfriend are you? It's _cold_ in here. Go warm her up before she catches her death!"

Ron let out a little laugh of relief, catching on. He slipped down to the floor behind Pansy. He quickly unfastened his pants and pulled them down. He was achingly hard by now, his choicer bits practically screaming for immediate action. He grabbed her hips and she let out a muffled groan, shuddering with pleasure as he buried himself, then started shagging her without preamble.

Blaise sighed happily, watching Ron's rapt expression as he shagged Pansy hard and fast. The Succuba must _really_ have been teasing him. He certainly hadn't seen Ron quite so zealous in a while. Not that he wasn't a passionate lover of course, but he usually took his time. What he was watching right now was more like slaking a burning lust than making love. Not that Pansy seemed to mind. She was having a hard time concentrating on what she was doing, but it was more than enough in combination with watching Ron and feeling his ardent thrusts through Pansy.

Blaise's peak took him by surprise. He gasped and shuddered hard, clutching the couch convulsively and trying hard not to buck up against her too hard. After a moment, he let out a slightly pained breath as her amazing suction became almost excruciating. She took the queue and immediately eased up, then very gently released him. He let out a sigh of contentedness as he sagged limply against the couch, reaching up and gently stroking her hair. She shifted up slightly, resting her cheek against his stomach as Ron's thrusts started speeding up, his breath now rasping slightly in his throat. Suddenly he drove himself into her and tensed. She let out a cry, clutching Blaise as she shuddered hard in time with Ron's short, almost convulsive thrusts as his peak raged through him.

Ron slumped down over Pansy, wrapping his arms around her affectionately. "I love you..." He sighed happily as he cuddled her to him.

Pansy's eyes went wide as she turned her head to try to look at him.

He caught the surprised look. "What?" He asked, raising his head.

A little smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "It's just... you've never really said that to me before..."

He grinned. "Well then... I love you, Pansy." He said in an official tone, then he chuckled, nuzzling the back of her neck. "I love you. I love Blaise. I love the two little lives we created together..." He said, slipping a hand down to caress her stomach. "And I plan on spending the rest of my life showing you just how much I love you... and putting babies in that pretty little belly of yours until you make me stop..."

She shifted her head around so she could look at him again, and smiled at him adoringly. "I love you too, Ron."

Ron beamed at her. It was the first time she'd said that to him as well. He kissed her neck again, making her shiver, and started running his hands over her warm flesh.

"We all secure now?" Blaise asked, obviously amused that either of them had needed to hear the words to know they loved eachother.

They both blushed and nodded.

"Good. Ease up there, Ron. Get her started again and we'll end up spending the night in here."

Ron sighed contentedly, gently massaging Pansy's breasts. "Doesn't sound like a bad idea..." He murmured softly.

"Well, no... but I wouldn't want to be rude to our newest guests. They're a right shaggable looking lot when they aren't about to kill me. Looks like Tonks will be needing a place for the night as well... it's got me thinking... we have such a big bed it seems a crime not to get more use out of it... I don't know about you, but I'm thinking slumber party..." Blaise said with a wicked smirk.

Pansy perked up eagerly. Ron was feeling a bit uneasy. Blaise smirked and shifted forward, managing to capture Ron's lips in a brief kiss. "Don't worry. I know you have dibs on the pink haired tart. Or she has dibs on you rather..."

Ron blushed brilliantly.

Pansy giggled, "He likes the idea... trust me... I can tell..." She said, pressing back against Ron.

Ron's blush reached the tips of his ears. He shifted back, pulling himself out of her and quickly casting cleansing spells and covering himself to hide the evidence of his 'interest'.

Blaise chuckled, but then it died away as he looked as if he was listening to something. He shifted around, gazing back towards the other room as his eyes went opalescent. "Something's up. Best get dressed."

Pansy quickly got up, gathering up her clothes and pulling them back on.

"What's happening?" Ron asked, rising and looking towards the door.

"I imagine it's your father and brother returning. The elves stationed at the outer ward signaled they were allowing someone past, and few but family would be allowed entrance without my consent first. Mother also appears to have sent some house elves off towards the main entrance and one towards the room I left Penelope in." Blaise said, working his pants up. "They will have been given wards and sent off in a coach. They should arrive shortly."

"Ready?" Ron asked as Pansy straightened her clothes. She nodded. Ron held his hand out to give Blaise a hand up.

"Go on without me. I'm going to stay in here for a bit." Blaise said, waving them towards the door.

"Why? They won't attack you now that they know you're alright..." Ron said, puzzled.

"Yes, well this little 'gift' I have is only voluntary to a point. If I touch someone who is damaged, I _have_ to fix them. I mean you saw what happened when Pansy touched me... I just can't seem to stop myself. There are just too many damaged souls, even here. The house elves alone..." He shook his head. "Father wasn't the gentle type. I'll fix them... but I need rest first. Make sure to tell the elves to stay out unless called."

Ron nodded, getting a bit worried. "You sure you'll be ok?" Blaise nodded, settling down on the couch. Ron grabbed a blanket off the back of one of the chairs and unfolded it, draping it over him, then leaned down and gave him a kiss. "You rest then."

> > > > >

The hands for Arthur and Charlie had been resting on home for nearly ten minutes when the door finally opened. It wasn't them, however.

"Where are they?" Molly asked quickly, glancing at the clock. "The elf said they were home already."

"'Home' on that clock means on the grounds. You know that mum." Ginny said soothingly, "They'll probably be here soon. How's Penelope?"

"She's a bit banged up, but I think she'll be ok now. Poor thing is exhausted. She woke briefly, but she didn't look all that coherent. I tried to tell her where she was, but I'm not sure it even got through to her. She kept asking me about someone named Justin." She said thoughtfully, a slight frown on her face, obviously wondering why Penelope wasn't asking after Percy. She didn't notice the twins perk up in the corner, "I asked her who that was, but she was already fading away. A good rest, hearty meal and a spot of tea should put her back to rights."

Ron had to smirk. Food and tea was his mother's answer for everything. Didn't matter what the problem was. If you broke your leg she would mend it up, then give you tea and a biscuit. If your older brothers were teasing and picking on you... tea and a jelly sandwich.

Ron let his eyes stray over to Carys. He had been carefully avoiding looking at her since returning to the room. She was grinning at him upside-down, her legs up the back of the recliner and crossed at the ankle, her head dangling off the seat. The position made an almost indecent amount of cleavage show above her blouse's neckline. In fact, if she breathed too deep he was pretty sure her nipples would slip out. She saw him looking and giggled, making her breasts jiggle slightly. "Hey Ron..." She whispered over to him mischievously, "Can I have a 'private talk' next?"

He blushed brilliantly and quickly looked away. He had little doubt from the glint in her eye that she somehow knew what they had done in the other room. They had cast a silencing spell on the room shortly after entering it so no one would overhear their conversation, but somehow she knew. Was she just guessing? Possible, but somehow he didn't think so.

He tried to find something else to occupy himself with. He looked around and his eyes fell on Forester. The boy was still sitting by the fire, his legs drawn up to his chest as he hugged them to him, his tail coiled behind him, the tip flicking back and forth restlessly. He wasn't staring at the fire anymore however. His eyes were now fixed on the thick wooden door that led into the study they had left Blaise in. Ron felt a slightly nervous flutter in his stomach. Had the Incubi really accepted their word for it that Blaise was harmless? Or were they just biding their time and watching for an excuse to attack him? Forester certainly seemed fixated on Blaise. From what he'd heard when he and Pansy reentered the room, Draco appeared to be finishing up telling them about the hospital and what Blaise and Pax had been up to. He'd repeated the main parts for them, and they had been a bit stunned. It was hard to believe that their love... the boy who most often appeared to be so whimsical and carefree, was capable of such amazing things.

Pax, for his part, seemed to have gone back into hiding. Harry's eyes were back to their usual vivid green as he sat cuddled up with Delse in a chair. Ron was starting to recognize when it was Harry and when it was the demon, even without the eyes to tip him off. There was just something in the way he moved and held himself. Now that he was more used to it, he couldn't figure out how he hadn't noticed these things before. They seemed blatantly obvious now.

Harry glanced over at him, then past him, noting Carys' continued attempts to gain Ron's attention. He seemed to find it rather amusing.

They all looked over as the door opened. Arthur and Charlie walked in and Molly let out a cry of relief, hurtling towards them. Charlie quickly intercepted her. "Careful, mum." He said as she looked at him in surprise.

She looked over, eyes going round in shock as Arthur shifted back his cloak. The room instantly filled with the sound of a baby wailing. Justin was red faced and looking completely terrified as he squirmed in Arthur's arms.

"JUSTIN!" Two voices cried in unison. Molly looked over in surprise as the baby instantly stopped crying, looking around and sniffling. George came darting over, dodging around the people between them, while Fred took the more direct route, planting one foot on the seat of the couch, the next on the back and then springing over.

The little boy caught sight of them and twisted around, holding out his little arms and throwing his weight so unexpectedly Arthur nearly lost his grip on him. Fred snatched the boy up before there was any chance he could have fallen, holding the baby to him as if it were his own. "Oh Justin... thank Merlin." He sighed as the boy chirred happily against him, catching up a handful of Fred's coppery hair in his tiny fist.

"You had us so worried little man..." George said with obvious relief, snuggling up to him from behind so they surrounded the boy completely in the reassuring warmth of their embrace.

Justin trilled, catching ahold of a hank of his hair as well as George kissed his little cheek lovingly.

"Smells like someone needs a new nappy!" Fred chuckled.

"I got it. It's my turn." George said, easing Justin out of Fred's arms. Fred let him, giving the boy a reassuring little peck on the cheek as he gently pried his hair out of his hand.

Fred sighed happily as he watched George take Justin over to one of the couches to change him. When he looked over at his parents he got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. They were both staring between him and George, their jaws hanging slightly.

"Is... is that..." Molly finally managed to stammer.

Fred folded his arms over his chest. "Percy's. Yep."

"And just how long have you two known about him?" Arthur asked a bit more sharply than he intended. The thought that two of the sons he was still on speaking terms with had known and not told him felt like a slap in the face.

"Since he was born. Penelope went into labor a couple of weeks early. She was doing a spot of shopping in Diagon Alley at the time. We saw her while she was passing the shop trying to get to the public floo link. He was a bit eager to get out it seems... she very nearly had him right there in the street. We took her to St. Mungo's through our shop link and got to watch him being born. Penelope wasn't sure how Percy would take our knowing so we left before he arrived from the Ministry."

"_He_ doesn't even know we found out about Justin and Penelope." George said, unfolding a freshly conjured diaper.

"But you've obviously seen him a bit since then!" Arthur said suspiciously. He certainly didn't remember Molly teaching them the baby care spells George was using with practiced ease.

Fred nodded. "We watch him every Saturday night. Penelope brings him over, she and Percy get to have an evening together, then she picks him up in the morning."

"Date night." George said with a smirk.

"Percy thinks she takes him over to stay with her parents."

"They've never approved of Percy..."

"Because he's a Weasley,"

"And they're convinced that means they will wind up poor."

"So Percy tends to avoid them."

"Just like Penelope avoids our family..."

"Because she's convinced she's the reason Percy's on the outs with you."

"We've tried to tell her she isn't,"

"And so has Percy,"

"But she just won't believe it."

"Because the fight happened the day they got officially engaged..."

"Because he was finally going to be making enough money to support a family."

"He went home that day to tell you about his promotion..."

"And their engagement..."

"But he never got to that part."

Arthur sighed sadly. Why hadn't Percy told him about Penelope _then?_ Maybe he would have understood why Percy was so angry. He'd like to think he wouldn't have tried to force the issue of him giving up the position if he'd known he was to have a wife and soon a family to support. He knew what it felt like not to be able to provide for his family properly all too well. He'd just been so shocked and angry that Fudge would have tried to burrow his way into their family in such a bold fashion. It was like a personal affront and a violation of everything he held dear... almost as if Fudge had walked right into their home and started poking around, and Arthur knew he had reacted a bit more vehemently than was truly warranted. Percy could have been a valuable resource to their side as Fudge's assistant. Even he had seen that once he calmed down, but by then the bridge had been badly burnt and he wasn't that inclined to build another.

He dropped his eyes, "Well, I'm sad to say that her parents' disapproval won't be a problem anymore. Penelope said they were killed last night. Death Eaters from the sound of it. Destroyed her family home while she was away and left the Dark Mark hanging over it."

Molly clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh that poor dear... No wonder she's so distraught."

Arthur looked at her sharply, "You've seen her?"

"Where else was I gonna take her? What took you so long anyway?" Tonks asked with a smirk from where she sat near the fire. "Been here nearly half an hour!"

Arthur let out a deep sigh of relief as he recognized Tonks by her clothes. "Oh thank the Lord." He said softly, then took a deep breath, "We couldn't risk Apparating with the baby. From what she'd said he had probably already had to endure at least a couple such trips and they're a bit rough for a child his age. Had to get here the long way. Unfortunately, he woke about half way here and refused to be soothed, so I had to put a silencing spell on my robe to keep people from noticing him. How ever did you get Penelope all the way here so quickly?"

"Just hitched a ride on Blaise's belt." Tonks said with a shrug.

"We should take Justin to see Penelope." George said as he finished shaking baby powder from the tip of his wand and closed up the diaper. "Hopefully it will calm her some." He rearranged Justin's clothes, then picked him up, carrying him over to Arthur and Molly.

Molly was staring at the bright eyed boy breathlessly, her hands half lifted. It was obvious she was simply dying to hold him, but she didn't want to frighten him.

"This is your grammy, Justin." George said, shifting him around to face Molly.

"She's your daddy's mum." Fred added softly, stroking Justin's bright coppery curls.

"Our mum too..."

"You'll like her..."

Justin looked at them dubiously and his bottom lip pouted out worriedly as George handed him over to Molly.

Molly's eyes teared up as she held Justin. Justin stared back a bit warily, but didn't cry. She cradled him in one arm, reaching up and brushing her fingers through his downy hair, then brushing his little cheek. "You look just like your father did when he was a baby..." She cooed softly, looking like her heart was about to burst. They could see her physically restraining herself from looking up at the clock. "You poor thing. You're probably scared and starving..."

"We sent one of the elves to fetch him some milk when we reached the house." Arthur said softly.

They looked over as the door opened. As if on queue, Vincent hurried in with a cloth bag over one shoulder and holding a bottle. He hurried over to Molly, spotting the baby in her arms, and held up the bottle. "I is making this up myself, and it is being just the right temperature. The bottle is being spelled to keep it that way." He reassured her.

Molly took the bottle and eyed it. She looked as if she were about to check the temperature herself anyway, but Justin snatched it out of her hand and started sucking it down ravenously.

"Vincent is bringing some of master's old baby clothes and such too..." He said, holding up the cloth bag.

Arthur accepted it. "Thank you, Vincent." He glanced over, noting the rate at which Justin was emptying the bottle. "We may need another bottle soon."

"No you won't." Delse said, having come over with Harry to join the rest of the others now gathering around for a closer look at the new addition to the family. "That bottle has a Cornucopia spell on it. Once filled it will refill magically whenever you turn it upright once again until you take off the lid and wash it out. The liquid inside will always be fresh and just the right temperature as well. My husband didn't think it was necessary, as it only saved work for the house elves, but I insisted. Use it for as long as you need it."

"Thank you." Molly said, smiling as Justin settled down a bit in her arms, his rabid consumption slowing as his hunger eased.

Ron sighed happily as he watched the baby, his arms slipping around Pansy from behind. He gently kissed her neck as his hands came to rest on her stomach. She folded her hands over his wordlessly, a little smile playing over her lips as she watched the baby.

Draco was pulling Ginny close as well. He leaned over, whispering in her ear. "Pretty soon we're going to have our own little redheaded baby..."

Ginny chuckled softly, nuzzling up to him. "kicking, screaming, bawling, throwing up, filling its nappys..." she murmured with a smirk.

"Ya..." He he said softly, giving her a lingering kiss. "I can't wait."

She just giggled and kissed him again. Balthys watched them with a contented smile.

"Let's take you to see your mum..." Molly cooed softly, "She's been wondering where you were. She was very worried..." She said as she turned, heading for the door, Arthur and the twins falling in behind her.

Everyone else started drifting back to the places they had been sitting, talking quietly amongst themselves. Harry slipped his arms around Delse as she turned and pulled her close. "You ever think of having any more kids?" He asked with a playful smirk.

Her eyes shot wide as her cheeks flushed. It took her a moment to muster words. "I... I don't think this is the time to discuss that..."

His smile faded a bit. He'd only been playing, but the subject almost seemed to frighten her. "Why not?" He asked curiously.

"It's... getting late. It's nearly time for dinner. I really need to go check and make sure everything's ok in the kitchen..." She said quickly, giving him a peck on the cheek, then hurrying out. He just watched her go, baffled.

Tonks wandered back to the fireplace, then looked around in surprise. Forester was nowhere to be seen.

> > > > >

Blaise stirred slightly, then let out a little sigh. "I was wondering how long it would take you. Admittedly I was hoping for a bit more rest first, but oh well..."

Forester glowered at him from the shadows. "What did you do to me?" He hissed.

Blaise smirked as he cracked his eyes open. He found it oddly amusing to see that Forester's eyes took on a soft glow in low light as well, though it was more of a yellow not unlike his father's regular eye color. "Nothing yet. That's why you're here, now isn't it?"

Forester's eyes narrowed. "I _don't know_ why I'm here. Ever since I saw you... I... I couldn't help but come. Why?"

Blaise shifted up into a sitting position, scrubbing his fingers through his hair as the blanket slid off his back. "Damaged souls _want_ to be mended. That's what draws you to me. I feel it too... though of course with me it's the compulsion to _do_ the mending."

"You think I'm going to let you fuck with my soul?" Forester growled.

Blaise just smiled. "I can or not. That's really up to you. You can leave now and I'll leave you be, though it is almost painful to be around you in your current condition. If you touch me, however, I will have no choice in the matter."

Forester glared at him, but didn't move to leave. "What makes you think I'm 'damaged'?" He asked after a minute.

Blaise chuckled. "I'm sure it's no great shock having it confirmed. The damage feels older... but very strong. I'd say the bulk of it was a single incident. Just what happened to you when you were little?" he asked, eyeing the dark figure crouched in the shadows curiously.

"There's nothing wrong with me!" He hissed angrily.

Blaise sighed. "Having a damaged soul isn't your fault, nor does it say anything bad about you. It just means you've had to deal with more shite than other people have. When I first gained these... 'gifts'... the first one I had to heal was _myself_. It wasn't an easy task, believe me. I can honestly say that I was just as fucked up as you are, if not more so... though mine was acquired through years of diligent work on my father's part. I was just a bit better at hiding it apparently. I can't begin to tell you how much better it's made me feel... and how much better I feel about myself. The memories and the pain are still there... I've just kinda... declawed them." He said with a smirk.

Forester just watched him with mute consideration.

Blaise sighed and slipped down off the couch to sit on the floor, making Forester start slightly. "I only want to help." He said softly.

"My father would kill you if you hurt me. He's more than capable of it. I may have no formal schooling, but I've read every book I've ever gotten ahold of. Father had a rather large cache of them on the island, so don't underestimate me, wraith. Incubi are one of the few creatures that can vanquish soulless creatures like you."

"Good to know, but I have no intention of hurting you. Not to mention that I, quite obviously, still have my soul." Blaise said evenly.

Forester shifted forward a bit, the light of the fire falling on him. It was obvious he was having a very hard time fighting the silent demands of his soul as it pulled him insistently forward. There was a look of barely concealed fear in his eyes. Blaise had no doubt the thought of allowing a wraith anywhere near him was terrifying for him, especially if he had read much about them. The possibility of becoming one of those soulless creatures had haunted Blaise's nightmares ever since he had been cursed, and he'd only read the vaguest references to them.

Blaise reached his hand out towards him, palm up in an inviting, but not insistent gesture. Forester looked like he wanted to flinch back from it, but couldn't quite make himself. Tentatively he reached out and took it...

> > > > > > > > > > >

Harry felt a sudden, jarring shove as Pax took over unexpectedly. Balthys had just stood up abruptly, Carys scrambling upright and standing as well. Carys looked toward the fireplace and noticed for the first time that her brother was missing. She looked at her father, then they both sprinted for the door of the study.

Pax sprang from the chair he'd been sitting in and darted across the room, over furniture and between people so swiftly he seemed to fly. He slammed his back against the door, facing them a split second before they reached it. They came to a stop, bristling.

"Out of the way." Balthys hissed.

"Not bloody likely." Pax replied evenly.

"That thing has my son. I said step aside." Balthys growled as short, but potentially lethal looking talons slid from his fingertips, his eyes taking on a definite glow.

"Whoa... what's the problem here?" Draco asked, hurrying over and trying to interpose himself between the bristling demons.

"My son's in there. Either get your little pet out of my way or I'll not be held responsible for my actions."

"I know he's in there." Draco said softly. "I saw him go in."

"And you didn't stop him?" Balthys asked incredulously, looking more than a little betrayed.

"I know you don't get along with wraiths, but Blaise wouldn't hurt him! If you hadn't noticed, your boy is just slightly messed up emotionally. Oh come on! I could tell that the minute I met him!" He said as Balthys' face darkened with anger. "I'm just saying if Blaise can help him, why would you want to interfere?" He dropped his voice, "Don't you want to see him whole again?"

Balthys dropped his eyes, obviously pained.

"Now if you promise not to do anything daft, we'll go in and check on them."

Balthys looked up, glancing between Draco and Pax. "Fine. But if he has harmed my boy... don't get in my way again." He said in a soft but utterly serious tone.

Draco nodded, then looked back at Pax, who hesitantly shifted aside. He glanced down. "You can put away your claws now."

"Them first." Pax replied evenly.

Draco glanced over, noticing the talons on Balthys and Carys for the first time. As he watched, they vanished, looking to have been just as insubstantial as Pax's. Pax grudgingly withdrew his own. "If he's not done yet you had best not interfere! It would do far more damage to your son than it would Blaise."

Balthys just glared at him warily, pushing the door open. He strode cautiously into the room. It was lit only by the sparse flickering of light from the fireplace. He moved over towards the couch in front of the fire. He could feel his son and the wraith on the other side, though the wraith's power, which had surged strongly enough for them to feel all the way in the other room before, had ebbed, making it almost hard to discern. He tensed as he heard his son sobbing softly. He hurried around the couch, then stopped in his tracks.

Blaise was sitting there against the couch tailor fashion, Forester curled up against him. He was cradling the young incubus like a child against him. Forester had his head resting on Blaise's shoulder, his arms around Blaise, his tail wrapped around Blaise's arm. Balthys just stared. He'd never seen his son cry or allow someone to hold him, let alone voluntarily hold on to someone else. Even when he first came to him, he would always flinch away from even his father's touch. Balthys had thought it was just because he wasn't used to him and that he would eventually grow out of it, but he never had. That's why he'd been so surprised to see his son touch Tonks, even though it had been no more than a fleeting brush of fingertips.

Blaise opened his eyes, looking up at Balthys. He looked too tired to even muster a defensive response, his eyes half turned and slightly glazed. "What happened to him?" He asked softly.

Balthys stared at his son, his heart aching. "I don't know..." He said, crouching down beside them and reaching out, brushing his fingers through his son's hair. For once, Forester didn't flinch away. "I wish I did."

"Then step aside." Pax said softly, peering down at him.

Balthys eyed him for a long moment, then shifted aside.

Pax held up his hand and rolled his eyes as Balthys opened his mouth. "If I hurt him you'll rip out my claws and slice me up with them or some such thing. I know, I know." Pax said, settling down before them.

"I'll be watching." Balthys said, reaching up and placing his hand on Pax's shoulder. Pax winced slightly as he felt his claws sink in. It wasn't painful exactly, more just uncomfortable, but he knew Balthys could make it excruciating in a heartbeat if he wanted to.

"Ok, just be careful. Harry will be most displeased if you mess up his body." Pax said testily. He sighed in irritation as he felt a second set of claws sink into his other shoulder, but didn't even spare a glance. "Forester." He said softly, reaching up and brushing his fingers down the side of Forester's head, locating the right spot and sinking a single talon into his mind just above and behind his temple. He usually used at least three talons on each side of the head for a reading, but he got the definite impression that he didn't want the full force of the memory in question. "Forester, what happened to you?"

He didn't have to be any more specific for Forester to know exactly what he was asking for. Whether consciously or not, the memory rose up to the surface of his mind and Pax felt himself being pulled in...

> > > > >

He stared at the large tome in front of him, his eyes unfocused as the tv flickered on mute beside him, his stereo cranked up as loud as his mother would allow. Try as he might, he couldn't concentrate. It was nearly ten, and he knew what that meant. He reached over, edging the volume down a bit, then went back to staring at the diagram of a Kappa. After a few minutes, he finally heard what he had been waiting for. The front door. It slammed a couple of times actually. It was warped and in need of repair, but his mother never bothered. He put down the book and crawled up to the window as he heard the jingle of keys, then footsteps. He peeked over the ledge of his window and in the flickering light of the failing streetlight out front, he saw his mother making her way a bit unsteadily down the cracked sidewalk. He knew she'd be at the corner pub until the wee hours, as usual. He was willing to bet she picked this house solely because of it's proximity to a bar. She could get there any time she liked without having to deal with one of those loud, obnoxious cars like all the Muggles around them drove. He certainly couldn't think of any _other_ reason to live here. The place was a pretty much a slum, but on the outskirts of town, so at least it was a spacious slum. He hurried over to the window that overlooked the dark back yard. Well, it was pretty much just a patch of overgrown grass that led up to the edge of a bit of forest really.

He got up on the window sill, teetering a moment as he gathered his nerve, then sprang out into open air three stories above the ground. His wings sprang out, catching the wind. It was a rough ride to say the least. It was a windy night, and he'd only started trying out his wings that summer. He couldn't do much more than gliding right now, but it was enough to get him down quickly. He had to climb to get back up again. Summer was quickly fading though, and he knew he couldn't risk going out once winter hit. For one thing, he didn't have a coat.

He landed awkwardly, falling to his knees when the wind suddenly let up, dropping him. He had to quickly pull his wings in as a fresh gust of wind tried to snatch him back up. He shivered and wrapped his wings around himself like a cloak as he hurried towards the woods. He winced as he stepped on rocks unseen in the darkness. Since his mother never let him out of the house, she'd never bothered to get him shoes. He never needed them. He didn't have anything more for his feet than a couple of knobby pairs of woolen socks for when it got cold, and he couldn't risk wearing those. She would be sure to suspect something if she found dirt on them that obviously hadn't come from the attic. He'd had to break a glass a couple of weeks ago to cover when he'd cut his foot on a sharp rock. She'd just patched him up, told him to be more careful and left. That was more interaction than he usually got out of her actually. Mostly she just stuck some food and such in the dumbwaiter once or twice a day. He even had his own bathroom, which she had installed special. Of course that was just so he wouldn't be coming downstairs and risk being accidentally seen should someone stop by unexpectedly. Not that his mother had many visitors. And the ones she _did_ have were rarely sober enough to have noticed anything odd about him.

He ducked under a branch and spotted the light ahead. He crouched down as he got closer, easing up to the fence and looking around carefully. There was a little nylon tent set up in the back yard of a rundown slab house. There was the dim light of a lantern inside shining through, casting the dark, overblown shadow of the tent's occupant against the side. The lights in the house were out, so he carefully eased the gate open, trying to make the rusted hinges move as quietly as possible. He slipped closer, and peeked in through the tiny gap in the nylon.

Wide, sparkling blue eyes looked up from behind a book. A smiled slipped over his lips as she grinned at him. Lustrous brown curls tumbled down past her shoulders as she sat there in her long white dressing gown on her bright pink sleeping bag with yellow flowers. She set the book aside and reached over, turning down the lamp until it gave no more than a thin, wane light.

He crawled in, carefully closing the flap behind him, then slipped into the sleeping bag beside her as she giggled. They nestled down in the sleeping bag, cuddling up together. He draped his top wing over them like an extra blanket, his tail curling around her waist.

"Daddy says it's getting too cold to sleep outside." She said sadly as she held him.

He sighed. "Ya. I kinda figured he would sooner or later. Don't know if I'm going to be able to take the whole winter without seeing you..."

"Ya..."

They just lay there in companionable silence for a time. He'd only met her a couple of months before, but the thought of being without her was already unbearable. He'd never really known anyone but his mother and the people on his tv screen before. Never had anyone real to touch. His mother hadn't hardly touched him since he was potty trained and it was no longer required. She seemed to make a point of avoiding physical contact with him in fact. He suspected this little girl, his sweet little Maria, had been a bit neglected as well. She seemed to like touching almost as much as he did. For the past couple of weeks they'd spent every night together, just talking and cuddling and falling asleep in eachothers arms. She was convinced he was an angel. He'd tried to tell her he wasn't, but she was adamant, so he didn't press the subject.

He couldn't remember ever being as happy as he was when he was cuddled up with her. He imagined if heaven was real, people would be able to just cuddle up together for however long they wanted. He simply couldn't imagine anything more thrilling or fulfilling than this.

"Forester?" She asked softly.

"Ya?"

"Are you ever gonna... kiss me?" She asked tentatively.

His eyes shot open and his cheeks burnt as his stomach did an odd dance. He'd seen people kissing on the TV plenty of times... but they'd always been so much older. He always figured that was just something only grownups did. It had never even crossed his mind to kiss her. "Um... do... you _want_ me to?" Half of him was praying she'd say no... the other half was finding the prospect inexplicably intriguing.

She lay there silently for a long moment, then he felt her tentatively nod against him.

He seemed to have a hard time breathing as he shifted away slightly and she lifted her head, looking into his eyes. He shifted forward again, his heart beating wildly in his ears.

As his lips met her sweet, petal soft lips he discovered a whole new definition of bliss. He closed his eyes, feeling light headed as she let him draw it out. He grinned and blushed even darker as their lips parted. They looked at eachother and giggled. As their giggled faded away, she bit her bottom lip bashfully for a moment, then leaned over and kissed him again. He sighed happily and they settled their heads back down on her pillow, still giving eachother little kisses punctuated by nervous giggles.

Suddenly there was a rush of air as the tent was pulled up, revealing them to the night air. Forester broke the kiss, looking over in surprise, but light blared in his eyes, blinding him.

"What the hell?" A gruff voice growled.

Forester suddenly felt a large hand grip his wing near the base and jerk him out of the sleeping bag. He let out a cry of fear and pain as he found himself dangling by his wing. He could smell bad breath liberally laced with cheap whisky.

Maria scrambled up, having been thrown to the side as Forester's tail was jerked from around her waist. "No daddy!" She wailed in alarm, "Don't hurt the angel!"

"This ain't no fuckin angel! But what the hell is it?" He asked, setting down the large flashlight and taking a firm grip on Forester's wing trying to see if it would come off, obviously thinking it fake.

Forester let out a scream of pain and instinctively sank his teeth into the man's forearm. The man let out a string of profanities and a large, meaty fist slammed into the side of Forester's head, making him see stars, followed by him being thrown hard to the ground. He tried to scramble away dazedly, but a steel toed work boot caught him in the side, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him gasping for air and retching weakly.

"Think you're getting away that easy you little bastard?" he growled.

Forester felt a painful grip on his tail and the man started dragging him towards the house. He couldn't get his body under control enough to even try to escape, catching no more than disoriented glimpses of the yard and little Maria chasing after them. Then a cement step caught him up the backside of his head and darkness fell...

>

..."It looks like a little boy..." a voice said in the darkness.

"How many little boys you seen with wings and a fuckin tail? It's got fangs too. Look at this! If I catch anything from this I'm gonna show the little fucker what his insides look like!"

"Now don't be too hasty there, Hal. I've never heard of a boy with wings... _you've_ never heard of a boy with wings... this kid could be worth something!"

Hal made a little considering sound and Forester felt his badly bruised stomach being prodded with the tip of a boot. "Better be worth a bit! Found the little bastard messing around with Marie. It's got her all messed up in the head. She thinks it's an angel! She was actually kissing the fuckin thing! I swear that girl's going to be just as much of a slut as her mother! Kissing anything that crawls into her sleeping bag!" He said in disgust. "If I find out this thing fucked her you're going to have to sell it minus a few pieces!"

The other man chuckled and he heard their footsteps going away...

>

...He woke again, his throat feeling dry as dust. There was warmth like a blanket on his back, but he could feel no material there. He shifted around some and realized that it was a sunbeam. The room wasn't dark, he was just blindfolded. His mind seemed jumbled, his senses confused. He could hear chains when he moved. A little more wriggling revealed that the heavy weight on his chest was in fact thick chain wrapped around him as crude restraints. His wrists and ankles were securely bound as well, but at least they were done up in duct tape from the feel of it. He winced and tried not to breath too deeply as the chains pinched his skin between the links. His wings felt oddly encased, and he finally figured out that they had duct taped those as well. His tail, oddly, did not feel bound at all. He tucked it behind him as he heard heavy feet approaching. No need to remind them it was there.

"It's right in here."

He heard a key in the lock and the door opening. There was a little gasp, then footsteps approaching him. They came to a stop beside him and he sensed the new man move closer, crouching over him. He was silent for a moment, then he felt hands tugging at the knot in his blindfold, then unwinding it. He blinked his eyes open, squinting against the sudden bright light.

He and the man contemplated eachother. Forester noted the odd collar on the man's shirt and realized he was a priest. He felt a wave of relief. Surely a priest would help him! He tried to ask for help, but his throat was too dry to form words properly, and no more than an odd croaking sound escaped him. The little smile that slipped over the priest's mouth made him stop trying. There was nothing warm and fatherly about that smile. It was cold and calculating. "Excellent." He said, "Look at those eyes..." He then pulled him over so he could examine where his wings attached to his back, giving one a good tug to make sure they weren't fake. "Excellent..." He murmured. "You're just what I've been searching for." He said, a frightening smile gracing his lips.

He rose abruptly and turned to a tall, slovenly looking man that Forester recognized from his voice as Hal, Maria's father. Forester just watched with a growing sense of hopelessness as they bartered for his price. Why hadn't his mother come for him yet? And he just couldn't understand why none of these people seemed to think anything of the way he was being treated! It was like he was just an animal to them... and not one they particularly cared for at that. He felt his eyes aching to cry, but they barely moistened. It felt like it had been days since he'd had a drink, and perhaps it had. He had no sense of time. It was like he was stuck in one of those nightmares that seemed to go on endlessly. He just lay there, his throat aching angrily as he let out wretched dry sobs, praying for the nightmare to end.

"Oh shut up, demon." The priest growled, prodding his side with his foot. It wasn't nearly as hard as Hal had kicked him, but it hit in the same place. The pain sent him into blissful unconsciousness once again...

>

... He felt the floor beneath him humming and shaking. He was blindfolded once again. Slowly he realized he was in one of those Muggle vehicles. He just lay there, listening. No one spoke. It was just the sound of the machine beneath him and the road passing by. He could hear the sounds of people, birds, other vehicles and things he had never seen rushing in on the air that was obviously pouring through an open window. He wondered how long they had been traveling. There was rough wool-like carpeting beneath him, and his skin already felt well abraded by it. He lay there for what seemed like hours... and it might well _have_ been. There was nothing but the motion of the vehicle and the sound of its motor. He never knew whether it was the lull of the vehicle, lack of food and water, or damage to his body, but eventually he sank back into the dark recesses of unconsciousness...

>

..."Spawn of Satan himself!" He heard the priest's voice booming so loudly it made his head ache. He shifted around slightly and winced. His wings felt raw, but loose. He had apparently taken off the tape. His ankles and wrists were still bound, but the heavy chains had been replaced with thick rope. It didn't pinch like the chains did, but he could feel some of the rough fibers digging into his skin like little needles. His tail was still free.

His skin felt strange. He cracked his eyes open and peered cautiously down. His shirt had been removed and his skin was all bright crimson. From the feel, he was pretty sure they had covered him completely with the vivid color. It didn't feel caked on... more like some kind of dye that they had just used a bit too much of. Leaving the skin feeling slightly tacky. The bit of his hair that he could see was jet black and it felt like there was something stuck to his forehead. When he shifted his head slightly he realized the man had glued fake horns on him.

He shut the man's voice out as he went on about how Forester was evil incarnate and an obvious sign that Satan was starting his bid to take over... blah blah blah. Forester had read the Bible. If this man had actually read it as well, he was pretty sure he hadn't actually _comprehended_ any of it. He tried to glance around without drawing any attention. There were a number of implements around on the little stage-like pedestal he found himself on that he was pretty sure he didn't want to know the use of. There was a large, almost goblet shaped bowl with a broad basin nearby and he could smell water. His throat felt like it was on fire, burning ever more fiercely and leaving him trembling as the scent filled his nostrils.

He glanced at the audience through his eyelashes, keeping studiously still. There were an awful lot of them... nearly a hundred. That jarred him. He never thought he'd see this many people in person in his entire lifetime, let alone all in one place! Many of them were staring at him with looks of fear and loathing. The priest took the microphone from its stand on the pedestal as he got into a bit of a frenzy. He went down the steps into the audience as he expounded vehemently on the nature of evil, drawing their attention.

Forester glanced around quickly, then slipped his tail out, wrapping it around the thick base of the basin and slowly started to pull it back towards him. His eyes met an intent gaze and he froze. There was a boy who looked to be in his late teens in the very back of the church staring at him with a bemused grin. He was sitting amongst a group of about a dozen leather clad punks that didn't look to have any business in a church. He was dressed head to toe in black leather, his hair bleach blond, crudely chopped and spiked up, his lips solid black and his eyes penciled darkly with thick lines leading off to the sides like the Egyptians used to do. He even had a silver loop nose ring and a metal stud in his bottom lip that matched his spiked choker. He was just sitting there watching Forester with his metal studded boots up on the pew in front of him. When he made no move to draw anyone else's attention, Forester started pulling the bowl once more. As soon as it was close enough he used his wings to wedge himself up and simply dunked his head in the bowl, gulping the water down greedily.

He had gotten over a liter of water down before the priest finally noticed. He stopped his spiel mid-sentence and ran up on the stage, stomping on his tail and pulling his head out of the bowl by his hair. He released him as he rose, holding the basin protectively. The water had tinged red from the excessive dye on Forester's skin, but hadn't washed away enough to be noticeable on his face. He glanced at his audience. The fact that this supposed demon had been gulping down holy water had obviously shaken a few. They were starting to mutter amongst themselves. He quickly retrieved the microphone as he motioned to two of his men. They hurried up onto the stage, lifting Forester by his elbows.

"You were obviously trying to take advantage of the fact that I had not yet blessed this water!" He said haughtily, obviously trying to cover his ass. "But I assure you, it was pointless. We have plenty more water where that came from!"

Forester looked up at him. "Oh good. Can I have some more please?" He asked, his small voice echoing around the church, caught by the microphone in the man's hand.

The priest's eyes shot wide and he could see a flash of panic in them. He obviously had no idea Forester could talk. Forester could hear the punks in the back pealing with laughter. The Priest snatched out his handkerchief and stuffed it unceremoniously in Forester's mouth.

"Beware the silver tongue of the beast!" He said quickly, "Make no mistake! They will twist you to their will if you let their tainted words slip into your minds! They take advantage of our very hearts! Yes, our hearts my children! So often your heart leads you truly, but even it can be misled!"

The two assistants hauled Forester back to where they had put up a makeshift false wall with a hook embedded in the top. They untied the ropes from around his chest and hooking his hands up over his head on the hook. They then pulled his wings (which he could now see were painted black) out to their full extension and pressed them against the wall. Forester looked over as one of them picked something up off the floor. He let out a muffled shriek of pain as the nail gun went off like a gun, sending searing pain through his wing. He struggled, but they were too strong. The man sent nail after nail into his wing, then passed the gun to the other man. Forester struggled in vain, staring out into the grim faces of the parishioners for help. The blond punk in the back wasn't smirking anymore. He was sitting up, watching with a horrified expression on his face, as were his friends. They were all whispering to eachother and looking up at him as if torn.

The men finally finished, having put a good dozen nails in each wing, all of which were now oozing blood, though it was barely visible against the black of the wings. Forester was sobbing in anguish, but unable to struggle without tearing his wings.

The priest came over, smirking at Forester. He flicked off the microphone for a moment. "Since you're so fond of holy water, I think perhaps you'd appreciate it if I made a more religious impression on you..." He chuckled softly, then turned his mic back on. "Satan is powerful, dear brethren, but our faith is stronger! Let us bind this demon with a symbol of our faith so that it can no longer insinuate itself into our minds!" He pronounced, taking ahold of the long thin handle of something his helper had just brought for him. He whipped it around and pressed it to the center of Forester's chest. Forester let out a shriek of agony that was only barely muffled by the handkerchief in his mouth. The priest pulled it away, admiring his handiwork. There was a two by three inch cross burnt into Forester's flesh over his sternum, the skin still steaming slightly, the red dye burnt black.

The priest looked him over, noting half of the nails had been torn free by his thrashing since they had small heads. He tisked and motioned his men over. They quickly put another round of nails in his wings to keep him still.

The priest looked back to his flock. A number of them looked disturbed, but none of them said a word. "Do you know where this demon was found my children?" He asked softly. "In the bed of an Eight. Year. Old. Girl!" He roared vehemently. "It may look like a child, but it is a devious, sick, disturbed demon that wants nothing more than to corrupt innocent souls! This cannot be allowed to continue! Many of you gathered here have been blessed with children... precious lambs of God that warm our hearts and fulfill our lives... This creature would like nothing more than to take each and every one of those precious little children and turn them into evil, demented creatures just like it! I want all of you to think of your children! Now think of this creature slipping into their rooms at night and stealing their innocence!" A wave of fear and anger rolled through the crowd. He let it grow a bit before going on. "It was caught before it could finish it's nefarious plans on the child this time, but it had already started on her mind. It took me five long hours, _FIVE HOURS, MY CHILDREN_, of diligent prayer to free that child's mind from this creature's control and help her see the light once again! I want us all to thank the good Lord right now for giving me the strength to save her innocent soul!"

"Thank the Lord!" They all intoned, some quite enthusiastically.

"Can this be allowed to go on? I've seen doubt in some of your eyes here today. Should we follow our misguided sympathies and let this creature go? Should we loose it on your children?" He finished with a roar that caused a slight feedback echo.

"No!" They all replied, even louder.

He smiled, his tone returning to normal. "I think, my children, that we must make absolutely sure this creature can never again molest the mind and body of an innocent child! What say you?"

There was a general roar that was definitely affirmative.

The assistants were back again. One was rolling up a small table on which lay a large chain cutter. They grabbed ahold of his pants and started undoing them. Forester forgot about the pain in his wings and started shrieking and thrashing with all his might as he realized what they intended to do.

"WHAT THE _FUCK?_" The blond yelled, kicking the empty pew in front of him over with a resounding crash and standing up. Everyone turned to stare at him, even the priest and his assistants. "What the fuck is _wrong_ with you people? How can you just sit here and watch him torture a fuckin _kid_?"

"This is not a child! It's a _demon!_" The priest growled, obviously angry he would be challenged, especially by this outlandishly clad boy.

"He is a _child!_ Anybody with fuckin eyes can see that! He can't be more than what? Seven? Who cares if he's got fuckin wings? **_He's a kid!"_**

"Satan has many forms. If you had read the Bible you would know that." The priest said evenly.

"You know what? Fuck you! You don't know shit!" The boy said, shoving another empty pew until it banged into the one if front of it. He turned to face the parishioners. "And you people! Not a single one of you said a word. He's all 'Hey, lets dress up this innocent kid and pretend he's evil so we can torture him and feel good about it' and you're all 'Ok. If you say so.' 'Lambs of God' my ass! Lambs to the slaughter more like. You people fucking disgust me! Did you hear that? Take a _good fucking look._ You, little Ken and fucking Barbie, disgust _me!_ Fucking think about that! What the fuck went wrong in your heads that you somehow thought this sadistic fuck had the right to..."

"It appears that some among us have already fallen under Satan's pervasive power..." The Priest began, turning up his mic to make sure to drown out the boy.

"Oh that's fuckin _it!_" The blond snarled, and both speakers suddenly blew simultaneously.

There were a few screams and those closest to the aisle quickly slid away as he stormed up towards the stage, his friends following after, looking just as pissed off. They stormed up on the stage and the blond snapped his fingers, pointing at Forester. The others hurried over, a couple of them grabbing up the assistants and tossing them bodily off the stage, while the others started working on getting Forester down.

The blond sidled up to the priest, looking him over with a slight sneer of disgust on his face. "You are really fuckin _sick_, you know that, right?"

"I don't fear you." The Priest said, trying to look confident, "God protects his flock."

The blond smirked, flicking his lip stud with his tongue. "Right. What do you think I'm doing right now, asshole?" he asked, his voice carrying easily in the tense silence that pervaded the church.

The Priest narrowed his eyes. "How dare you insinuate..."

"I ain't insinuating nothin." The blond said with a smirk, cutting him off. "I'm flat out fuckin _telling_ you. You fucked up. You fucked up so bad it required physical intervention. The Big Guy is _really_ fuckin pissed."

"See? That right there proves it. No messenger of God would talk in such a crude and profane manner. And, I mean _look_ at you..." he said dismissingly.

"Oh... you're an expert are you?" The blond chuckled, "Well you've obviously never heard of _Avenging_ Angels. We don't have to be sweet and polite. We don't even have to be pretty. We just have to get the job done." He glanced over to check on his companions' progress. One of the girls looked over at him in frustration. The nails were embedded deep in the wood and they couldn't get them off in any Muggle fashion without damaging the wings further. "Very well... I see you still have doubts." He said, reaching into his leather jacket.

The priest tensed, then relaxed as he brought out nothing more imposing than a stick.

"See this? It was part of the cross on which Christ was Crucified. Procured it myself."

The priest gave a derisive snort.

The blond smirked, then waved it towards Forester as his friends quickly backed off. With a flick of his wrist, all of the nails wrenched themselves out of the wood, then at his direction scattered at the Priest's feet. Everyone just stared at the innocuous nails as they rolled and settled. They didn't even notice the tallest punk gently freeing Forester's wrists from the hook. He scooped him up and took him over where several of the others quickly undid the remaining bonds while Forester sobbed and trembled..

The blond strolled over to Forester. He reached up and gently plucked one of the horns off his head. He looked at it, then tossed it to one of the men sitting in the front row of pews. "That look _real_ to you?" He plucked off the other and tossed it further into the pews. "This is a child. This headfuck over here just dressed him up like a demon and you all just there and egged him on while he tortured him! In your hearts, you all knew this wasn't a demon! Let's see what he really looks like." He raised the wand and waved it at Forester. The dye on his skin and hair seemed to blow away like fine powder, leaving Forester's hair once again light blond, his wings and skin snow white, marred only by the bloody holes and tears in his wings, the cross on his chest, and a dark bruise covering most of his stomach. "I don't know about you, but I think that looks a whole lot more like an _angel_ than a demon." He waved the wand over Forester's wings while his friends held them out, muttering softly, and the wounds healed themselves, the blood disappearing. The man holding Forester shifted him around a bit and another wave of the wand removed the blood matting the back of his head that the Priest hadn't even bothered cleaning up before slapping on the dye. The throbbing pain in his head eased and went away. Forester's mind seemed to clear some while the blond muttered some more and the dark bruising on his stomach started fading away. When he was sure Forester was no longer bleeding anywhere, externally or internally, he turned back to the awestruck Priest. "Now... on to your punishment..."

"Punishment?" The Priest asked in a terrified voice, backing up a bit and glancing around for an escape route.

"Feel free to run, but you of all people should know you can't outrun your comeuppance. _Please_ run. Then I can fuckin smite your miserable ass with a clean conscious, and I would _really_ enjoy that."

The Priest stood there, trembling, but rooted to the spot.

The blond sighed. "Oh well. Worth a try. Well, since you have spun your web of lies and deceit with that poison tongue of yours, tainting the minds of good people, the punishment will suit. God giveth, God taketh away..." He said, tapping his wand against the man's throat. When he pulled it away, a shimmering glob clung to it. He swished the wand and it dissipated.

"Fuck up again and I come back for the eyes. Got it?" He asked, prodding the man in the belly with his wand.

The Priest opened his mouth, but nothing came out. His eyes widened in alarm, his hand darting up to clutch his throat.

The blond chuckled. "I think you get it."

With that, he led his group back down the aisle to the doors, the only sound that of their boots and chains. As soon as the doors were closed they all burst out into boisterous laughter.

"'Hey, let's go to this church. Might be fun.' Great fucking idea, Tiny!" The tallest one said, giving the slightly shorter man who was build like a brick wall a playful shove.

"You are _so_ fired as the entertainment director!" Another called.

"How was I sposed to know they really found one?" Tiny replied with a chuckle, "I mean how often can Muggles _actually_ get their hands on one? I just heard some yokel shootin off his mouth and figured they were gonna strap some wings on some poor sap and call him Satan!"

"Don't listen to him, Tiny. That was a fuckin blast. You're in charge of entertainment from now on." The blond said with a chuckle.

The shortest one snorted and pulled out a somewhat battered map, handing it to one of the girls. "Care to do the honors?"

The girl rolled her eyes and snatched it out of his hand, spreading it out on the seat of one of the motorcycles gathered in the parking lot and pulling a black marker out of her jacket pocket. "Damn, Silver! You and your fuckin flair for the dramatic! Couldn't you just put a sleep spell on them and swipe the kid or something? The authorities would have just written that off under the circumstances. One _more_ state we can't come back to! You better cut it out or we're gonna have to move to a different fuckin country!" She giggled. Glancing over at the blond mischievously, then scribbled the state off on the map. Forester saw nearly a dozen other states already marked off.

"Fuck it. It was worth it." Silver chuckled.

"You snagged his libido, didn't you?" The rail thin punk with acne asked, "I saw that last poke!"

Silver smirked with a devious glint in his eye. "A priest shouldn't need it. Think of it as safeguarding a few more choir boys! God I love fucking with the clergy!" He said as he mounted a huge, shiny Harley. He reached into one of his sidebags and pulled out a spare t-shirt, tossing it over. One of the guys caught it and they set Forester up on a bike seat, slipping the shirt on over Forester's head, working his arms through the sleeves. Forester just let them, looking stunned. His sobs had subsided, but his breath was still shuddering in his chest. The shirt was more than big enough to accommodate his wings, still falling down past his knees, but it made him look like he had a slight hunchback. "Hand him over. We gotta roll before the fuzz gets here!" Silver said, easing back in the seat.

The tallest one picked Forester up and brought him over. He set him on the bike and Forester wrapped himself around Silver, trembling and clinging to him as if his life depended on it. Silver sighed sadly, stroking his hand down his hair soothingly. He shifted his jacket out a bit, fastening it up around Forester. When it was all the way closed you couldn't see much more than the top of Forester's head. He stroked Forester's hair again. "Stay away from the Muggles, little guy. They're not for you." He said softly.

"Come on," He called to the others as he gunned his bike to life, "Let's figure out where this guy belongs."

> > > > > > > > > > >

NOTE -according to the website for the DracoGinny awards (awards dot magicaltheory dot com), no one is voting for their favorites in the reader's choice award! She's put it on the site itself now so you just have to select your favorite from the list and press vote. At first I didn't think mine was even an option! But I just had to scroll down a bit. It's the vote button for some reason. Whether you're voting for me or someone else (cause admittedly I haven't read the competition to avoid muse-distracting, so they might be better for all I know) I really think people need to vote. I mean even if I get that, if it was because like three out of five people voted for me it wouldn't feel like that much of an accomplishment. This is a vote for the readers, so get out there and put in your two cents! (Or two knuts, whatever ;P) In case you're wondering about the main contest, the results aren't in yet. She's emailing people to get their results as we speak.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - Whoa! Ok, the 'flashback' got a bit carried away ;P it's over now, but that seemed a better breaking point than having a few summing up sentences back in the study. Sorry this took a while. Recombining the groups proved a bit more complex than I anticipated. Little hard to juggle who knows what an everything. I had intended this chapter to be a lot more adult oriented, but my muse had other ideas obviously, so I'm afraid I'm just going to have to put the scenes I had planned for this chapter in the next. This one is already long enough, and besides, some of you look to be on the edge of hunting me down to get the next chapter ;)I've been trying to write more, but real life has been rather more stressful than anticipated... All the stress from before... suddenly feeling tired all the time... other weird medical crap... horrific headaches that won't go away for _days_ and such... and then my car broke down and I can't afford to fix it and can't work without it and sooner or later my brother is gonna want the car he's loaning me back... in conclusion: real life sux. Why can't I just move into my story and live there? Car breaks down, fuck it. Get a broom and fly there or Apparate or use the floo or grab a portkey. Even with an evil dark lord threatening constantly it looks much more enticing there.

As for the nature of the inspection, for those of you who were asking, and are obviously lucky enough not to have to deal with these... I live in America, and more specifically in an apartment... which apparently means the right to privacy is negotiable. Every like two years they inform us they're going to pop one of these... they come into our apartments and inspect them for like cleanliness and to make sure everything is well maintained and the like, and if they don't like the job you've done they can kick your arse out the next time you have to renew your lease (which would be in like just a couple months). They make sure to tell you that in no uncertain terms in the note. Then the state goes through and inspects, and if they don't like it, they can fine you for whatever they feel like. It's fucked up IMHO, but what can you do? They got the keys.

DreamDeferred - Where did I find out about these odd creatures? Well... The Incubus/Succuba info is pieced together from information found on the internet. There have been so many stories about them for centuries that I can just pick and choose what, for instance, they look like and what magical properties they actually possess. I'm going on the theory that there are actually many different varieties and sub-species of this particular type of demon, and I've made my own sub-species in effect. As for the others... Shadow Demons, Snow Elves, Gargoyles, and Wraiths... Well, they are all pretty much mine. Some stuff is loosely based on mythology - sunlight hurting the demons, the fact that they can inhabit humans and make them do their will, etc. but really, as with the Incubus/Succuba, there are so many varied descriptions I made them my own. Snow Elves and Shadow Demons I made a specific (previously non-existent to my knowledge) sub-species for that very reason. Wraiths I have only heard the most general info on, so only the soul stealing is from myth, and Gargoyles... well they have always been protectors (and been able to turn to stone, though I've made that an 'at will' ability instead of something that happens whenever it's daytime or something as some have theorized). I did make them much more attractive when they were 'alive' though. Most every description I've seen said they were hideous creatures... some say it's so they scare away the bad spirits or something, but I didn't feel they had to look that way all the time.

ShiningSilverSerpent - Actually, Incubi & Succubi pretty much live to mate with humans. It seems to be their main goal in their existence to impregnate or be impregnated by (whichever the case may be) as many humans as possible. All they want is to dredge up your darkest most secret sexual fantasies and pop out as many little half-demon babies as possible. There was one theory that they descended from Adam's first wife (I think her name was Lillith or something) who thought Adam was a lousy shag. Apparently he'd only do it missionary and she thought that he was being too dominating or something and he refused to shag her in any other position, so she ditched him and went off and shagged a whole bunch of fallen angels and spawned the whole Incubus/Succuba species. The mundane Muggle theory was that with the rise of Christianity there was of course a whole lot more sexual repression, and even masturbation was considered like a mortal sin or something, so if a guy had a little wet dream, he claimed a Succuba molested him so he didn't have to feel guilty about it. And of course if a woman found herself 'in trouble' she could say she was molested by an Incubus. Another theory is that the women were possibly drugged or merely sleeping and were actually raped by human men. To me, this seemed to be supported by the other theory that Incubi & Succubi were actually the same creatures... that it was _one_ creature that could molest a man in the form of a Succuba and steal his seed, then go and molest a woman as an Incubus and use the man's seed to impregnate her with a half-demonic child. Personally I think that's just to cover when hey! That child the incubus put in my wife looks just like my neighbor (or my best friend, the milk man, the pool boy, the local priest, etc.)! What a _coincidence!_ ;P

Flower4444 - Ok, from the top: Yes, Blaise 'fixed' Pax, but he can't remove memories so Pax is spiritually intact, but he's still got issues. No, Blaise isn't handing out blood. He used the essence in his blood like fuel (or if you want a more physiological simile, like calories) to give him the strength that allowed him to keep on 'fixing' people when his own resources would normally have run out already. The people he helped now have intact souls, but they aren't like stronger than normal or anything. He didn't need to lend them any of his strength just to heal them. As for Rita Skeeter not being an evil bitch... well that is, and has always been, a matter of viewpoint. Right now the _Ministry_ probably thinks she's being quite the little bitch! As for the genders of the children, this is the very first hint I have given towards the gender of _any_ of the children, so I'm not sure why you thought they were both supposed to be boys. If you're talking about Tobias' comment about having two brothers now, he was referring to one boy baby and Draco. It takes a while before even spells can tell the gender.

Lady Lorethei - As for the use of the Pensive, I don't think that was intended for long term use or they would simply do that instead of using memory charms. I was under the impression that they must either be returned, or might even return on their own after a time. Besides, I think Pax would need one the size of a swimming pool for all of his bad memories! As for the Death Eaters, Pax killed the whole group, and as Adrian said, they weren't willing to risk many in such a strategically bad place, and they would be daft to try a second attack, because the Aurors were alerted by the first attack and they may not be the best Aurors, but they would sure as heck send for reinforcements just in case, so a second attempt would be a death trap for the Death Eaters, AND their target isn't there anymore, so there would be no point. Besides, even if they _were_ stupid enough to give it another go, they would be unlikely to attack a room that had Snape in it. So far as they know he's one of them undercover and they wouldn't risk exposing him.

Mealias - No, Gladys is _not_ bad. If the cloaked figures were death eaters Pax would have killed them, not set Gladys on them. Second question, yes the dark haired woman who was leaning against the column listening to Adrian was the same who helped Arthur and Charlie. I was hoping the hair and the briefcase would tie the events together.

GlassBroomstick - First, **I have no intention of abandoning this story**, so don't worry yourself _too_ much. Well, barring things beyond my control of course like catastrophe, unexpected illness, loss of computer, someone fuckin with my muse, etc., etc., so let's knock on wood here. Sometimes it takes me longer than other times (though admittedly this chapter was the longest in coming (so far - knocking on wood again!)), but I would never have started posting this if I didn't intend to finish it. I hate it when people do that. Admittedly I see now it was completely unreasonable to try to finish before the end of the contest, though I would probably have been a lot close if it weren't for that bloody inspection, but my new goal is wrapping it up before book six hits the stands. I know, promises promises... As for if Harry/Pax can hear eachothers thoughts... well Pax has had centuries of practice, so I imagine Harry is pretty much an open book to him. He could probably find out about anything he wanted that was in Harry's brain if he had a mind to. Harry, on the other hand, only sees/hears/feels what the demon wants him to so long as the demon is paying attention. He's slipped a couple times, at first only a tiny bit unconsciously. Harry could sense an emotion seeping through when Pax started falling in love with Delse, but it wasn't seeping through strongly enough for him to identify. Most notably of course was just a couple chapters ago when Pax saw Delse looking at a picture of his true form. While he was running away he was too upset to even think to block Harry, and Harry got his first real glimpse of what it's like inside the demon's mind. Chapter 64, the short paragraph or two between the kitchen and the 'aftermath'.


	70. Chapter 70

A/N - warning: adult stuff. Somewhat mild (IMHO), but still.

> > > > > > > > >

Chapter 70

Silence reigned as Pax slipped his talon gently out. He stroked his hand down Forester's hair and let out a soft sigh. He had known it would be bad... and he'd had to endure even more reprehensible acts, but somehow it seemed far worse for having happened to such an innocent child. As good as his memory was, he couldn't remember ever being that pure. Perhaps he'd just started out tainted.

"Take it away." Balthys said softly after a moment, his voice riddled with pain.

Pax looked over at him.

Balthys looked up, meeting his eyes. "I know what it means to ask a boon of one of your kind, but I'm doing it anyway. Take that from his mind and let him forget. Please."

Pax sighed, gazing back down at Forester with a deep sadness in his glowing eyes. "I can't." Balthys looked over at Draco, but Pax caught the glance and spoke again. "It's not a matter of permission. I can't remove it for the same reason that I had to leave the traumatic events in the minds of Harry, Blaise, Draco and Pansy. It has been too long, and that memory was too pivotal in molding him at a crucial point in his development. It's become a foundation memory... a memory on which the person he is today was built. If I were to remove it, his whole personality would destabilize and his sense of self would be destroyed."

Balthys let out a pained sound, then looked up. Forester's eyes met his. Balthys could see the shame in his son's eyes and it stabbed into his heart. "I'm so sorry..." He said softly.

Forester looked away, his tear dampened cheeks darkening. He'd stopped crying, having had time to master himself and put his neutral facade back in place, though he still wasn't to the point of releasing his hold on Blaise. "You didn't even know I existed. Not like you could have done anything even if you wanted to."

"All your mother would tell me was that there had been a fire and you'd gone missing for a time..."

"Try three and a half months. Course if they hadn't burnt down the house I doubt she would have noticed I was gone at all..."

Balthys' eyes had gone wide. "How could it have been that long?" He asked, shocked. The memory hadn't covered _near_ that amount of time.

"It was only about three or four days the nearest I can figure before Silver saved me. After that... well I'd hardly been out of the house... I didn't know my address... wasn't even sure what _state_ I lived in and that priest had taken me four states away. Hell, I didn't even know my last name! Come to think of it, I still don't... do I have one?"

"Snow elves don't have surnames. At most they include their place of origin, like 'of the vale' or some such thing. Incubi... well, to tell you the truth, I'm not sure they even have _first_ names... If your mother took a surname to fit in, I don't know it. Perhaps she used her maiden name, DeLovo."

"Well... I don't feel _quite_ as stupid then..." Forester muttered.

"So you just stayed with those people?"

"They tried to take me back. Took nearly two weeks to find the house, but of course it was burnt down by then. I guess Maria's father got her to tell him where I lived and him and his buddies took care of the 'witch's house'. When I got there it was just a charred pile of rubble." He dropped his eyes, unconsciously leaning his head against Blaise for comfort. "I saw Maria... She screamed and ran when she saw me... we had to leave before she could bring others. They checked with the local authorities, but no missing child reports had been filed, and there was nothing saying that house had ever even been occupied by anyone with magic. It was classified as a Muggle dwelling. We figured mom must've died in the fire, so they took me with them so I wouldn't get tossed in an orphanage or something. They worked out a glamour to put on me around Muggles and made me clothes and everything..." he said, running his fingers over the soft, worn material of his t-shirt. "Silver even let me sleep with him." He said, a little smile playing over his lips. He glanced over, noting Carys' eyes widening and glowered at her. "Oh shut up! He never touched me like that. None of them did." He dropped his eyes and his voice took on an aching quality. "They were my family..." He said softly.

He sniffled, then irritably scrubbed away the tear that was threatening in his eye. "Then the fuckin authorities decided to step in and fuck up my life. They took me away and laughed in their faces when they petitioned to become my guardians. Then they found mom and just chucked me back with her."

"You have no idea how relieved she was to find you. She thought you died in the fire."

Forester snorted derisively. "Oh _please!_ First thing she did was slap me across the face, then she yelled at me for leaving the house and putting both of our lives in danger. I told her I hated her and I wanted to go back with Silver and the others because they at least didn't treat me like shit. She just stopped talking to me again after that. I tried to escape... to get back to Silver... so she tied me up and hauled me away against my will... just like that priest did. Dumped me on your doorstep and washed her hands of me. She knew I'd never be able to escape because she'd never taught me to swim or fly."

Balthys looked pained. "She didn't do it to _punish_ you, Forester. She was just worried about you. When she gets frightened she acts angry and lashes out... that's just how she is. She knows it's wrong and she feels wretchedly guilty about it afterwards, but she can never seem to make herself apologize or even admit she was wrong. Believe me, I've been on the receiving end of that particular quirk more than once. It doesn't mean she doesn't love you. She brought you to me because she knew that on the island you would be _safe_. You know first hand how dangerous the Muggle world is. Trying to escape to look for someone who could have been half way across the country by then was foolish and dangerous. She was protecting you from yourself."

"Bullshit! She was just keeping me from the only family I'd ever known! Why are you always defending her? She's fucked you over more than any of us, and yet you still take her back without question any time she shows up at your door! Why are you such a fucking doormat for her? It seems pretty fucking obvious she doesn't really love you. Hell, most of her drinking buddies were men. She was probably fucking half of them!"

Balthys carefully kept his temper. "Your mother loves me just as much as I love her, and she has never once cheated on me. These two things I know with absolute certainty." He said calmly. He reached up and unbuttoned the bottom of his shirt, then pulled it open, "This never lies." He said, pushing the waist of his pants down slightly to reveal a shimmering design barely visible against the pale flesh just below his navel.

Forester stared at it in silence for a moment, then looked up, meeting his father's eyes. "Then why is it that every time she bothers coming around she just treats you like shit, fucks you, and then runs off?"

Balthys let out a belabored sigh, slumping back some as he buttoned his shirt back up. "Your mother has serious emotional problems. She can't deal with her feelings like other people can. When she can't handle her feelings she gets scared retreats into herself... drowns her emotions with alcohol... I understand this about her and I accept it. I'll always love her without question, and she knows that. I'm about the only constant thing in her life right now, and I'm not about to change that."

He sighed again, scrubbing his hands over his face, then dropped them, looking at his son sadly. "There are some things about her I've never told you before. Things she never wanted you to find out, but I don't think there is any other way that you'll ever understand her... I think you have the right to know, and I suppose you're old enough now to hear it. She was from a very emotionally aloof family that didn't seem to really want her in the first place... they shipped her off to anyone who would take her when she was young, which was damaging enough... then... when she was still little more than a girl, she was molested. She's never been quite right since."

"That's it? That's the 'Big Reason'? She got _mildly_ neglected and molested once, so that's supposed to make everything ok?" Forester asked incredulously, "If neglect is a viable excuse, I could be a fuckin mass murderer and get away with it! Hell, I don't think I would've even minded being molested all that much, because at least that would mean someone was _THERE!_ How the Hell does _that_ give her any right to abandon her family, treat me like shit for the first _half_ of my life, then do her damnedest to fuck up the rest of it too? I _finally_ find a _family_, and she just dragged me away and tossed me on an island with strangers and no hope of escape and just left me there like a fucking prisoner!"

Balthys was silent for a moment, his eyes growing watery, "Is that really what it's been like for you? Am I nothing more to you than your warden?" He asked softly.

Forester sighed and looked away. He glanced up at Blaise and a little smile tugged at his lips. Blaise had nodded off, his head hanging to one side. Forester eased his hold on him and slipped out of his arms, shifting up and catching him as he started to drift to the side. He gathered him up in his arms and eased him up onto the couch, arranging him and pulling the blanket back over him. Blaise stirred and Forester leaned over, gently kissing his cheek.

"Thank you." Forester said softly, brushing the hair back from Blaise's face. "I feel worlds better already. I owe you."

Blaise managed a little smile, then drifted back off again.

Forester stood up. "I think we should let him rest now." He said quickly, starting for the door. He came to a stop with a sigh as a hand gently took ahold of his shoulder.

"Is that how you think of me?" Balthys persisted.

"You want an _honest_ answer?" Forester asked softly.

Balthys took a bracing breath, "Yes." He said resolutely.

"It was." Forester said softly, not turning. "I've hated myself for as long as I can remember. The wings... the tail... everything that was different. Everything that made me a freak that had to be hidden away. I just wanted to be normal so I could go out and just... _fit in_. Then, after being wrenched from the only people who had ever shown me any affection, I was thrust onto some godforsaken little island with _you_... and one look at you told me exactly where I got everything I hated about myself. I hated you for that. I hated you for loving the woman who had treated me like shit all my life. I hated you for keeping me there, and even more for trying to 'get to know me'. It just seemed like you were trying to take Silver's place. I loved him with all my heart and no one can _ever_ replace him."

"I didn't mean to... I didn't even know..." Balthys said, trying to fight back the tears that kept slipping down his cheeks.

"Spending time alone seemed to help." Forester went on softly. "With no one there I didn't think about what others would think of me as much. I didn't have 'regular' people there to compare myself to constantly. I taught myself how to fly watching the birds. The tail came in damn handy in the trees, and surprisingly helpful when swimming. Eventually they almost seemed to become more a part of me. More than just useless differences put there to torment me. I still don't like people staring at them... but I guess I'm ok with them now."

"And me?" Balthys asked softly.

"I watched you every now and then. Especially after mom dumped Celestial on you. Watched how you cared for her. You loved her the moment you saw her. It was obvious every time you were around her... holding her and playing with her and teaching her things... I could only wish I'd been raised like that. I know now that it's not your fault I'm the way I am... I know that if _you'd_ raised me I would have been a better person. I'm sorry I'm so fucked up. You deserve a better son."

Balthys let out a pained breath, slipping in front of him and wrapping his arms around him. "I love you just the way you are. I would never ask you to change for me. If... if you would truly rather be with Silver, I'll help you find him. I just want you to be happy."

Forester pulled back some, looking at his father to see if he was serious. He could see the sad acceptance in his father's eyes and knew he would do just that if he asked it of him. He sighed, leaning against him and resting his head on his shoulder. "I love Silver... nothing will ever change that... and I would give anything to see him again..." Forester said achingly, "But he's not my dad. I know that. I think I need you more right now..."

Balthys held him closer, his throat tight with emotion as tears course from his eyes. He had felt so close to losing his son forever. His heart throbbed in his chest as he felt his son slip his arms around him and hug him back for the first time.

After a minute, Forester opened his eyes and spotted Carys standing there uncertainly. "_You_ I could live without..." He said, but his slight smile and teasing tone softened the comment.

She flashed him a little smile. "Ya, well at least now I know where you got that mouth!"

> > > > >

They were back in the sitting room, waiting for the elves to tell them when dinner was ready. Draco had reluctantly taken on the onus of telling those who didn't yet know about Diagon Alley. He just gave them the basic facts as he'd gathered them while at the hospital, not going into detail... especially of his own involvement in dealing with the aftermath. As expected, it had been a bit of a shock.

After that, they had all gravitated into small groups, discussing it... but after a while the mood slowly began to lighten once again. There was just something about the festive decorations and the atmosphere that seemed to permeate the room that made those events seem somehow distant... as if they were cushioned from it, giving it almost a sense of unreality. Perhaps it was just shock... The horror was just too profound for their minds to properly grasp, so their minds tried to convince them that it was some kind of mistake and couldn't really have happened. Whatever the cause, the conversations began steering away from the disconcerting events, most of them either lapsing into silence or reverting back to 'small talk' in an attempt to dispel the dark shadow of the tragedy that seemed to hover over them all.

Draco, who couldn't escape the reality of what had happened even if he tried, remained silent for the most part. He occupied himself by just sitting there with Ginny in his lap, covertly watching Forester. It was very interesting actually. Before, Forester had been huddled and physically as well as mentally closed off to everyone around him, just lurking near the fire and trying to avoid attention. He was once again by the fire, but even his posture told of a profound difference. It wasn't instantaneous. Forester had been huddled up again out of habit when they had first emerged from the study and sat down... but over the past half hour or so, Draco had watched Forester's stance open up ever so slowly. It was like watching a flower bloom. By now, Forester was leaning back, braced by his arms in a very laid back, open manner. It wasn't only his posture either. The more Draco watched him, the more subtle differences he spotted. For instance, Forester was looking at the fire just as before, but as Draco watched, he caught him sneaking little peaks over at Tonks when he thought no one was looking.

Draco couldn't help but wondered what it was the others had seen. It was obviously something really bad, but he hadn't been able to gather much more than that it had involved a very neglectful mother, a Muggle priest and some kind of 'savior' named Silver. Even Draco had heard about some of the atrocities carried out _supposedly_ in the name of God by Muggles in the past, including the indiscriminate slaughter of witches and wizards... he had thought the Muggles had gotten past such bestial compulsions, but apparently not all of them had. He was tempted to ask the demon, but his curiosity wasn't strong enough to overcome the dread he felt even contemplating what they might have done with a young incubus who probably wasn't even old enough to defend himself. He was still having to work to overcome what his father had tried to ingrain in him since birth - the idea that Muggles and Muggleborns were all _vastly_ inferior... and in his father's opinion, barely more than animals. To allow himself to be shown just how low some of them could sink would probably be a serious detriment to his efforts.

Draco quickly looked away as Forester glanced around. When he hazarded another peek over at him a minute later he had to stifle a chuckle. Forester's tail had crept over, the end slipping up onto Tonks' thigh where she sat tailor fashion beside him. Tonks was smirking and blushing, but otherwise pretending she hadn't noticed.

He looked over as the door opened. One of his house elves scampered through, followed by his mother. She was still looking a bit pale, but smiled at him as she entered. He didn't miss the way she was lightly holding Lupin's arm. He knew it was probably just for support, but it made him smile nonetheless. He was really growing attached to the idea of them being together. Snape, who entered silently behind them, didn't look nearly as pleased with the gesture.

"Draco, dear." Narcissa said, spotting him immediately, "Glad to see you made it back. They said you got away ok, but I couldn't help but worry. Sorry we took a while..."

Forester's head jerked around at the sound of her voice, and he scrambled to his feet so fast he knocked over the little rack of fire tending implements. Balthys looked over at the noise, then followed his son's gaze to the door. He was instantly on his feet. "Eryn?" He asked incredulously.

Narcissa looked over at him in surprise, taking in his strange appearance and the way he seemed to be addressing her.

Balthys let out a sigh as he got a clearer view of her. "Forgive me. I mistook you for someone else." He said, obviously a bit dejected.

"Eryn DeLovo?" Kulia asked sharply, sitting up straighter in her chair.

Balthys blushed slightly and nodded. "My wife. I know it couldn't have been her _here_, but the resemblance... it just caught me off guard. Did you know her?"

"You married _Eryn Delovo?_" Kulia asked.

Balthys blinked, looking at her with confusion as to why this was a subject of such interest. "Yes. You must have been the one she mentioned. She said she had apprenticed with one of my sisters, but I thought it was Marinna. Her family has had business dealings with almost our entire family, so I wasn't sure. Eryn didn't like talking about her past much."

Draco had straightened up as well. The comments Kulia had made in the kitchen that morning and what Balthys had said in the study raced through his head and everything started clicking into place. "Oh bloody Hell! Don't tell me he married my grandmother!"

Kulia had her hand over her mouth to try to hide her mirth. She just nodded.

Narcissa was just looking back and forth between them in confusion. Balthys looked at her, his eyes going wide. He crossed over to her, holding out his hand. "I'm Balthys." He said with a warm smile.

She hesitantly took his hand and shook it. "Narcissa Black."

"I always suspected there was more to the story... but a daughter... I had no idea. You look just like her." He said, smiling.

Narcissa looked over at Kulia questioningly as she came over, still smirking.

"This is my half brother." Kulia said, patting his shoulder affectionately. "He's also apparently now your step-father."

Narcissa stared at Balthys wide-eyed, "I think I need a drink." She said faintly.

Forester snorted. "Ya. She's mom's." He said, folding his arms across his chest.

Balthys gave Forester a warning glare. "Be nice." He then turned back to Narcissa. "This is your half brother, Forester."

"Narcissa..." Forester said contemplatively, then nodded. "Female version of _Narcissus_ or daffodil. That sounds like the kind of name mom would inflict on her offspring. At least the latin makes it sound nicer. Suppose I got of easy with Forester. She named one of my sisters 'love'."

Narcissa was staring at him, obviously stunned. "Daffodil?"

Balthys cleared his throat, drawing Narcissa's attention away from Forester. "And these are your half-sisters..."

"Alright! I get an older sister! Ace! I'm Carys. Like he said, that's 'love' if you're like Welsh or something." Carys said, coming over and giving the startled woman a hug, then she turned and giggled, bouncing over to Draco. "And a precious little nephy-po!" She said in a cutesy voice, pinching his cheek. She then leaned right over Ginny, throwing her arms around him, giggling again. "Good thing I wasn't attracted to you. That woulda been _creepy!_" When she released him, she plopped down on the arm of the chair and rested her elbow on his shoulder, propping her head up with it, looking contemplative. "And you married a Weasley..." She said, working something through. She looked over at him. "You don't mind if I shag your brother-in-law, do you?" She asked in a stage whisper.

Draco chuckled while Ginny tried to stifle a snort of laughter with her hands. "I don't have a problem with it, but it's not exactly my decision."

"That's a good little nephew!" She giggled, ruffling his hair, then hopping up and romping off back to her seat.

Celestial came over rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, looking between Narcissa and her father. "She's my sister?"

"Half sister, Celestial." Balthys replied. "Your mum had her before I met her."

"Oh... ok... like you and aunt Kulia." Celestial said with a thoughtful nod that looked absolutely adorable. She looked over at Carys, then rolled her eyes as she saw her draping herself over the chair and smirking over at Ron. Celestial went over and hugged Narcissa. "Finally a big sister I can look up to!" She said with an affectionate sigh.

Tonks was walking over, her arms folded across her chest and looking thoroughly put out. "You telling me I'm _related_ to him?" She asked sulkily, nodding her head towards Forester.

Balthys looked between her and Forester, a smirk working its way onto his lips as he saw Forester's cheeks color. "How are you related to Narcissa?"

"My mum's her sister. Well... actually half sister I guess."

Balthys' smile broadened. "Well then, you're related to Narcissa through her _father_, and Forester is related to her through her _mother_. _Technically_ you're family through Narcissa, Draco and... any other offspring she may have," He said, looking at Narcissa with a little glint in his eye, "But you have no _blood_ relationship to me or my children."

Tonks broke out into a brilliant smile. "Oh... Ok..." She said, then sauntered back towards the fireplace with a spring in her step.

Balthys saw a little smile on Forester's lips as well, but it quickly vanished, replaced by a neutral expression as he saw his father's gaze upon him.

A small house elf near the door cleared his throat uneasily. "Dinner is being ready..." He squeaked timidly.

Everyone started drifting towards the door. Balthys grabbed up his thin under jacket and slipped it back on, unaccustomed to the chill after decades in the tropics, and started to follow them, but then paused, turning around. Snape was standing there, watching him contemplatively. Balthys smiled, letting his eyes trail down him, then circling around him, looking him over appraisingly. When he completed his circuit, he came to a stop facing him. "So you're the one the brunette has been pining after."

Hermione, who had been working her way over to Snape, stopped, looking between him and Balthys wide-eyed. She hadn't said a word, and hadn't heard anyone else mention their relationship either.

Snape cleared his throat uneasily, his pale cheeks tingeing slightly. "You must be the brother Kulia mentioned when we spoke earlier... I thought you were dead."

"No. Just out of touch. And yes, I'm sure I'm the one she was talking about. I'm her only part incubus sibling. That's the part that interested you I believe. Her father made sure never to leave mother alone during fertility cycles once they were married. It meant he had to spend a couple of nights with her every three years, but he made the sacrifice to insure they didn't wind up with any more children like me." He said with a rueful smirk, "I'll need some supplies, but I've been working on my skills, so it shouldn't take nearly as long as it used to. Made mine own in just two days, and that was twenty years ago, and considering _my_ appearance, that's pretty impressive. Yours should be _much_ simpler."

Snape just stared at him. "Has Kulia said something to you...?"

Balthys grinned. "She didn't have to. I know a client when I see one." He said, clapping him on the shoulder and following the others out.

"What was that about?" Hermione asked, coming up and slipping her arm around him.

Snape opened his mouth, but then closed it again. "Perhaps we should talk about this later." He said after a moment of silence, slipping his arm around her and leading her towards the door.

> > > > > > > > > >

Tonks was leaning against the wall, trying to keep out of the way of the scurrying house elves. She was never one to get between a house elf and what they perceived as 'their duties'. They never seemed to appreciate the gesture, no matter how well intentioned the 'help' was. She just sat there, amusing herself by sketching a tattoo on her back unseen. She bit her lip in concentration, visualizing it in as intricate detail as she could. She always liked playing with her 'body art', especially when she was forced to take on that somber 'public face'. She finished up and then stared around, growing bored once again. She pulled her hand out in front of her and started cycling the color of her nails. She got bored of that quickly and let her hair start to shift, turning it fire engine red, her lips cycling to match it exactly.

Balthys sidled up, leaning against the wall beside her. "Don't." He whispered softly.

She looked over at him in surprise. "Huh?"

He leaned his head closer. "Don't change. I think you nailed it on the first try."

She blinked, looking puzzled, then looked over, spotting Forester. He blushed brightly and looked away. A little smirk slipped over her lips as they started darkening again. "He likes the goth look, eh?"

Balthys grinned. "I'd say it's a pretty safe guess."

"It's usually one of my favorites when I'm just playing around..." She said contemplatively, watching Forester, "Any other pointers?" She asked with a mischievous smirk.

"Hmm... perhaps..." Balthys said thoughtfully, then he leaned closer, whispering softly in her ear. She grinned as she saw Forester glance over again, his blush brightening as he saw his father whispering to her.

When Forester finally made himself look over again, his father had moved on. He glanced at Tonks, then stared. She smirked at him, her hair and lips once more black, her eyes even more heavily lined, the lines extending out to the sides Egyptian style. He seemed transfixed for a moment before he was able to pull his eyes off her, trying to pretend he hadn't even noticed her. Her smirk turned wicked as she spotted him covertly adjusting his t-shirt to hide a sudden tenting in his pants.

Bill strolled into the dining room, followed by the twins. The house elves had managed to literally gouge out the entire door, frame and part of the wall that Pax had fused, but with the other preparations had only had time to patch it roughly back together and fit it with a door they swiped from one of the unused wings, covering it with a glamour to make it blend in. Still, considering it was demon damage, they had done a rather impressive job. You could barely even notice the difference unless you looked hard.

"Still can't believe it..." Bill was saying, shaking his head. "And you didn't even think it proper to clue us in?"

"Percy was making efforts to let dad know." Fred said with a shrug.

"Not our fault he was ignoring the letters."

"We _did_ try to talk to dad about it once,"

"But he shut us down the minute we mentioned Percy."

"Gave us the cold shoulder for the better part of a month just for saying his name!"

"Dad just had to come to it on his own."

"As for the rest of you..."

"We were afraid if we told anyone, mum would find out..."

"And if she did and dad was still being a stubborn arse it would just kill her."

Bill sighed. "True. Still, you didn't honestly think he would turn his back on a grandchild just because he was on the outs with its father, did you?"

Fred snorted. "Logic doesn't always fit into his stubborn streak."

"We never thought he'd disown Percy over one little argument either."

"And look how that turned out!"

"Good point." Bill sighed.

"How's Penelope?" Ginny asked, setting down a handful of silverware and a stack of napkins. One of the house elves quickly grabbed them up, distributing them with practiced ease.

Bill smiled at her, "Much better now. The poor dear started crying with relief when she saw Justin. Mum and dad are staying with her while she gets in some quality time with him, but she's too exhausted to care for him on her own yet."

The twins nodded, then went over and slipped their arms around Kulia.

"You mind if we keep him with us tonight?" Fred asked.

"He's still a bit out of sorts..."

"And if he can't be with his mum..."

"We're the ones he's most comfortable around."

Kulia gave them a little smile, obviously amused by their almost paternal affection for the child. "Sure. Might as well... I'm not exactly feeling up to much tonight anyway."

"You ok?" George asked immediately as they both looked at her with open concern.

Her pale cheeks blushed slightly at their avid attention. "Stomach's just feeling a bit gimpy. I'm fine."

"We'll get you some of mum's tea." Fred said immediately as they ushered her into a seat. He pushed the chair in for her while George brought over a plate of crackers and set it before her.

Balthys watched them hurry off to get the tea with amusement, going over and resting his arm on the back of her chair. "They certainly are attentive." He said, chuckling softly.

She didn't comment, the pink tinge on her cheeks growing a bit darker. "Um... so... we have a two room suite. We aren't using the other room, and it appears we'll be hosting the baby anyway, so you and Celestial might as well take the other room if you'd like."

"A baby?" Celestial asked, grinning excitedly. She'd somehow managed to sleep through Justin's initial introduction, despite its volume. The trip must have been a rather arduous one. "Can I see the baby, daddy?" She asked eagerly.

He smirked, reaching over and tussling her hair. "Ok, but you have to let it sleep when it needs it. It's not one of your baby dolls."

She nodded quickly. "Can I feed it?"

He smirked over at Kulia. "What is it with little girls and babies? She's never even _seen_ a real one and she's ready to adopt." He looked back over at his youngest. "He has just eaten, but if he gets hungry again we'll consider it."

She beamed, clapping her hands together excitedly and giggling. Balthys took a seat one down from Kulia, guessing the twins would probably want the seats to either side of her. Celestial took the next seat.

Narcissa was still looking a bit out of sorts about the revelation about this new branch of her family. Draco had taken the seat across from Balthys, seeming completely at ease in the presence of the incubus. Narcissa looked a bit like a deer in headlights as Balthys smiled and motioned her over.

"Well..." Lupin said a bit sadly, "I should probably..."

"Stay for dinner. Excellent idea." Narcissa said quickly, her grip on his arm tightening.

He looked over at her in surprise, then smiled, seeing how disconcerted she was. "If you insist." He said softly, patting her hand comfortingly. He led her over, seating her beside Draco and taking the seat on the other side of her.

As the others started settling into spots at the table, Ron looked over, spotting Blaise walking in. He looked a bit tired, but at least much better than he had been. Ron noticed the way he very carefully maneuvered around the elves and other people, giving them a wide berth. He gave Blaise a hug once he reached him. "You sure you should be up already? You didn't even get a full hour of sleep yet, and you were looking pretty wiped out."

Blaise smiled, giving him a kiss. "Don't worry about me. Feeling better already. Give it another half hour and I'll be right as rain."

Ron spotted Carys wending her way towards him and quickly sat next to Pansy and pulled Blaise into the seat on the other side of him. Blaise just chuckled, settling in and watching Carys pout and wander off.

Ron seemed to relax a bit, letting out a soft sigh of relief. Blaise leaned over, slipping his arm around Ron's shoulders. "Keep it up and she's gonna think you don't want her." He whispered teasingly in Ron's ear.

Ron blushed. "I love you and Pansy." He said a bit too quickly.

Blaise chuckled, nipping his earlobe. "Yes... but as we keep telling you, it's ok to be attracted to other people too, Ron. We aren't going to think you don't love us just because you want to shag someone else."

"I... I didn't say I..." Ron stammered.

Blaise chuckled. "I'm well familiar with lust, Ron. Felt it a fair bit myself. I've learned to recognize it. Besides... _she's a succuba_, Ron."

"So? Just because she's a succuba doesn't automatically mean I want to shag her."

Blaise's smile broadened a bit as he watched Carys take the seat directly across from Ron. "No... but she's obviously very attracted to you..."

"So?" Ron asked again stubbornly.

Blaise looked over at Ron. "You haven't even read anything on them, have you? Well rest assured, I have. I mean come on, like I wouldn't look into _sex_ demons! I read just about everything ever written on them by the time I was fourteen, and though everyone seems to describe them differently, some of the most important facts seem to remain the same, from which I have pieced together what I believe is a decently accurate idea of what they are and what they do... so let me enlighten you." He said, pulling him a bit closer and dropping his voice. "Succuba like to fulfill sexual fantasies... sometimes ones we didn't even realize we had... now how could they _possibly_ do that, Ron?" he purred softly.

Ron looked over at him, puzzled.

"Because they can _see_ our sexual fantasies... What those prudish Bible thumpers would never admit was that succubi and incubi would never come to someone who didn't _want_ them. They are most attracted to the ones that are most attracted to _them_..."

Ron's eyes went round and he glanced over at Carys. She was sitting there, smirking at him. He started slightly as he felt something brush his leg. His eyes darted down and he saw her bare foot brushing his inner thigh.

Blaise spotted it as well. "Belly up to the table there Ron. We're about to eat."

Ron looked over at him, wide eyed. Blaise just smirked, carefully pushing his chair in until he was right up to the table. Carys grinned wickedly and her foot slid up further, rubbing right up against his rapidly growing 'interest'. Blaise leaned over, quickly kissing him to muffle the surprised groan that tried to escape him.

"Hmm... maybe wraiths aren't all that bad..." Carys said with a smirk, shifting down just a bit in her chair.

Blaise's eyes widened slightly, then he smirked again. He shifted up to the table and a bit closer to Ron, then eased back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. From the contented look on his face, Ron had no doubt where her other foot was.

Ron looked over and blushed slightly as her brother took a seat on the other side of her, opposite Blaise. Tonks just _happened_ to get the seat on the other side of him. Both of them noticed the blush on Ron's cheeks. Tonks 'accidentally' knocked her napkin off the table and stooped down to get it. When she sat back up, she was smirking and trying hard not to snicker, obviously having gotten a peek under the table. Ron's blush deepened, but Carys just grinned unabashedly at Tonks, not even bothering to remove her feet. Harry, who was sitting on Tonks' other side was just sitting there pretending he didn't notice anything odd going on.

Forester was looking from Tonks to his sister and over at the boys. He rolled his eyes, catching on. He leaned forward a bit and looked down the table to see why Balthys hadn't put a stop to it, but his father seem to be engrossed in conversation with George, who had chosen the seat between him and Kulia.

Forester sat back, looking over at them contemplatively. Pansy, who was obviously quite well aware of what was going on, was just smirking and picking apart a piece of bread, nibbling on it while waiting for the rest of the food to be served.

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then glanced surreptitiously up and down the table. He settled down some in his chair, folding his arms casually over his chest and looking bored. Tonks' eyes suddenly widened. A slight blush colored her cheeks as she fought a smirk.

Blaise watched Tonks with a wicked smirk as she shifted around a bit in her seat, then slipped down a bit, biting her lip as her eyes got a far off look. His eyes went opalescent and he glanced down, watching avidly as Tonks tried to hide a shudder of pleasure. "Damn..." Blaise said longingly, "I want a tail..."

Forester just smirked at him and Tonks grabbed a handful of tablecloth, shuddering hard.

"You ok, Tonks?" Blaise asked innocently, batting his eyelashes at her.

She forced a smile. "Oh just fine." She said, obviously having a very hard time keeping her voice from rising. She batted her silverware off the table. "Opps..." She said, quickly disappearing after it.

Forester looked over when she didn't come back up, then looked down at the table, a puzzled look on his face. He suddenly shifted down, and from his surprised expression it was obviously not his own doing.

Blaise grinned broadly as they heard the soft sound of a zipper, followed almost immediately by Forester's eyes shooting wide. Forester barely stifled a gasp, his cheeks going bright red. As he got over his initial surprise, he got a little smirk on his face, his eyes fluttering shut.

"You look tired." Blaise said mischievously.

Forester blinked his eyes open, then tried valiantly to keep them open though they kept trying to drift shut.

Blaise just smirked and pulled out his sunglasses. "Heads up." He said, tossing them over to Forester. Forester managed to catch them, then slipped them on, giving a Blaise a grateful smile, then settled down a bit more with a soft sigh.

Carys hadn't missed what was happening either. She was looking over at Ron contemplatively, but caught the subtle shake of the head Blaise gave her. She pouted slightly, but remained in her seat. Blaise grinned at her. He would have found that entertaining, but he had no doubt Ron wouldn't have been able to keep quiet in that situation. He contented himself watching Forester for a time. His breathing had definitely increased, but otherwise he was doing a rather admirable job of hiding the fact that his was getting what looked like a rather spectacular blow job right there under the table, especially since it was almost certainly his first. Blaise smirked, feeling a throb in his loins as Forester's tail gave up just rubbing against her pants and worked its way under the waistband. Oh yes, he _definitely_ wanted a tail...

Ginny happened to glance down the table and noticed there seemed to be something going on with their little group. She watched them for a moment, trying to fathom what they were up to. Draco's sleeve caught on a fork as he passed the newly arrived bowl of mashed potatoes across the table.

"I got it." Ginny said quickly, ducking down and surreptitiously peeking under the table. She sat back up abruptly, her cheeks coloring. Draco looked over at her curiously. "Um... I can't reach it... why don't you see if you can get it."

"Oh just leave it. Not as if there aren't enough forks in the setting..." He said, then he paused, looking at her little blushing smirk and the way she subtly glanced down towards Blaise's group, then back at him. "But then I wouldn't want anyone stepping on it..." He said uncertainly, then leaned down, peeking under the table. He barely stifled a snort of laughter, then quickly sobered his expression and sat up. "Um... I see it. Just a moment." He said, covertly pulling out his wand. He ducked back under the table and Ginny heard him softly mutter a familiar incantation. Light shimmered around the edges of the tablecloth, but any who noticed it promptly forgot, losing any interest they may have had in looking under the table. "There we go." Draco said, reemerging with the fork. "All better."

Blaise smirked as the slight rustling sounds of movement under the table instantly ceased. Forester noticed as well, opening his eyes behind the dark glasses. He looked over, noticing the little smirk on Draco's face as their eyes met. He slid his hand down, feeling the warmth of the edge of the Sanctuary spell on the tablecloth. He reached under and rapped firmly on the underside of the table. No sound emerged. "Sweet..." he said, a wicked smirk slipped onto his lips and he settled down again. "Watch this." Forester whispered softly to Blaise, noting his attention and knowing full well the table was no obstacle for him. Blaise watched in fascination as the tip of Forester's tail wrapped back around itself, becoming decidedly phallic in shape. He could see Tonks shudder hard as Forester slid it into her, the firm ridges rubbing up against her, displaying remarkable flexibility as he slowly pressed deeper despite the angle required. He let out a little shuddering breath as Tonks managed to convey how much she liked that without words. He slunk down a bit more in the chair, his head barely above table level by this point, his eyes shutting again behind the dark glasses.

Blaise could see Tonks struggling one handedly with something at her waist, obviously undoing her pants to free up Forester's movement a bit. Blaise smirked and shifted his foot forward, slipping it between her legs and gently nudging them apart, widening up her stance. Forester took the opening. Blaise watched as he started thrusting it into her. He was sorely tempted to duck under the table, even if only to listen. He was sure from the way she was moving she was making a bit of noise.

Forester suddenly seized the edge of the table with one hand, the other darting under and holding her still as he tensed as he pressed back in the chair, trapping his wings as they wriggled in an attempt to escape. A shudder went through him as his breath caught in his throat. After a tense moment, the breath shuddered out of him and he sagged in his chair, a contented smile slipping across his lips.

Blaise smirked. That had been even more interesting than expected in wraith vision. Forester's whole being had seemed to pulse and flash brilliantly, though Forester had controlled his outward appearance very well, all things considered, and no one outside their little group even seemed to have noticed. He watched through the table as Tonks rested her head on Forester's thigh. No longer distracted, Forester redoubled his efforts on her and in a surprisingly short period of time he saw a sort of shimmer go through her essence as she shook, clinging to Forester as best she could while remaining out of sight. It was fascinating. He'd never really watched someone peak while seeing them as a wraith does. Well, not while sober enough to remember at any rate. Tonks hadn't been nearly as flashy, but he doubted it was because her peak was any less intense. To his eyes, Forester and his family were nearly twice as bright as most humans, even without any orgasmic help.

He could see her moving around again after a minute, letting Forester slip his tail out of her pants, then he saw little mist-like shimmers coming from her hand. She was obviously using her wand to clean them up a bit. He hadn't realized magic use would show up as well, but he supposed he should have guessed. The wands just drew out and focused the magic... they didn't work unless there was magic within the wielder to focus, so the magic could be thought of as an extension of yourself in a way. Thinking about it, he'd probably seen people using magic while using his vision at St. Mungo's... but at the time he'd felt like he was in some kind of a trance... he had only noticed what he had to to fulfill his compulsions. It was almost frightening once he was away from there and able to think about it more clearly. He could feel it tugging him this way and that, even here, and he knew he'd have to eventually fix all of those present to find any peace, but it wasn't overwhelming him as it had before. He was very glad the house elves had apparently spread the word, because none of them ventured within a couple yards of him.

Blaise shifted his eyes back to normal and smirked at Tonks as she reemerged from under the table with a handful of dropped silverware. "Got it." She said mischievously and Forester covertly adjusted his pants and shifted back up in his chair.

Blaise rolled his eyes, then glanced over as the door opened. Arthur came in, but he didn't see Molly with him. Still... He regretfully tapped Carys' foot, glancing significantly at Arthur. She spotted him and sighed. He felt the foot slip out of his lap, and from Ron's sigh of relief, he had been 'freed' as well. It was a good thing actually. He had started to look like he was about to come, even though it had just been her foot. His easy excitability amused Blaise and gave him the almost irresistible urge to reach over and finish him up with his hand, but he resisted.

"Where's Molly?" Delse asked as she went over to Arthur, having been hurrying around playing hostess almost non-stop since they arrived in the room.

"Staying with Penelope. Doesn't seem to want to let go of Justin." He said with a little smile. He shook his head. "Still can't believe I'm a grandfather already... I mean the prospect of being one in nine months was shocking enough..."

"Six." Balthys corrected him.

Arthur looked over at him, puzzled. "I didn't know about the one Penelope's currently carrying either, and I suspect that one will only be a further four months or so actually."

Balthys looked up from the bread he had been buttering. "I was talking about Kulia's twins. Normal gestation for a pureblood snow elf is four and a half to five months... it increases to about six and a half months if it's half human, but since she's carrying twins I suspect they'll go a bit sooner, so six months should be about right I believe."

Arthur blinked. "Oh. I see."

Balthys looked over at the twins, who were both wide eyed with the prospect of getting children even sooner than they counted on. "Oh, and rest up now, boys. Once she gets over this little queasy phase, the hormones are really going to hit and you're going to be hard pressed to keep up with her for a good several months... even with two of you!"

They looked at Kulia, noting her brightly blushing cheeks and grinned as they easily interpreted just how she was going to be wearing them out...

Arthur shifted uneasily, obviously having caught the implication as well. "Yes.. well... Just came to get some food and such to take back to the room." He said quickly to Delse.

"Oh, you didn't need to come all the way down here yourself. You could have just rang for a house elf."

"Penelope's fallen asleep again. I think Molly wanted Justin to herself for a bit before handing him over to the twins." He said with a grin. "She gave me a list."

Delse took the scrap of parchment he pulled out, looking it over. She nodded. "No problem. The house elves will have this together in just a few minutes... I believe they already have some water on the boil for tea." She said, handing it to a house elf who came scurrying over at her words.

Suddenly Balthys pulled up his hood, looking towards the door, and Forester shifted a bit, carefully tucking his wings completely behind him. Mere seconds later, the door banged open and a house elf dashed up to Blaise, quickly stopping and backing up a bit as it remembered its orders to keep its distance. "Master! Master!" It squeaked excitedly. "She is just showing up and she is not answering our questioned but we is not able to stop her because she is having an invitation..."

Blaise furrowed his brow, "Who?"

"Oh bottle it! I've had an excruciatingly long day and I'm not about to sit here explaining myself to a house elf!"

Arthur and Charlie stared in surprise as a very familiar looking woman strode purposefully in. Her long brown hair was down again, but now appeared wind tossed, her appearance not nearly as impeccable as it had been before.

"You..." Arthur said in surprise.

She paused, looking at him. "Oh, it's you again is it? See you made it home like I told you to. Somebody actually did as they were told today! About bloody time." She said, whisking past him.

"As for you, little mister!" She growled, heading purposefully for Draco. He turned his chair towards her and waited, grinning at her. She came to a stop before him, clutching her briefcase as if tempted to bat him with it. "Are you trying to make my life miserable? Is this some kind of attempt to give me a nervous breakdown? Or are you merely testing the limits of my patience? Because I'll tell you, right now I could just as soon kick your arse as look at you! Just _wait_ until you see my bill! It's going to be so impressive even _you_ are going to be stunned!"

"Well hello, sweetness." Draco drawled with an infuriating grin still firmly in place, "I've missed you too."

She narrowed her eyes. "Don't give me that sweetness shite after the loops I've had to jump through for you today!"

"I take it you two know eachother?" Arthur said with a little smile. "This is the one we told you about, the one at the Ministry..."

Draco nodded. "I suspected as much. It was the mention of paperwork that tipped me off. I'd like you to meet Bazentine, my legal representative. Bazentine, this is my wife, Ginevra and our family and friends..."

Bazentine rolled her eyes, making an impatient gesture with her hand. "Yes yes, simply _lovely_ to see everyone, now can we get on to business?"

Draco sighed. "Very well. I can tell someone's had a bad day."

"You have _no bloody idea!_" She growled. She took a deep breath and breathed it out as if trying to expel her irritation and regain her composure. She did look a bit calm afterwards at least. "Let's start at the beginning then, shall we? Your suit was filed promptly at eleven twenty seven this morning." She said, setting the edge of her briefcase on the table in the gap between Draco and Narcissa and shoving the plates and such back a bit to give it room, then opened it.

"I didn't even send the owl until nearly eleven. How did you get it done that quick?" Draco asked curiously.

"Oh please! I subscribe to that bloody excuse for a paper as well. I was at the Ministry with the suit ready to go for half a bloody hour before you bothered to get that owl to me with permission to file it!" She said, jerking a stack of a good dozen large sheets of parchment out of her briefcase and tossing it on his lap. "There's your copy. Not that it's much more than a memento now. They had a source on record for just about every bloody word in that article, and handed over the their records without a qualm to cover their own arses. Remind me never to tip them on something 'anonymously'. About as much loyalty as a pack of rabid werewolves during the full moon. No offense." She shot offhandedly in Lupin's direction without even looking at him.

"So who was it?" Draco asked, leafing through the parchment.

"Fudge of course. Him and three high ranking aurors. I've taken the liberty of settling with the Daily Prophet."

He looked up sharply. "You let them off the hook that easily?"

She snorted. "It wasn't that easy on them, and Albus Dumbledore is the one who 'let them off the hook', though they don't appear quite bright enough to have figured that out yet. By the letter of law, they weren't required to do anything more than publish a brief apology if their sources are proven false and have their ledgers verify that the content was indeed provided to them by a valid source. They didn't even have to provide the legal documentation necessary for us to sue the sources, but as luck would have it, they didn't realize that either. Either that or they didn't care. Those suits are filed as well by the way, though I'm not sure they're going to manage to avoid 'accidental misplacement' considering who we're going after. Here are your copies of those..." She pulled out a further four sheaths of parchment, each just as thick as the first. Ginny shifted up a bit, trying to see just how big the inside of her thin briefcase was as Draco handed the paperwork off to one of his house elves that had hurried up to help.

"Oh, and I'm just curious, what the _bloody Hell_ inspired you to go parading around in public pretending to be a healer?" She asked, leaning against the table and folding her arms over her chest.

He blushed, glancing around. They hadn't really told anyone about that part of their little visit to the hospital. "How did you find out about that?"

She rolled her eyes and groaned in exasperation. "Draco, Draco, Draco..." She said, shaking her head. "Glamors work on the minds of those who look upon you. They do not, however, work on FILM!" She reached in her briefcase again and pulled out a hefty stack of photos, chunking them on his lap.

His eyes went round as he leafed through them. There was picture after picture of him healing and tending to victims. many of them clearly showing the emblem on his robe. "Bloody Hell..." He muttered, leaning back and rubbing his eyes wearily. Ginny snatched the stack from his hands, looking through them with a big grin on her face. Her eyes went wide as she pulled out one, looking at it closer. "You delivered a baby?"

Draco looked over, spotting the picture of him handing a tiny newborn over to an exhausted, but ecstatic looking woman and her husband. He cleared his throat uneasily. "You just have to catch." He said dismissingly, his cheeks coloring. "Why don't you put those away?"

She peered closer still and smirked, "So that's how you lost your shirt!" She said, noting his bare chest and the familiar looking material wrapped around the infant. "How many of these are there?" She asked incredulously as she leafed through them.

"One hundred and forty three." Bazentine said, "One hundred and forty three lovely little pieces of evidence."

"Evidence?" Draco said, furrowing his brow.

She nodded, then smirked. "At least it would be if you didn't have me. Falsely representing yourself as an authority figure is not exactly legal. Considering the circumstances, it might have been played off as an emergency situation, but now we're talking about Fudge. He's got a corn cob up his arse over you for some reason. He could have used this, and quite gleefully at that I'm sure."

"Could have...?"

She grinned brilliantly. "Welcome to the proud ranks of Healer's in Training, Draco." She said, grabbing up something from the briefcase and tossing it at him. He caught it and looked at it. It was a pristine new Healer in Training robe. "You already got your backup robe I believe. They only provide two. If you need more it's your problem until you graduate from your training."

He pulled his eyes away from the robe and stared up at her. "You _have_ to be joking!"

"Not in the least. You are, as of this afternoon, in training to be one of the few, the proud, the underpaid... the Healers. Your books will be waiting for you in your room at Hogwarts when you return after the holiday." She said, obviously enjoying this.

"But... I'm half way through my sixth year already."

"Yes, and that means I had to hunt down each and every one of those bloody professors from the school and get their signatures, and on Christmas no less! They all signed. You will have to take on extra classes for a bit to catch up, but you should be able to start your internship at St. Mungo's every Monday and Wednesday starting in March. Do some studying over the summer and I'm sure a bright boy like you will be able to graduate on time. St. Mungo's has excepted you into their graduate program as well, thought students usually don't get picked up by a hospital until they're nearly finished with their studies."

"They accepted me already?" He asked, looking stunned.

"Yep. It was a bit irritating actually. You need seven signatures from ranking healers on their staff to be accepted, but for you, every last bloody one of them insisted on signing! Even the helpers!" She said, pulling out yet another bit of parchment and handing it to him.

He stared down at the list. Cullis' signature was first, followed by dozens more. He lifted the front page, peering at the one affixed to the back of it. It was filled with signatures as well. Something caught his eye and he looked up, then stared. The back of the top page was covered as well. He flipped it over and saw that the signatures continued down the back of the second page all the way to the bottom as well, the last few rather small as they were pressed for space. A couple had even scrawled theirs in the narrow margins on the sides. He just stared, stunned. There had to be over two hundred signatures at least!

"Well, you want to see your story, or do you want to fondle that parchment all day?" She asked with a derisive chuckle.

"My story?" He asked, looking up at her in confusion.

She sighed. "Who do you think took the pictures? A tourist?" She reached into the seemingly bottomless briefcase once again and then handed him something that made his stomach sink. It was a copy of the Daily Prophet. He unrolled it and looked at the front page. It was covered with scenes of rubble and chaos and wounded being carted off. "Turn the page." She said a bit impatiently, "You can't expect to have made the cover _today_ of all days. Get over yourself!"

He glared at her and opened up the paper. He let out a groan. Pages two and three appeared to be dedicated entirely to him. It was liberally dotted with pictures of him at St. Mungo's, many of which he recognized from the stack she had given him. He barely even notice Blaise, who had come over and was trying to look at the paper over his shoulder while maintaining his distance from the others around him.

Ministry Deception  
by Rita Skeeter

Suit was filed today against this paper on behalf of Draco Malfoy and many others mentioned in the article  
concerning him in this morning's paper. The Daily Prophet of course complied, supplying the source material  
from which we gathered the information for the article required by the recently passed Author's Accountability  
Act. Though we have the right to protect our sources, (as we have had to do in the case of the Author of the  
"**Ministry of Magic or Minions of He Who Must Not Be Named?**" articles, whose name the Ministry  
has been trying to force out of us since the article was published) we decided since it was apparent the information  
was given in bad faith and towards devious ends, we freely supplied their names. It is upsetting to us here at the  
Daily Prophet that such normally reliable and thought of as quite responsible and trustworthy people would have  
provided information that, in light of recent events, is quite obviously false to the point of outright lies. To think that  
some of the very highest ranking members of our governing body would supply such falsehoods in a blatantly  
obvious attempt to steer public attention away from their own misdeed and cast a disparaging light on an innocent  
boy is, quite frankly, disturbing. We strongly encourage the members of the wizarding community to take these  
duplicitous actions into account when considering the candidates in the upcoming election.

In accordance with the agreement reached between the Daily Prophet and young Mr. Malfoy's representative, we  
are publishing a complete, verbatim copy of our source interviews on pages four and five of this edition along with  
testimony from Albus Dumbledore, Narcissa Black and Draco's Head of House, Severus Snape that refute the false  
information given. These are provided for you in complete and unaltered form thanks to the recording devices  
furnished by Albus Dumbledore and provided to all members of this paper so that we may stay in accordance with  
the law. These devices record every word spoke once activated and are just as unalterable and irrefutable at the legal  
ledgers that have long been used by many of the most affluent members of our society, as well as Gringotts Wizarding  
bank. Our devices are, in fact, based on the same spells.

We at the Daily Prophet hereby officially apologize to Mr. Draco Malfoy and everyone else slighted in any way by that  
article. We will also gladly be providing complete transcripts and testimony in the consequent personal libel suit(s) filed  
towards the originators of the libelous comments previously published. We know this cannot possibly make up for the  
damage it may have done to young Mr. Malfoy's image in the eyes of the wizarding public, but hopefully the more honest  
and insightful article that follows will help shed more light on his true character. We hope those of you reading this paper  
with disregard the previous article and remain open to the new information provided herein.

That wasn't too bad. The next article he wasn't so sure about. The opening alone was enough to worry him...

**Draco Malfoy - the hidden side  
**Note: The quotes from Draco Malfoy and many others in this article are unsolicited and candid. They were not even, in fact,  
talking directly to this reporter, nor had they any idea they were being recorded. These are taken from conversations amongst  
themselves that happened to be uttered in the presence of one of the before mentioned recording devices, and therefor were  
entered into record. We have received permission to publish these comments from Mr. Malfoy's representative with the  
provision that she be allowed to compare them to the transcripts prior to our publishing this to make sure the quotes were  
accurate, complete and not taken out of context. The photos provided were also of a candid nature, and are printed without  
permission, but as all were taken in a public place, they have been allowed as well.

Note: The quotes from Draco Malfoy and many others in this article are unsolicited and candid. They were not even, in fact, talking directly to this reporter, nor had they any idea they were being recorded. These are taken from conversations amongst themselves that happened to be uttered in the presence of one of the before mentioned recording devices, and therefor were entered into record. We have received permission to publish these comments from Mr. Malfoy's representative with the provision that she be allowed to compare them to the transcripts prior to our publishing this to make sure the quotes were accurate, complete and not taken out of context. The photos provided were also of a candid nature, and are printed without permission, but as all were taken in a public place, they have been allowed as well.

Draco glanced down the article. "Oh Bloody Hell! Was she circling me like a bloody vulture or what?" He growled. She seemed to have copied down just about every significant conversation he'd had while in the emergency room. Some of them were out of order, but as his eyes combed the page he saw about everything he remembered saying of any consequence. They were all in small sections, each with an attention catching subtitle. The introductory section had the words **'Initiation by fire'** In bold print over it and contained significant portions of his conversation with Abigail Litton's father that concerned his supposed Healer training and how he felt about it. Draco cringed. It sounded so sappy when set down in black and white. Draco groaned as he read on. His comments to Ginny on the subject were there as well, including his comments on what his father's reaction would be. Much to his horror, it went on to the whole of his explanation about the house elves and how they stopped the Death Eaters in a section entitled **'Lucius' backup plan backfires!'**. He rubbed his forehead. "Well it's official... father is going to kill me." He muttered in exasperation. His eyes widened as it went on to include his comments on his father's ambition to usurp Voldemort's position once he reached full power. Oh now _that_ was going to go over just great... He certainly hoped Voldemort believed it and took care of his father before his father could get ahold of him!

After that followed:

**Husband and Father-to-be at Sixteen?**  
Yes, believe it or not, it has recently been revealed that fifteen year old Ginevra Weasley, the young woman whom our false  
source portrayed as Draco's powerless victim, was in actuality his beloved fiancée. Just yesterday, he made her his wife in a  
small family wedding presided over by Albus Dumbledore himself. In attendance were Ginevra's parents and family members,  
all of which are said to pleased with the match. If that were not enough, the young couple's trip to St. Mungo's today was to  
have her pregnancy officially confirmed. It is my pleasure to announce that they are, in fact, expecting their first child. Despite  
the extremely short notice, arrangements have already begun to allow both parents to continue attending Hogwarts until they  
are able to graduate.

"Oh sweet Merlin!" Draco growled as his eyes traveled down to the next section, "Is this out yet?" He asked Bazentine urgently.

"They were getting it ready to ship out when I left. If it hasn't reached their subscribers yet, it probably will any minute now." She said with a shrug.

He looked up at Blaise grimly. "If you have any wards or protections that aren't up yet, get them up!"

"You think he'd try to attack this place just because you married Ginny and knocked her up?" Blaise asked, his brow furrowed.

Draco rolled his eyes and handed the paper to him, jabbing his finger irritably at the next section. Blaise's eyes widened and he read it aloud.

**Narcissa Black - in Love and Expecting!**  
Draco isn't the only one following his heart now that the Ministry has forced his father into hiding. Lucius Malfoy's ex-wife (as  
of the Rescission of Legal Status decree recently passed by the Ministry of Magic) has found happiness in the arms of her  
childhood love. Though the family refuses to release the name of this former love, Her new daughter-in-law, Ginevra Malfoy, had  
this to say about her mystery man, "...I hope they do get together. He's a good, gentle and loving man. I think they'd make a good  
match, and they both certainly deserve some happiness after the lives they've had to endure, and they've already waited more than  
long enough to be together. It'll almost be like a whole new start for her. A new man in her life... well, different at least... and new  
children...". That is not a typo. Sources reveal Narcissa is now expecting _twins_. Though we couldn't get a direct quote from Draco  
on the subject, he seemed to approve of the match as well. Whomever it is, they already appear to be starting their life together.  
Let's hope she finds more joy in this relationship than she did in the last.

Ginny clapped her hand over her mouth. "Oh no!" She gasped through her hand. "I can't believe I talked about that in public! How could I have been so daft?"

"It's alright, Ginny." Lupin said softly. "You had no idea, and besides, it didn't give my name. If he suspects me I very much doubt it will be because of that. Actually I thought it was quite a lovely quote, and I'm touched you would say that."

Ginny didn't look convinced of her innocence, but looked a little less upset at least.

"Don't worry," Bazentine said, "I'm already drawing up legislation to prevent the use of quotes taken without prior knowledge. Considering how it worked to our advantage in this case, Fudge might just pass it."

Draco sighed, angry at himself as much as anyone. With a father like his, he really should have known better than to speak freely without a couple dozen spells in place to prevent being overheard. "How the bloody Hell could you let that cow print this?" Draco demanded irritably.

Bazentine sighed indulgently, "Because, as I said before, so long as they have creditable sources, they can print whatever they bloody well please! I was able to keep it at least friendly towards you and your new little family, but I only managed that through quite liberal threats of legal action... and if they had a representative of their own on staff I wouldn't even have gotten that far! Her editor is still a bit gun-shy about these new rules that let people sue them, otherwise that would have been a much different article, I guarantee you! It still would have had all that information and a good deal more. She figured out who Narcissa's little boyfriend is for one. That alone accounted for a ten minute screaming and threatening session. In the end, her editor made her leave it out since it was really just supposition on her part and they didn't have solid proof. You might care to note that I also got the Rayne family left out entirely! She was just drooling to involve them, but enough legal jargon and a bit of flirting with her editor managed that little exclusion. You're getting charged extra for that as well. He's middle aged, over weight and resembles a troll!"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Sure. Fine. Just make sure you list out all of your charges. You know how the Gringotts goblins are about expenditures."

"No problem." She said, smiling sweetly. "That edition also has an article on that missing brother-in-law of yours, but it's mostly Ministry cover-up kind of mud slinging. That woman's going to bankrupt that paper with lawsuits if she doesn't watch herself."

Blaisedidn't object as Arthur snatched the paper out of his hands and started leafing through looking for the article.

"Well, unless you have any more hurtles for me, I believe I'll be off." Bazentine said, snapping her briefcase shut.

"You sure that's safe? I mean father is going to know which representative I used. When he reads this..." Draco said, shaking his head. "I'd really rather no one leave the grounds right now. It would take an army to get in here, and I have enough of my own elves that are already trained with that warding spell to hold them off for a good long time."

"Oh I'll be fine." she said, waving it off dismissingly. "That sexist lord of theirs always sends _men_. I think I can manage!"

Draco sighed. "Just because you're half Veela doesn't mean..."

She made a sharp hissing sound to silence him, but it was too late.

"You're half Veela?" Blaise asked, surprised.

She folded her arms over her chest. "You have a problem with that?" she asked menacingly.

"No... I just... your hair is a bit dark for a half Veela isn't it?" Blaise asked hesitantly, taken aback by her anger.

She rolled her eyes. "Have you ever tried to get any respect out of women looking like a bloody Veela? _Of course_ I color my hair! Even _Muggles_ can change their hair color. Why do you assume it's beyond my capabilities?"

"I didn't mean..." Blaise said, at a loss for words.

"Oh just stop." Draco sighed. "No one here cares about that. I mean Hell, I just found out I'm part Veela too!"

"Well duh!" Bazentine snorted.

Draco blinked, stunned.

"I certainly hope you don't rely on your seductive powers alone." Balthys said softly.

She looked over at him, then eyed him, furrowing her brow. "Please! Men have about as much willpower as a twig. It doesn't take much Veela blood to control them. Women are the only ones I have to look out for."

"Not all men are susceptible to a Veela's charms." He persisted.

"I have yet to meet a man who didn't melt at my whim." She said in a haughty tone.

"Oh dear." Balthys sighed. He got to his feet, making his way around the end of the table.

"Be gentle." Kulia said with a smirk.

He just smiled back, then came to a stop before Bazentine. "Very well. I'm a man. Show me." He said, folding his arms across his chest and waiting patiently.

She smirked at him. "Elves aren't immune. I could have you eating out of my hand if I wanted."

"Let's see it then." Balthys replied evenly.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. Your funeral." She looked at him and the males in her vicinity could feel a strange tingling. "What do you think of me now?" She breathed in a heavenly voice.

"Are you actually trying?" Balthys asked, sounding only mildly curious.

She blinked, her smirk fading. Her expression darkened and took on a determined set. The air all but crackled around her. When she could still see no reaction from him, she began to dance. Power radiated from her barely less than the full blooded Veela had exuded at the World Cup. Balthys just watched her for a minute with a little bemused smile. "Don't stop." He said, reaching out and taking ahold of her shoulders. He turned her towards the others. "Now I want you to look closely."

She glared at him, still dancing as requested, but glanced around. She blinked. There were not nearly as many glazed stares looking back at her as there should have been. Draco was just sitting back in his chair, looking between her and Balthys as if wondering what would happen next... Harry was picking apart a piece of turkey, not even looking, Snape was taking a drink from his glass with a bored expression on his face, Lupin was looking around at the others, Hagrid was slipping a small gargoyle scraps under the table, Christian was watching him feed the gargoyle, Arthur was still reading the paper, Ron was just sitting back with his arm casually draped around Pansy and even Blaise didn't look enthralled. Ok, he was staring, but no more than he normally would if any attractive woman was writhing around in front of him.

Bazentine stopped, staring at the gathered people in shock. How could she affect so few of these men?

"You need to learn your limits." Balthys said gently.

"But... how?" She asked, still staring.

"Well... most of them are accounted for by the fact that Veelas are powerless when faced with a man who is already in love. A couple have various other reasons for their immunity... but the point is, you never know who is going to be effected and who _isn't_.

He reached out and gently turned her back towards him, then he grabbed up a spare chair from against the wall and placed it behind her before coming back to face her.

"What are you doing?" she asked warily.

"Just completing the lesson." Balthys said with an innocent smile. He reached up, pushing down his hood, then stared at her intently, his eyes starting to glow softly as her eyes went wide and glazed over slightly. He shifted forward, bringing his head within inches of hers, gazing at her with his eyes half hooded. She stared at him, starting to tremble, but unable to pull back. Her cheeks were flush as he tilted his head slightly, leaning just a bit closer and breathed out, his warm breath coursing over the side of her neck. She let out a little inarticulate sound. He let his breath drift slowly up her neck, then pursed his lips slightly, letting out a short, fast gust just behind and below her ear. She let out a little strangled cry as a hard shudder ran through her. She abruptly sat on the chair as her knees gave out, then just sat there, panting and looking dazed.

He leaned down, smirking at her. "If you are going to rely on seduction, learn to recognize your superiors."

Bazentine just sat there, staring at him.

He straightened and turned, heading back to his seat.

"Where are you going?" She asked in a quavering voice.

"Dinner's getting cold."

"But... but you can't just do that and leave me here!"

A wide grin wrapped across his face. "How does it feel?" He asked softly. "I want you to remember that feeling the next time you decide to vamp some poor slob just for giggles."

She just let out a little petulant sound as he walked away.

Draco had his hand firmly clamped over his mouth, his cheeks red from suppressed laughter. After a minute he was able to get himself under control and looked at her with a serious expression. "Just so you know... I don't compensate for schooling."

She glared at him venomously.

Forester got up and worked his way over to his father, meeting him as he reached his chair. Balthys paused, looking at his son curiously. Forester had his hands in his pockets and was looking very hesitant, his cheeks nearly as red as Bazentine's. "Something you wanted?" Balthys prompted gently when he didn't speak right away.

Forester looked over at Bazentine, then back at his father. "Did... did you just make her come by breathing on her?" he asked, keeping his voice low.

Balthys just smirked.

Forester scratched his side uneasily, then shifted a bit closer, dropping his voice even more. "Could... could you show me how to do that?"

Balthys' eyes got a bit watery and he suddenly wrapped his arms around Forester, hugging him tight. "I thought you'd never ask!" He sighed happily. He then released Forester, who was beet red and looking around, seeing everyone staring at them. "Most of it is instinctual of course," Balthys said, draping his arm across his shoulders and steering him towards the door, "But there is so very much I could teach you... let's discuss this in private. It's too bad you don't have a _test subject_. The explanations would be so much simpler..." He said, leading him out through the door.

Tonks stared at the door for a moment, then yawned wide, stretching expansively. "Boy am I done in!" She said getting to her feet. "I think I really need a nap..." She hurried to the door before anyone could say anything. When she opened the door, Balthys and Forester were standing there waiting with smirks on their faces. She quickly pulled the door shut behind her.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - Sorry for making you wait once again. My muse has been fighting tooth and claw of late. She has her eye fixed on a different story and doesn't want to stay properly on task for this one. Well, the other story is related, being a sort of prequel to this one, but the thoughts that are buggin to get out would require some minor tweaking of this one to work. You know what? Prequels are hard! You have to actually go by the guidelines of everything you've already said happened and that's a pain! ;) No guarantees that other story will get far, but I wanted to let you know what was going on in case I have to write some on that as well to keep her happy. To her credit, she's stayed on task since like last September with no respite, so that's pretty damn good! Let's see if I can edge her through the final stretch... Sorry if there's typos, especially in the last bit. Too tired to proof read more and I've had another multi-day headache and my eyes won't put up with another read through.

Sunflour - (snickering) no, Silver is not related to Draco (and it certainly wasn't _Draco_, because, for one, he was about 18 or 19 when Forester was 7. That would mean his current age is late twenties). Besides, Balthys never met Silver. Seeing him in Forester's memory was the first time he'd even heard of him. I trust you've figured out by now why Draco smelled familiar ;) The description of Silver comes from a guy I saw once. The image of him just kind of stuck in my head and was stirred up recently for some unknown reason and I knew I had to put him into my story, even if only briefly ;) Also, if you couldn't tell from Carys' earlier mention of him growing up with American music and television, he spent his formative years in the States. Silver was American. I'm not saying all American wizards look like that, obviously, but those particular ones did. As for how Tonks knows Forester, she met him before they left for the Ministry to pick up Penelope. She was fondling his tail the last time he saw her, but she looked entirely different.


	71. Chapter 71

A/N - yet more adult stuff. Anyone surprised here? BTW, in my little version of this universe, I'm sticking to J.K.'s description of werewolves as pretty much oversized wolves, not that weird man/wolf thing they stuck in the movie.

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Chapter 71

The mood in the dining room was quite a bit lighter after Balthys, Forester and Tonks had left. At length, Bazentine grudgingly agreed to stay and took a place at the table. Possibly out of spite, she took Balthys' seat. She looked a bit disconcerted when Celestial grinned at her, but studiously ignored the child after that. The twins had nabbed the page from the paper showing the remains of Diagon alley. They had been quite relieved when they spotted a picture showing Oliver Wood alive and well, helping dig out survivors from the wreckage. Their shop also was pictured. It was pristine, as were several businesses to either side... the shop about third down from theirs was just fine for half, but the far half was an absolute ruined shambles, obviously just outside the barrier. It was startling in its contrast, looking as if they had spliced together a before and after photo.

"So..." Draco said, trying to draw Bazentine out of the sulk she'd slipped into. "Did they say anything about the little stunt at the hospital?"

Bazentine looked up at him moodily, setting down her wine glass. "Which one? You've been outdoing yourself on crazy stunts of late."

Draco smirked. "Taking Penelope. Are there warrants out for my arrest yet?"

Penelope rolled her eyes. "Didn't finish reading the article, did you? It's in there. They made you out to be some bloody rescuer of the poor wronged pregnant woman, protector of your new family... Of course that idiot Fudge had a quote in there refuting that..."

Arthur, overhearing this, turned back to the correct page, luckily still having the correct half of the article, and quickly located the passage in question. He gave a little amused huff, then read it aloud. "Thanks for the continued well-being of Penelope Weasley and her unborn child goes _entirely_ to the brave Ministry Aurors who managed to effect her escape from the group of Death Eaters that slipped into St. Mungo's completely unnoticed due to the hospital's woefully lax security. Senior Auror Angus Christian," Christian winced and looked pained at the mention of his first name. Draco smirked. Apparently Tonks wasn't the only one who loathed their name. "And Auror Nymphadora Tonks saw the continued danger to their ward and took measures to see that she was removed from harms way while the rest of the young woman's entourage of courageous Aurors fought off the Death Eaters. With the skills and fortitude Auror training instilled in those brave men, they were able to easily best the Death Eaters that lay Siege to the hospital, sending every last one of them to the depths of Hades where they belonged while not causing any undo damage to the hospital or sustaining even a single injury themselves. It was _unconventional_ for Aurors Christian and Tonks to accept sanctuary in a private home to safeguard their ward, but under the circumstances they had little choice. Mrs. Weasley's family has insisted she remain with them, and since they appear to be in a well guarded location, the Ministry is granting them their request. However, Ministry Aurors will remain with her to insure her continued well-being and remove her to a safer facility should they see the need."

"Certainly turned that around, now didn't he?" Christian said shaking his head ruefully. "They serve us up to those bloody Death Eaters on a platter, then try to make it sound like what Tonks did to save the girl was all _their_ idea. Made those snot nosed punks they stuck us with sound like heroes to boot. They didn't even have a chance to pull out their wands before your red eyed friend over there took care of the lot of them! I swear that man could make a lump of troll dung look like a diamond!"

"Not a big fan of Fudge?" Draco asked, amused that a senior Auror would talk about Fudge with that slightly sarcastic edge and obviously worn patience.

Christian eyed him appraisingly for a moment. "We don't agree on a great number of things, but as long as he's not telling me to do anything _wrong_, his lack of intelligence and common sense is his own problem. I've been working for the Ministry since before his father was a twinkling in his grandfather's eye. I've seen more Ministers than I care to admit, and there is a sad trend of flashy, yet idiotic people landing the position. It's a popularity contest that doesn't seem to take skill into account at all. It's sad, but it's the system. I just do my job and try to make life a little better, despite simple minded leaders."

Draco nodded his head, looking the man over with a bit more respect. He didn't know of many Aurors who would be so honest about their opinions, especially when they reflected so badly on the Ministry. Most of them (other than Tonks of course) tried to make it out as if they worked for the perfect system. "So, you think the elections will help?" he asked, genuinely interested in the man's opinion.

Christian scratched his stubbly chin thoughtfully. "I can only hope." He said, settling back and crossing his arms over his chest. "But to tell the truth, it's a pale hope at best, despite Dumbledore's admirable efforts. It's not the first time someone's tried to change the way we do things to get better people into the position. I'm just afraid the effort is going to be in vain. I mean for one, Fudge can put on a damn good public face. The public in general just doesn't know how much of an idiot he really is. He can take any disaster that's caused directly by his stupidity and spin it and somehow he's still the golden boy. I know a number of people I think would make absolutely wonderful Ministers... but unfortunately, I doubt I'll ever live to see it. The ones best suited for the job just aren't as concerned with publicity and posing and looking pretty for the camera... we need someone who's gonna tell it like it is and not dance around the subject and try to distract us with frivolous things... unfortunately, the public loves to see the dance... and that's why I have a hard time believing we'll ever have a truly good Minister. Unless of course Dumbledore would finally give in and let us make _him_ Minister." He paused, a smirk slipping over his lips. "He put a special clause in that legislature stating that no one could be elected against his or her will. They have to personally accept the nomination before their name can appear on the ballot. Three guesses as to why he added that little bit!"

"We'll just have to work on him I guess." Draco replied.

"You feel free to give it a go. He's never listened to me on the subject." Christian said with a smirk.

Things fell silent for a while after that. Everyone just concentrated on their meals while their minds whirled with all that had happened lately.

Harry glanced over at Delse. She had finally sat down at his side, but she hadn't said anything. She just sat there, pushing the food around on her plate without actually eating much. He kept his silence, not sure he wanted to know what was bothering her. She hadn't really spoken more than a couple of words to him since he'd asked her if she wanted more kids. The more distant she was, the more his hopes were sinking that whatever was bothering her wasn't directly related to him.

**_Relax._** Pax whispered softly in his head. There was a note of soft resignation in his voice. **_I doubt it's about you. It's much more likely it's about me. Think about it, would you want to have a kid with someone who was possessed? I could tell her demons don't pass on anything to children all I want, but it has to be a concern. I mean kids are hard enough to raise... who'd want a demonic one?_**

Harry sighed. **_She wanted you back. She asked me to bring you back to her. You can look in my memories yourself and see. Why would she be so worried about you if she didn't want you around?_**

**_Guilt._** Pax muttered softly. **_She's too sensitive not to feel guilty... like it would have been partially her fault if I died. I should have thought about that._**

**_Ya, well don't even think about making her feel guilty by doing something that stupid again!_** Harry replied quickly.

**_No guilt._** Pax said softly. He fell silent for a moment, then said, **_Would you be so kind as to have one of the elves fetch a quill and some parchment?_**

**_Why?_** Harry asked warily.

**_Just a promise I made. Since I lived, it's really only right to fulfill it._**

Harry felt a great deal of trepidation about it, but finally relented, signaling an elf over and making his request. He was more than a little curious as to what Pax was going to use the parchment for, but once he let him take over to write, he just seemed to blink and Pax was suddenly tucking a finished scroll in his pocket and setting aside the quill.

**_Why did you blank me out?_**

Pax gave a little mental shrug, taking a drink. **_It was private._** He replied simply. He set down the glass and slipped back to the back of his mind. Harry was tempted to peek at the scroll, but he felt a little wave of irritable warning from Pax and grudgingly let it be.

"Narcissa...?" Delse said softly, still toying with her food and not looking up.

Narcissa looked up at her, noting her demeanor and sighed, leaning back in her chair and slumping uncharacteristically, rubbing her temples. It wasn't too hard to figure out what Delse wanted to know. "Yes, one of them is his." She sighed wearily.

"Oh... one of them? So there _are_ two." Delse asked, no more than mild curiosity in her voice, but she still hadn't lifted her eyes from her plate. "I see. Well, congratulations." She said, flashing her a little smile. She set down her fork. "I should go check on dessert." She said, quickly rising and making her way towards the kitchen.

Christian quickly turned in his chair, reaching out and letting his hand brush her arm comfortingly as she passed. She paused. She didn't look at him, but she reached over and rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment before hurrying on into the kitchen. Christian just watched her go sadly.

Harry dropped his eyes, feeling inexplicably guilty. He still couldn't figure out what he'd said that was so upsetting her.

For his part, Blaise didn't look abashed at all about Narcissa's pregnancy, despite the stares he was receiving. His only concern seemed to be his mother's reaction. He watched her leave, sighing sadly and going back to his dinner, but without much enthusiasm. As for the way the others were staring at him, he seemed completely unperturbed by it. Draco was ok with it, and that's what was important.

"If you don't mind my asking..." Arthur said, folding up the paper and looking at Narcissa curiously, his eyes straying to Lupin. Surely it couldn't be his, yet she hadn't really even been around any other men that they knew of, let alone doing anything with one that would get her pregnant. The only men she'd been around really were his boys...

She rolled her eyes, once again easily able to deduce the question. "The other... well it isn't really even mine..." Narcissa said softly, her hand straying down to rest on her stomach. "It belonged to that poor woman at the hospital. She didn't want to kill it, but she couldn't carry it... so I took it."

"Always wanted a little sister..." Draco said with a wistful smile, peering down at his mother's belly. Seeing her surprised look, he explained. "Well... at least that's what the boy said. The one at the hospital. Tobias. He said father's was a girl and Blaise's was a boy. I know it's crazy to just take a child on his word about something like that, but... he seemed so very confident..."

Blaise broke into a smile. "Mine's a boy?"

"Well... if you want to go by..."

Blaise waved it off. "If Tobias says it is, I'll take his word on it. There's something about that boy..." He said, shaking his head and looking at a loss for how to explain it.

"Just trust him." Harry said with a knowing smile.

Narcissa was staring down at her belly, her eyes watery. "A girl..." She said softly, stroking her belly tenderly.

Lupin leaned closer, "Looks like you finally got to take one back." He said softly, smiling at her warmly.

She let out a little laugh and reached up, brushing her fingers down his cheek affectionately.

"So let me get this straight... You're carrying Lucius' child?" Arthur asked, obviously still a bit confused as to how she might have managed such a thing.

The happiness fled from her face like a cloud covering the sun. "It's not his anymore!" Narcissa replied irritably. She shoved her chair back abruptly and stood, her hand unconsciously clutched over her belly in a protective gesture. "It's _mine_ now." she said, striding off towards the door, leaving Arthur looking stunned.

"I... I didn't mean..." Arthur stammered, but it was too late. The door swung shut behind Narcissa, the makeshift nature of its mooring allowing it to slam so loudly the sound reverberated around the room, even though she had made no effort to do so.

Silence reigned in the dining room for a good several minutes. As the conversations slowly picked up again, Pax took over, glancing around to make sure everyone was good and distracted, then leaned forward and extending the scroll of parchment to Lupin. Lupin looked up at him in surprise, accepting the scroll. "What is this?" He asked curiously as he started to unroll it.

"What I promised you. Just let me finish the meal first if you would. It's traditional..." Pax replied, starting in on the food Harry had barely touched.

Lupin furrowed his brow, looking over the scroll as Pax ate. His eyes widened as he realized what he was looking at. He lowered the scroll with a sigh, looking over at Pax sadly. "I thought you were over your self destructive phase."

"It's not _self_ destructive. I'm not going to be the one casting it. If I _could_, do you think I would have wasted my time trying it the long way?" Pax snorted, grabbing up a roll.

Draco was looking back and forth between them. "What's going on here?" He asked warily, "What did he give you?"

Lupin sat back in his chair, handing Draco the parchment. "The spell to remove that binding device and the incantation to banish him."

"You knew how to remove that all along? Why didn't you tell me?" Draco asked, grabbing up the parchment and looking it over. It was a surprisingly simple spell.

Pax smirked at him. "You never _asked._"

Draco rolled his eyes, then glared at Pax. "And what's this rubbish about banishment? I thought you promised to cut that shite out!"

"A previously given oath can't be nullified by a general oath given afterwards. I promised him those two items." Pax said dismissingly.

"Why would you voluntarily give someone the means to banish you?" Blaise asked uncomprehendingly, having overheard the conversation.

"So they could banish me of course. It won't hurt Harry, because without this little bauble, I can slip right out first... and she doesn't have to feel guilty, because she'll have nothing to do with it. Harry and Delse can be happy, you can all be safe, and no one has to feel guilty... what more do you need?"

Blaise got up and walked over, coming to a stop behind him. "Why are you so set on dying?" He asked sadly.

Pax sighed, dropping his fork on the table and picking up his napkin, taking his time wiping his hands and mouth before answering. "Harry deserves his freedom. I, quite frankly, don't care to live outside of him again... and away from Delse. Making me live on once separated would be about the cruelest fate I could imagine. I'm hoping... and _trusting_... that you will not make me endure that kind of Hell. It should be quick and painless."

"What if we could find you another host? You could still be around them then. I know _I_ wouldn't exactly be suitable, seeing as you're in love with my mother, and that would be a bit awkward..."

"You don't seem to understand!" Pax said, shoving his chair around so he faced Blaise. "I don't want to just 'be around them'. Seeing them there without me every day would be even worse than not seeing them. I want to be a part of him... I want to be with her... it just... wouldn't seem right any other way."

"And has Potter said that this is what _he_ wants?" Draco asked softly.

Pax glared at him. "Harry doesn't know about this. He doesn't have to. I don't want him guilted into something he doesn't want."

"How do you know what he'll want? You're so into respecting other people's wishes, and yet you're ready to make this major decision for him without even showing him the respect of _asking?_" Draco asked evenly.

"You know how he is. He'll feel guilty over letting me die if he could have prevented it. There's no reason to add more trauma to his already overly fucked up life. I mean I was the spiritual equivalent of road kill when Blaise fixed me up, and Harry still took longer than I did!"

"Why don't you just let us talk to Potter and we'll try to keep it as un-traumatic as possible, ok?" Draco asked with a smile.

"There's no need to..." Pax began heatedly.

"That was an _order_, demon!" Draco growled, growing tired of trying to convince him.

Pax flinched and glared at him, but then his posture and eyes changed subtly.

Harry glanced around, seeing everyone staring at him. "What?"

"The demon has given Lupin the means by which to release the binding device you wear... and then banish him." Draco said, holding up the parchment, "He still seems to believe his death is necessary for your and Delse's continued happiness. He didn't want to tell you so you wouldn't feel guilty... I thought it might be nice to actually ask your opinion on the subject before he goes and does something stupid and irreversible."

"WHAT?" Harry all but yelled, leaning over the table and snatching the parchment from Draco's hand, knocking over several glasses in his haste. He looked over the parchment. "So this is the little promise that I needn't worry about, is it?" He growled irritably to Pax, not even bothering to say it silently in his head.

**_It's for the best. Just tell them to get it over with so you can get on with your life._**

"Why the bloody Hell does everyone else seem to think they know so much better than I do what's 'best for me'?" Harry demanded. His eyes grew watery and he swallowed a lump in his throat with some difficulty. "And why does everyone always end up leaving me?" he asked in a soft, anguished whisper as images of his parents and Sirius crowding his mind.

"I tried to tell him we could find him another host as an alternative to banishment..." Blaise offered gently.

Harry glared at him for a long moment, the pain in his eyes hardening, then glanced over at Lupin. "So is your little promise fulfilled?" He asked, anger coloring his voice again, "You gave him the parchment, so the oath is over, right?"

**_Yes..._** Pax replied, uncertain where he was going with this.

"And you don't have any other outstanding oaths to try to get yourself killed?"

**_No..._**

"Lovely!" Harry said, taking ahold of the parchment and proceeding to shred it. "You're the one who wanted in me so bloody bad in the first place! If you want back out of me, you're going to have to _claw your way out_ you little bastard!" He threw the shreds of parchment away, so angry they actually burst into flame, burning up in a brilliant flash and leaving nothing but fine ash fluttering down to the rug below. "Don't you _ever_ hand that bloody information over to anyone again! And that's a fucking order!" He snarled, "As for _you_," he snapped, rounding on Blaise, "Get your _own_ bloody demon, Zabini. This one's _mine!_" he growled, then shoved past him, heading for the door. Pax was too stunned to even breath a word.

Harry tried to pull away as a hand grabbed his arm before he could get to the door, but couldn't break the grip. He sighed, knowing by the strength alone who had ahold of me. "What?"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Blaise asked softly, not releasing his arm.

"Like what?" Harry asked irritably, looking back at him.

"Like my mother?"

Harry's breath caught painfully in his throat. He looked away, his eyes stinging angrily. "If she can't accept us as we are, she can just give us the boot. Wouldn't blame her. I'm still not giving him up! He's sarcastic, bitter, sadistic, embarrassing and has a tendency to be quite nasty on occasion... but... despite that, he's done more for me than anyone else I've ever known. He's a good and decent person, whether he wants to hear that or not. He's gotten to feel like a part of me... it was terrifying at first... but then it became strangely liberating... now the only thing that terrifies me is the thought of him leaving and being empty and alone like I was before... I love Delse with all my heart... and he... well he loves her beyond my comprehension, but I don't think I could cast him out and let him die... even for her."

Blaise grabbed ahold of Harry and supported him as he staggered suddenly. "Harry! You ok?" He asked worriedly.

Harry let out a little laugh, looking a bit dazed. "Did I mention he's affectionate?" He asked, his mind still spinning as it was deluged with a wild torrent of joy and deep, ardent affection. It eased as Pax got ahold of himself a bit, but a tingling sensation continued coursing through him and surrounding him with its warm presence. Harry had to smirk. The only way he could think to describe the sensation was mental snuggling. He managed to get properly back on his own two feet after a minute, taking his weight off of Blaise.

"Why would you think she'd give you the boot?"

Harry's smirk faded away and he dropped his eyes. "The way she's been acting around me since we talked earlier... I mean she doesn't even seem to want to stay in the same room with me..." He said, his eyes drifting over to the kitchen door.

"What did you talk about?" Blaise asked carefully.

"I just asked her if she might want to have some more kids too..."

Blaise winced and looked pained. "And what did she say?"

"Just said it wasn't the time to discuss it and ran off to check on dinner." Harry said, watching Blaise curiously. "Pax thinks it's because she's afraid if we had kids they would be demonic because of him..."

Blaise sighed. "Well, I think it's time you talked to her about it now. Don't let her slip out of it again. If she won't explain to you what the problem is, _I will."_

Harry stared at him searchingly for a minute, then nodded, making his way over to the kitchen door. There was a house elf standing in front of it that looked as if he was guarding it.

"Let him through." Blaise called over to the elf.

The elf looked between his master and Harry worriedly, obviously reluctant to leave since it was the mistress of the house who had set it to the task of watching the door. Harry glared down at it, Pax making his eyes glow. The house elf let out a frightened squeak and scampered away. They watched in silence as Harry disappeared into the kitchen, closing the door behind him.

Lupin cleared his throat and rose, breaking up the uneasy silence that followed. "Well, I should be heading for home."

"Not bloody likely." Draco replied immediately. "Father could be waiting outside that ward as we speak for all we know. He gets one look at you and it won't be too hard to figure out who that article was referring to. You're staying."

Lupin sighed. "You don't understand... I _have_ to go. I need my medicine."

"I've already thought about that." Draco said, snapping his fingers to get the attention of one of his elves. Draco pointed to Lupin and it quickly nodded, scampering over, grabbing up a worn (and from the looks of it, rather heavy) leather satchel. He lugged it over to Draco. Draco took it and set it on one of the counters behind him meant to hold tea services and extra food that wouldn't fit on the table so the house elves could provide faster service. He opened it up, grabbing a spare wine goblet. When he turned back around, Lupin saw that he had filled it with what appeared to be a dose of his medicine.

Lupin came around the table, accepting the goblet and looking it over. "Where did you get this? It's not exactly something you'd pick up from the corner Apothecary shop."

"Made it." Draco said with a shrug, leaning back against the counter and folding his arms across his chest casually. "I had a rather boring summer."

Lupin looked at him, obviously shocked. "This is an extremely difficult potion. I mean, no offense... but considering what will happen if it's not just right, I don't know if..."

"Before you go offending him," Snape said with a smirk, "You should know that he's been the one providing your potion since February. He's an exceptionally gifted potion maker and I hardly have the time to be spending on such pursuits every month. Only had to show him once. He took to it right from the off. Good thing it stores well. He was apparently _exceptionally_ bored this summer. You won't be needing more for at least a year and a half."

"Got enough in there for this month and the next as well." Draco said, indicating the satchel, "I forgot the last batch at home when I left for Hogwarts this year. Sent one of my house elves to fetch it. If you need more after that we will probably be able to get to the storeroom at Hogwarts and send it to you. If worse comes to worse, Blaise has nearly as extensive a potions lab as I do. I'm sure it'll be no problem."

Lupin looked at the open satchel, noting the neatly packed bottles it contained. "I don't know what to say... I'm sorry I questioned you..."

Draco grinned and waved it off. "Just drink up. I'd rather not see your wild side, thanks."

Lupin gave him a rueful smirk, but nodded. He drank down the potion, then set the goblet on the counter. "Thank you, Draco."

"No problem. If you're feeling tired, I believe Blaise has already arranged your room for the night."

Lupin nodded, "That probably would be best. Afraid I tend to be exceedingly weary and don't usually eat much around this time of month."

Blaise snapped his fingers and waved over one of his elves. "Vincent, time to lead Professor Lupin to his room if you would."

Vincent hurried over, nodding eagerly, "Of course, master. Right this way." He said, hurrying to open the door, then waiting for Lupin.

"Thank you." Lupin said nodding to Blaise, then to Draco again. "I'll see you in the morning." He turned to the others. "Goodnight." He said cordially, then made his way after Vincent as the others wished him a good night.

Once the door was shut, Blaise went over, leaning against the counter beside Draco. He held out his hand. Draco reached over, dropping a small bottle into his hand without even looking, a wicked smirk slipping across his lips.

"Three drops, right?" Draco asked casually.

"Two."

"Close enough." Draco said with a shrug, then they both snickered.

Snape looked between the two snickering boys, recognizing the bottle. "Oh bloody Hell! You had best make _damn_ sure he gets his potion on schedule tomorrow night!" Snape growled irritably.

"Oh don't worry, I will." Draco said guilelessly.

> > > > >

Harry stood near the door, just watching her. He hadn't gone more than a few paces into the kitchen. So silent was his entrance that she had yet to notice him. She was perched on one of the tall bar-like stools near the counter, her face covered by her hands, her shoulders shaking. Though she made not a sound, there was no doubt in his mind she was weeping.

He wasn't sure why he didn't approach her... didn't at the very least make her aware of his presence. Perhaps it was the fear in his heart, and in Pax's as well, that her tears were because of him. To ask _could_ alleviate these fears... but he wasn't sure he could bear it if it confirmed them. It had just been a bit of bravado for the others when he had said he didn't care if she left him over this... well, bravado or bold faced lie, whichever term you prefer.

Well, at least Ron had Blaise back and a family on the way, and Hermione had Snape. As disturbing as that thought was, he couldn't deny the look in Snape's eyes when he looked at Hermione. He couldn't begrudge her love like that, no matter how much he hated the man. His best friends appeared to have their lives set out before them, and seemed contented with them. He was glad, because that took some of the burden of guilt off of him. If anything were to happen to him, they would be sad, but they would survive and thrive with their new families. That was a very comforting thought... because he wasn't sure he was going to survive it if Delse asked him to leave. He was almost certain Pax wouldn't.

Delse dropped her hands and sighed sadly, then got up. Her head jerked around quickly, her eyes widening as she caught sight of him, then she quickly looked away, subtly wiping her tears away as she made her way over to the counter where the desserts were set out. "Harry... I didn't hear you come in." She said quickly, her voice taking on an obviously forced cheerfulness, "The desserts look ready. Tell them I'll bring them out in just a moment, won't you?"

Harry walked slowly over to her, then stopped once he was just a few paces from her. "No."

She looked over at him in surprise.

"Tell me what's wrong, Delse."

He saw a flicker of pain reflected in her eyes, but she quickly averted them, "Nothing. I'm fine." She replied evenly, pulling out a long knife and neatly slicing the pie before her.

Harry sighed, then pulled out his wand and flicked it towards each of the doors in turn, casting Unperturbable spells on them, then cast a Silencing spell over the entire room. "Delse... you have to tell me." He said as he slipped his wand back away. She just moved on to the next pie without comment, pretending she hadn't noticed or heard a thing. He rolled his eyes in exasperation. Why couldn't she just get this over with already? Looked like he was going to have to play dirty to get it out of her. "Not to try to make you feel guilty or anything, but if you don't spill it, the demon's libel to do something daft again. He just tried to hand out instructions on how to yank him out of me and banish him... he's still got it in his head that this is somehow about him... that he's some huge roadblock in our relationship or something."

She looked over at him in shock, then closed her eyes, letting out a pained breath. "It has nothing to do with him."

"Oh..." Harry said softly, dropping his eyes.

"Oh bloody Hell!" She said in exasperation at the sadness in his voice. She tossed the knife in the sink, "It has nothing to do with _you_ either!"

"Well then what _is_ it about?" Harry persisted.

"She's _my_ age! A bit _older_ actually!" Delse finally burst out.

Harry blinked. "Narcissa?"

"We went to school together! We weren't exactly bezzy mates, but we were friendly. And now my _son_ has gone and gotten her pregnant! I could handle the kids having babies... I mean that's what happens when you get older... your kids grow up and start families of their own... you're delegated to the role of grandparent after that... I can deal with that... but to see _her_... a woman my own age carrying two little babies... _two_ of them..." tears were streaming from her eyes again.

Harry stepped up to her and wrapped his arms around her comfortingly, though he still couldn't comprehend why Narcissa's pregnancy was such a touchy subject for her. Certainly it had to be awkward having an old classmate carrying your grandchild, but surely it didn't warrant this kind of reaction. She was clinging to him tightly, sobbing against him.

"It doesn't sound as if they intend to pursue the relationship... and besides, I'd hardly have thought _you_ would be so upset over their age difference..." he chided her gently, trying to cheer her up.

"I'm not. That's not the point..." She sighed in exasperation. She held him a little tighter. "It's just... I _can't_..." She finally admitted in a tiny, anguished voice.

"Can't what?" He asked, looking down at her questioningly.

"Have more babies..." She replied morosely, "I always wanted a lot of children... but I had an accident on my broom when I was just a girl that left permanent damage... I had several miscarriages before Blaise... When I got pregnant with him I was bedridden practically from conception and I was still only able to carry him a little over seven months. It's a miracle he survived really. The healers told me that trying for another baby would most likely kill me. I can't give you children, Harry... I'm sorry..."

He let out a breath of relief and gently kissed her. "That's ok..." He said softly. "Honestly. I can't say I didn't _want_ any, but I can live without them. I'll settle for grandchildren. From the sound of it, you're going to have a number of them. We can spoil them rotten, then send them back to their parents. What could be better than that?" He said with a light, teasing tone, "And at least they'll probably have neater hair!" He said, kissing the tip of her nose.

She couldn't help but let out a laugh, then leaned her head against his shoulder, letting out an aching sigh. "You're the last in your line, Harry... I couldn't ask you to let your bloodline die out just because of me..."

He stroked her hair tenderly, "I think my parents would rather I be the last Potter and happy than be with some woman I didn't love just so I could pass on my blood. You aren't _asking_ me to do anything, Delse. I love you, and if I can have your love in return, then I'll never regret it for a moment."

She looked up into his eyes, her own as sad as he'd ever seen them. "I wish you didn't have to make that decision..." She reached up, taking his head between her hands. "I love you, Harry..." kissing him lovingly. As she pulled away again, a little smile slipped over her lips. "And as for you, my little red eyed lover..." She said mischievously. "How could you ever think I would want you gone? Who would take over when Harry's too tired? He plays Quidditch a lot you know..."

Red blossomed behind his eyes. "But you know what I look like now... how could you ever even stand my touch now that you know?"

She sighed, "That wasn't you." She ran her fingers over his face. "_This_... this is how you'll always look to me."

His eyes got a bit watery, "Do you really want me?" he asked softly.

She gave him a little smile. "Of course I do. How could you ever doubt that?"

A soft smile graced his lips. He shifted forward, kissing her tenderly, then pulled back, looking her in the eyes once again, "Then you shall have me." He leaned forward, nuzzling up to her ear, "Volo..." He whispered, and a strange rushing feeling went through her, "Tacitus..." Her head started spinning, "Pario..." a warm tingling filled her, "Animus..." The warm tingling was replaced by what felt like a sudden torrent of cool rain, "Pax." he sighed out. There was a calm for a moment, then a sudden clap like a sonic boom as a wild rush of power whipped around her, taking her breath away and jarring her senses, then it reversed, slamming back into her as if it were a physical force, wrapping around them and pulling tight.

> > > > >

Draco gasped as it suddenly felt like someone was jerking on a rope fastened around his chest. Before he could even properly register what it might be, the 'rope' was severed cleanly, as if by a sharp knife. He blinked, looking around, stunned, feeling a unexplainable sense of loss.

Ginny was looking at him, obvious concern on her face. "You ok, Draco?"

He blinked, settling back in his seat, rubbing his chest absently and trying to figure out what the Hell had just happened. "Fine..." He muttered, looking around at the others to see if they had felt anything. His eyes fell on Celestial. She was grinning, and as he looked at her, she giggled. He glanced down the table at Carys. She was grinning as well, but her eyes were looking past him to the kitchen door. Blaise's eyes were on the door as well, blazing brightly with wraith coloring. He was leaning forward a bit in his chair, his hands on the edge of the table as if he was unsure whether or not to rise, his expression just as stunned as Draco's. Draco's eyes widened as they darted over to the door. No... he couldn't have...

> > > > >

Delse blinked her eyes open. She was laying on the floor, her mind still reeling. She shifted her head to the side and saw Harry laying beside her, panting and looking dazed. His eyes fell on her and he smiled, shifting over and crawling closer. He looked down at her, his eye glowing softly. "Sorry... didn't know it'd be quite that dramatic... I would have warned you..."

"Was... was that...?"

"My name." He said with a little nod. "I live or die at your whim, my love. Do with me as you wish."

She opened her mouth, but was too overcome with emotion to utter a word as she realized the sheer enormity of the gift he had just given her. Instead, she pulled him down, kissing him passionately.

When the kiss finally ended a few minutes later, he smiled down at her. "Harry just had a very interesting idea of how we should commemorate this little occasion..." he said with a mischievous edge to his voice.

"Oh?" Delse asked with a chuckle, "Do tell..."

"I think I'd rather _show_ you..." He said, leaning down and kissing her again.

> > > > >

Vincent opened the door and led Lupin into the suite. The common room was rather dark, lit only by the fire in the fireplace.

"Thank you... Vincent, was it?" Lupin said as the elf stood to the side.

Vincent nodded his head, looking pleased that Lupin had bothered remembering his name.

"Remus?"

Lupin looked up, spotting Narcissa on the couch near the fire. "Oh... I'm terribly sorry..." He looked back down at Vincent. "This appears to be the wrong room."

"No sir... my master is being very specific. This is being the right room." Vincent said, not sure what the problem was.

"But this is obviously Narcissa's room... it would hardly be appropriate..."

"No... that is being Mistress Black's room." Vincent said, pointing to the door that led into her bedroom. "That is being _your_ room." he said, pointing to the door leading to the suite's other bedroom. "Is you needing me to be getting the door for you, sir?"

Lupin looked from the door to Narcissa. Narcissa rolled her eyes. "Draco." She sighed, shaking her head and taking a drink from her glass.

Lupin looked back to Vincent, noting his longing gaze and followed it. Diamond was peeking out of Narcissa's bedroom door and grinning shyly at him, obviously having heard the voices. He cleared his throat, regaining Vincent's attention. "I really don't think these sleeping arrangement will be appropriate..."

"I is sorry sir, but Master is being adamant. He is saying this is being the only room available. You can be bringing it up with him in the morning... but... um... he is saying Vincent is off duty once you is being delivered... so..." He said, edging back towards the bedroom door.

Lupin sighed, then gave him a little smile. "Fine. Run along."

Vincent grinned, then scampered away, disappearing into the bedroom with Diamond.

"You might as well have a seat." Narcissa said, gazing at the fire.

"I'm sorry about this..." Lupin said, taking a seat next to her.

"It's none of your doing." She said, waving it off. "Draco gets things into his head and just runs with them. I'm the one who should be sorry... I go off and get drunk and make an arse of myself, and now you're probably going to end up getting hurt or worse, and all for nothing. Just my stupidity..." She said, dropping her eyes down, staring into her cup as she swirled it absently.

He sighed, reaching out and taking her hand. "Please don't, Narcissa." He said softly, "If anything happens to me, it'll be my own doing, not yours. I made my own decision, though I knew what it would probably mean. It's just taken twenty years to catch up with me."

She let out a little amused breath. "I doubt that was your decision either. Apparently I'm part Veela. My father raped some poor part Veela girl and stuck me in her belly, then stole me back once I was born. From the sound of it, I'd say it messed her up right nicely too."

Lupin looked pained. He let out a belabored sigh, "Be that as it may... your lineage had nothing to do with what happened between us. Veela have to purposely channel their energy to seduce... but... I had feelings for you long before you ever even noticed me..."

"Oh, I doubt that." She said, taking another sip from her glass. "I noticed you rather early on. Watched you quite a bit... though not when anyone was looking. You don't remember when we first met, do you?"

Lupin blinked, furrowing his brow. "The first time I saw you was on the train just before first year. You were sitting in a compartment alone. You were staring out the window and looking rather sad... I was thinking about joining you... but then I met _Lucius_. He shoved me into a wall, told me not to even look if I wanted to stay healthy, and he, Crabbe and Goyle took the other seats in the compartment with you. Wasn't a bad thing in the end though I suppose... I ended up sharing a compartment with the boys who would later become my dearest friends."

She looked over at him, giving him a little smile. "You have a good memory, but that's not what I meant. I meant the first time that it was just you and I... no one else."

He thought hard for a moment. "The first time I was _alone_ with you was in the forest that night during the new moon..."

"No... actually we'd already been alone plenty before that. That was just the first time you _remembered_ it. The _actual_ first time was about midway through fourth year. I went walking in the Forbidden forest after my father had visited and we'd had an argument. It was the full moon..."

"Oh Merlin..." He breathed, wincing and closing his eyes. "Did I hurt you?"

"Well... you did run me down, knock me to the ground and then stood over me, snarling."

"What stopped me? Sirius and James?"

She shook her head. "No... At the time I thought perhaps it was because you liked me. Girlish wishful thinking I suppose. It was most likely just the Veela blood. Veela are magical creatures... werewolves don't generally attack them. After a minute or two of snarling you calmed down a bit. I was half wishing you'd ripped my throat out. To tell the truth, that's why I went into the forest in the first place... in hopes that something would put me out of my misery. I'd been trying to convince my father to let me out of my contract with Lucius because he was already starting to be a possessive, evil little bastard. You can guess how that went. I was just laying there, crying... then you started licking away my tears. You laid down beside me and stayed with me. I don't know how, but I knew who you were the minute you looked into my eyes, even in werewolf form."

His eyes widened. "You knew about my... condition? Even back then?"

"Of course I did." She said dismissingly. "I mean Sirius was my cousin! Not that he said anything, but I just listened more when he was around, and you and your little friends weren't always that discrete." a reminiscent smile slipped over her lips. "That was the first night of many we spent together. I sometimes think that you're the only reason I survived that wretched time."

"But... how? I mean I never traveled alone on the grounds. I always had the others with me to keep me from attacking people. If they couldn't be with me, I was locked up in the Shrieking Shack... and none of them ever knew about us."

She gave him a little smile. "James knew. He found you first that night. He headed off the others and made excuses... later he showed me how to get past the Whomping Willow. Said it was safer than laying around in the forest. James would tell me when they weren't going to be able to be with you and I'd see you every couple of months or so after that, right up until that night... I couldn't risk it after that. Lucius was watching me like a hawk, trying to figure out who you were."

Lupin was stunned. James had never breathed a word. "So... you would just come to the Shrieking Shack and... and... what?"

Her cheeks tinged with embarrassment. "I'd just sleep with you mostly. My being there calmed you down... and I found your presence very comforting. You were really quite affectionate." She took another drink, then nearly choked on it as she laughed when she caught sight of the reluctant, yet curious look on his face. She managed to swallow the sip down, followed by a couple of coughs and a smirk. "That night in the clearing was the first time you'd ever touched me like _that_... I'm not into bestiality! The nights I spent with you during full moons were purely platonic." A little smirk slipped over her lips. "Of course I did get to see you naked a few times when I overslept... I must admit I was sorely tempted to let you wake up and find me there... I mean waking up with a young man spooned up against me with his arms around me... naked as the day he was born and... well... you know how men tend to get in the morning..." She said with a mischievous grin.

Lupin blushed bright red.

"After our first meeting in the woods, I'd always known I wanted you to be my first... I just... I knew you'd be considerate and loving... but I was so frightened of what Lucius would do if he found out. That night in the clearing... I knew he would finish what he started soon... and you were there... and you had your arms around me... and it felt so... _right_... I knew I was risking your life... I just... I was selfish. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I wouldn't trade that night for anything." he said softly.

She sighed, "Well, enough embarrassing you for tonight I suppose. You're probably pretty done in."

"Actually... I'm feeling rather awake." Lupin said, furrowing his brow, "It's curious... I'm usually wretchedly tired... and I was just a bit ago in fact..." He shook his head in puzzlement. "I really must ask Draco if he's been altering the potion."

Narcissa sat up a bit straighter. "Potion?"

"Yes... well I have to take a potion if I am to control myself during the full moon. That wasn't an option back when I was attending school, or they wouldn't have needed the Shrieking Shack... With the potion I still change, but I retain my mind so I'm safe to be around."

"And Draco gave you this potion?"

"Yes... apparently he's been making my potion for a while now. He had one of the house elves fetch an extra batch he'd left at home..."

"And did you see him take this out of the container?"

"He put it in a goblet..."

She smiled. "Did you see it from the point it left the container until you drank it?"

"Well... actually his back was to me when he poured it into the goblet..." Lupin said, wondering where she was going with this.

"I see." Narcissa said thoughtfully. She leaned over, setting her glass on the coffee table, then picked up the centerpiece. It was a nice little arrangement of magically preserved flowers in a brass vase. She pulled out the flowers and tossed them on the table, then placed the empty vase in his hand.

"What is this for?" He asked curiously, looking over the vase.

"Just indulge me with a little test, won't you?" She asked with a smile.

"Um... very well... what exactly would you like me to do with this?"

"Just hold it..." She said softly.

He thought it was an awfully odd request, but then he noticed the way she was staring at him and found he wasn't worrying overmuch about the vase. She leaned slowly forward. His eyes slid shut as their lips met, his head spinning slightly as he found himself quickly deepening the kiss. She shifted closer, slipping one leg over to straddle his lap as their tongues caressed. He couldn't stifle the little moan of longing that escaped him as she shifted her hips a bit higher on his lap. He almost felt relieved when she finally let up, shifting back a bit and smiling at him. "Apples?" He asked with a little smile.

She rolled her eyes, "Hot cider. They went a little overboard on the cloves, but it's not too bad... and there weren't many choices. My bloody elf removed every last drop of liquor from the entire suite the minute she found out I was knocked up."

He smiled. "I'd say she cares about you. Alcohol really isn't good for babies."

Narcissa gave an amused sound, "I'm the one who raised her practically from a baby, and now she has somehow gotten it into her head that she's _my mother!_ Bloody nuisance really."

He chuckled. "Sounds like an elf I'd like to meet... but if she was the one in the other room, the introductions can wait. I suspect she's a bit busy right now."

A smile slipped over Narcissa's lips. "Aren't they adorable together? Vincent raised Blaise from a baby. Apparently he's a bit of an artist. My Diamond is an absolutely brilliant seamstress. She made all of the robes and the gown for the wedding. Too bad you weren't here. I think you'd look marvelous in a nice dark brown set of dress robes..." She said, trailing her fingers down his chest.

He cleared his throat and tried to get his thoughts back on track. "Are you going to tell me why I'm holding a vase?"

Narcissa glanced over at the vase and chuckled softly. "I was just checking..."

He looked over at it, then his eyes widened. The hard brass vase was now quite misshapen, molded to his grip.

"You're surprisingly trusting for someone who teaches Defense Against the Dark Arts." Narcissa said with obvious amusement, reaching over and prizing it out of his grip. She smirked, letting him get a better look at it, then deposited it back on the table.

"He... he slipped me some of that..."

"The essence. Apparently so. I wouldn't expect to get any sleep any time soon from what I've been told. At least it appears to be counteracting your usual tiredness."

"But... but why would he do that? Doesn't he realize what could happen if I don't get my potion tomorrow evening? I don't even want to think about it!"

"Well don't worry. From the sound of it, he has plenty of the potion, and I'm sure he was just trying to be helpful. I mean he put you in my suite... and I've acquired more than enough of that essence... he just wanted to make sure I didn't hurt you..."

"Why would he think you'd hurt me?"

Narcissa smiled. "I wouldn't _intend_ to..." she said with a hint of suggestiveness.

He quickly got the implication. He was acutely aware of the way she was still straddling him. "Um... you could have just asked me to squeeze the vase you know."

Her smile widened a bit. "I could have." She conceded, toying with one of the buttons on his shirt.

He sighed. "Narcissa..." He said sadly.

She pulled her hand away, looking into his eyes searchingly at the tone in his voice, "I'm sorry... I never even asked... are... are you seeing someone?"

He let out a little amused breath. "No."

She looked at him thoughtfully, then sighed. "Forgive me. I shouldn't have presumed you still felt the same way... I mean it was only one night for you, and twenty years ago at that..." she said, trying to keep the ache out of her voice as she shifted off of him, settling down morosely beside him once again.

He reached over and took her hand. "Narcissa... please... my feelings for you haven't changed, but I'm not young and foolish anymore. I realized what a risk I took with your life that night, and I swore to myself I'd never take a risk like that again. If I had bitten you..."

She was looking over at him, wide-eyed. "You've never... _been_ with anyone else?"

His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "It would be irresponsible for me to endanger innocent lives for my own pleasure. If I were to bite someone..." He said, shaking his head sadly.

"I don't care about that." Narcissa said seriously. "If you weren't listening at the hospital, they've learned how to prevent the curse from being passed on, and even if they couldn't prevent it, I don't care."

"Narcissa..." He sighed, "I don't think you understand what it's like to be a werewolf. I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Even if you could bear it yourself, think of your children."

"Do you want me to let you in on a little secret?" Narcissa asked softly.

He looked over at her curiously.

"The werewolf curse is only a _curse_ to the poor. It's sad, but it's the truth. The rich can afford specially trained healers and the potions like my son has been providing for you. There are even potions that counter the other side effects that make it so hard on the body, even to make the transformation itself virtually painless, but they are far beyond the means of most werewolves. There are actually a number of very prominent people in our society that are secretly 'cursed', but no one has a clue. I was able to spot one, but only because it was nearly the full moon, and I knew some of the more subtle signs from watching you. I actually spoke to him about it. He told me that to run as a werewolf during the full moon was the only time he ever felt truly free. He and a number of likewise 'cursed' friends even got together on the full moons and romped together on his private grounds. He _reveled_ in his monthly transformation. I think, given proper medical attention, even you could learn to appreciate it."

Lupin was stunned. He'd heard mention of such potions, but had assumed they were merely myth or, at best, theory. He'd never heard even the slightest hint that there were highly placed werewolves. When he thought about it, he decided he really should have guessed. Werewolves weren't exactly choosy about whom they bit after all, and he doubted that social standing ever crossed one's mind when attacking. Statistically, there had to be at least a couple in the 'upper crust'.

"Why don't we take a walk?" Narcissa asked, getting up and crossing over to her robe that lay across the back of a chair.

"A walk?" He asked, the suggestion jarring him out of his musings.

She slipped on her robe, then turned to him. "Well, neither of us are tired, and your leg appears to have improved a great deal since I last saw you, so why not?"

He smiled and got up. "That was the demon's doing actually. He said it was a Christmas present. That's got to be one of the best presents I've ever gotten. It's been _ages_ since I could walk without pain. I'd love to go for a walk with you." He said, offering her his arm. "Where would you like to go?"

"Oh I just thought I'd show you the hall they did up for the wedding. The twins' work for the most part. It's quite lovely." Narcissa said, leaving Lupin wondering at the mischievous glint in her eye as she led him out of the suite.

> > > > >

"Think of it as an extension of self. You must bend your energies to your will and focus them. It can be vexing in the beginning, but it does get easier once you get the hang of it. Once you've got it, I assure you, it will be more than worth the effort." Balthys said with a smirk, leaning back in his chair a bit more, his feet propped up casually on the coffee table.

Forester let out a little groan. "It's kinda difficult keeping focused under the circumstances..."

Forester and Tonks were on the couch. She had doffed her top (her own idea) and of course was without a bra as usual, considering she had yet to find one that could keep up with her ever changing shape. Forester was currently laying on top of her. He was fully dressed still, but the way she had her knees up to either side of him so that his body was nestled between her legs was distracting enough... not to mention the additional distraction of having her warm bare breasts right up against him.

"You have to learn how to handle the distractions." Balthys said, looking amused, "Just remember the cardinal rule: the woman always comes first." Forester looked over at his father with a bemused look on his face. "And yes, I'm well aware that statement has a double meaning. _Both_ hold true." Balthys said with a smirk.

"Ya! So focus, boy!" Tonks chided mirthfully.

Forester rolled his eyes at her, then leaned his head down, darting his tongue out and traced the curve of her breast, his slightly pointed tongue brushing her skin teasingly light. She shivered.

"Once you get better you will be able to move on to only having to use a brush of your lips, then once you get _really_ good, you won't require physical contact at all. I still require breath to deliver pleasure... but according to my mother, my father could do amazing things with a mere glance while a good meter from her if he so desired. I can only aspire to get that good some day. That may seem a long ways off for someone of your age, but trust me, very few women will object to the use of the tongue."

Tonks gave a little sound of agreement as Forester traced the smoothly flowing abstract celtic tattoo she'd sketched across the swells of her breasts and trailing on up over her collar bones.

"Well, Tonks. How would you assess his efforts so far?" Balthys asked seriously.

"Not bad..." Tonks gave a little sigh, "Feels really good actually..." She said, her eyes closed, a blissful smile on her lips.

Balthys gave a little amused sound. "Good rule of thumb for you, son. If the woman can still string together a coherent sentence, you aren't concentrating hard enough."

Forester let out a little snort of amusement, then redoubled his efforts, trailing his tongue along until it was circling her nipple. He settled on the nipple, closing his lips over it and probing it intently with his tongue. Tonks let out a shuddering breath, reaching up and grabbed ahold of his hair, pressing him closer and moaning as her hips thrust up against him.

"I think you're getting the hang of it now. Oh, and that's another good note: Never cut your hair so much they can't get a firm grip on it. Females tend to like doing that. Hell, men do too on occasion for that matter. That's mostly just if you're going down on them though."

Forester released Tonks' breast, looking over at his father in surprise.

"What?" Balthys asked, noting the shock on his face.

"Um... are you speaking _hypothetically_...?" Forester asked hesitantly.

Balthys blinked, obviously a bit puzzled by his son's reaction. "No." A smile broke over his face. "I see the books don't cover the mixed blood offspring of incubi. Statistically speaking, those with a quarter or more of incubus blood have about a ninety percent chance of being bisexual to some degree... of the others, a few tend to be purely homosexual, though those are extremely rare considering how strong our desire to reproduce is. The percentage tapers down the less blood you have, but rather slowly. Most species of pure incubi/succubi actually chose their gender at will to fit the desires of their current lovers, so it just goes to figure that even though we are trapped in a body who's gender can't change, we still desire both when seeking lovers. Oddly, mixed blood _succubi_ rarely tend towards other females... I think it has to do more with their even stronger reproductive drive and the lure of masculine partners... they tend to desire to either dominate males or be dominated by them. Much the same as incubi really. I tend rather heavily towards women myself, but that doesn't mean I've ignored my genetic propensity entirely for the past five hundred years."

Forester looked rather stunned, but thoughtful as well.

"It explains some things, doesn't it?" Balthys asked softly.

Forester looked up at him sharply, then quickly darted his eyes away, his cheeks coloring. He looked up at Tonks, his eyes falling on the egyptian style eye 'makeup' and his blush deepened a bit more.

"Well, back on task." Balthys said, moving away from the obviously uncomfortable subject. "I'd say you have the basics of using your tail down..." Balthys said with a knowing smile, making them both blush with embarrassment. Obviously he'd been paying attention after all. "But you do have other implements of pleasure you might not even realize yet..." He held up his hand and his short, yet very sharp looking talons sprang out. Their eyes went wide.

"I don't want to hurt her!" Forester said quickly.

Balthys chuckled. "Unlike most other demons, our talons will not rend flesh unless we have a very strong desire to use them as weapons. Even our fangs won't damage flesh unless we want them to. Watch." He bit his finger firmly. Much to their surprise, when he released it, they could see the light pink impression of his teeth on the finger, but there was no marks where his fangs had appeared to penetrate the skin. Forester decided he should have known that. He'd never accidentally bit his lip before after all, and he'd barely been able to make his talons do much, but he'd thought that it was just because he was only a quarter blood and couldn't solidify them properly. Balthys then flicked his talons out and dug them into his own arm. When he retracted them, the skin was whole and unblemished. "Go ahead. Focus your desire on giving her pleasure and claw your little girlfriend."

Forester looked at Tonks and they eyed eachother uncertainly. Tonks didn't object as Forester hesitantly flicked out a talon. He lowered it to her tender belly. He held it there nervously, then looked over at his father again.

"Trust me, Forester." Balthys said seriously.

Forester took a deep breath, then sank his talon in her. Tonks' eyes shot wide, her mouth dropping open as her breath caught in her throat. He quickly yanked it back out, afraid he'd hurt her. She let out a little strangled cry, then her arms whipped around him, pulling him to her so fast it felt like his head probably bruised her breast bone. Her legs squeezed his side almost painfully as her hips jerked up against him. After a tense moment, she eased up on him a bit, her eyes shutting as she shivered against him. He looked over at his father questioningly.

"It would probably be best to avoid stimulating the uterus directly in the future. The optimal place to use your talons is on the _upper back_." Balthys said, obviously amused.

"You coulda mentioned that earlier."

Balthys chuckled. "Yes, but then you wouldn't have known _why_. Go ahead, claw her back. Talon tips only at first."

Forester grumbled, looking Tonks over worriedly. Her eyes were still closed, her breath a bit faster than normal. "I dunno." He said with serious trepidation.

Tonks seized his arms, lifting up some and shoving them around behind her. "He said to claw me, boy!" She said, grinning wickedly as her eyes opened again.

He grinned, relieved she seemed ok. He shifted around, placing his hands up near her shoulders, then pressed the palms of his hands to her warm skin. He slowly slid his talons out, their cat-like curvature bringing the tips up against her skin. He pressed them in just a bit, then started slowly running them down her back. She cried out loudly, her back arching as she clutched him to her once again, her legs wrapping around him just above his tail, her hips grinding against him in a way that made his head spin with desire. He couldn't help but kiss her. She kissed him back without hesitation.

"Just so you know... do that at just the right time and it's not too unusual for the woman to pass out. Didn't want you to be too surprised if it happened." Balthys said, getting to his feet. "Well, I think that's enough instruction for one day. Why don't you two go over what we've learned today, then once you feel you have it down you can make your way back to the kitchen and see if there's any food left. Just make sure not to wear yourselves out too much... from what I've seen going through the heads of that wraith and his little playmates, I believe they're planning a study session tonight." He said mirthfully.

Forester let out a little snicker, then went back to kissing Tonks. He broke the kiss and looked over in surprise as his father pulled his arm out from under Tonks. He felt cool metal sliding onto his ring finger. When his father released his hand, Forester pulled it over, looking at it. There was a broad, silver band on his finger covered in tiny, intricate runes. He looked up at his father questioningly.

"We're a particularly _prolific_ lot. Their contraceptive spells rarely work on us. Do me a favor and keep that on. Oh, and Tonks... just so you know, he's going to bite you. It's just something that happens naturally, but don't worry. You _want_ him to bite you."

Forester rolled his eyes. "I can control myself!"

Balthys smirked. "Ok, son." He said in an obviously humoring tone. He walked to the door, then paused, looking back, "Oh, and make very sure that boy Ron knows the cardinal rule, won't you?"

Forester blushed, but Tonks quickly nodded. "We'll tell him." She said, trying to unfasten the buttons on the back of Forester's t-shirt.

She let out a blissful sigh as the door closed behind Balthys. "Alone at last..." She said, pulling off his shirt. Her eyes fell on the cross shaped scar that stood out prominently against his pale skin, then were drawn down to his stomach. He had a tattoo on his stomach. It was only about three inches tall at its widest point, but ran in an arch all the way from one side to the other. It was very simple, but with a graceful and highly stylized look to it. The lines were as wide as her pinky nail in places, tapering down to nothing in smooth, fluid swaths like chinese calligraphy. She had to grin. "Guess I'm not the only one who likes decorating themselves. How'd you get a tattoo on an island?"

He gave a little embarrassed smile. "I got it before I went to the island actually. A present for my eighth birthday. Well, around when I figured my birthday was anyway. It's a wizard made Tattoo... it didn't hurt or anything..."

He shivered as she ran her fingertips over it. She let out a little groan and grabbed ahold of his pants, quickly unfastening them. He reached around back and she heard him undo a snap. When she pulled down his pants, she gave a little snicker. Before she had thought perhaps his skivvies were home made... understandable considering his anatomy, but now she realized he was actually wearing slightly oversized flannel boxers... backwards. He blushed brightly.

She got up, working her pants off. "Don't feel bad. If these aren't passion-killers, I don't know what are!" She said, showing him her plain cotton knickers. They were hanging on her a bit right now, being made to fit the largest size hips that would fit in her pants just in case.

He stared at them, looking a bit dazed. He shifted around to sit before her and slowly reached out, putting his hands on her waist above the knickers, then ever so slowly brushed his hands down over the swell of her hips, gently pushing them down. Once down past her hips, they slid down to the ground on their own. He ran his hand over her flat stomach, gently fingering the tiny silver ring dangling from the piercing in her bellybutton. He then brushed his hands around, running them over her firm bum.

It was almost as fascinating just watching his reactions during his exploration as it seemed to be for him to do the exploring. When he looked up into her eyes, it finally and truly hit home that this boy had never even laid his hands on a woman before... a pure innocent. For the first time, she felt reluctant. She'd never been anyone's first before. She was almost afraid she would do something stupid and mess it up for him. She knew how important the first time was... something he would always remember... some say it deeply affected the person's whole idea of what sex meant and even how and with whom they had sex in the future... she found that thought very intimidating. Sure, they'd played under the table already... but this was entirely different, and they could both feel that.

He got up, then just stood there, watching her with a hint of worry flickering through his eyes. She knew he could sense her reluctance. Well, making him feel unwanted or undesirable was probably worse than anything she could mess up while shagging him, so she decided to try to put her worries out of her mind and just do her best to show this boy an amazing shag. She shifted forward, wrapping her arms around him, letting her own hands do some exploring. She felt around his wings, feeling the strong muscles where they connected to his back near his shoulder blades. He let out a little moan, slipping his arms around her and pulling her close. She let her hands drift down, coming to rest on his bum and giving it a light squeeze through the flannel. He groaned, pressing his hips up against her and letting her feel just how interested he was. She quickly decided she'd had enough fondling.

She started working his boxers off, but he took over, having to work his tail out first so he could pull them down with the additional pressure in the front. Once he was free of the boxers, she couldn't help but touch him. She'd known he was big... it's pretty much expected with incubi... but he was even bigger than she'd thought. She had pushed his pants and boxers down when she went under the table, but apparently she hadn't gotten as much of his length out of his pants as she'd thought. It made her loins ache with longing when he twitched in her hand.

She released him, laying herself down on the couch and smiling at him invitingly. It was his first time, so he should really be the one who was on the top, setting the pace. He looked almost terrified, but he got onto the couch, kneeling between her legs, then shifting around rather awkwardly, trying to figure out how he was supposed to be positioned. She smiled and helped him, scootching under him a bit better.

He didn't enter her right away, but instead lay on top of her, his length rubbing against her as he settled down, kissing her hungrily as he rubbed up against her. It was exquisite torture for her, feeling him pressed so firmly against her but being unable to get him inside her. He dropped his head down some, kissing and licking at the side of her throat as his tail coiled around her waist. She led out a little trill, pressing up against him as the warm, plaint tip slipped down between them and started rubbing her. She felt his talons lightly graze her back and arched up against him, shuddering with pleasure. After another couple of minutes of this, her body was screaming for action. "Don't make me beg..." she implored piteously.

He flashed her a little smile, blushing. "Sorry... it's just... I... I've never... and... I'm afraid I won't be able to last long... I don't want to disappoint you..." he said softly.

She let out a moan, pressing up against him. That was about the sweetest thing anybody had ever said to her. He hadn't even shagged her yet, and he was already the most considerate lover she'd ever had. Most of the one's she'd had in the past had hardly gone out of their way to make sure she enjoyed it. Not that she _hadn't_ enjoyed it... she just found it touching that it actually seemed to be a concern for this one. "Tell you what..." She said softly, "This being your first time, I want you to just make sure _you_ enjoy it. Don't spend the whole time worrying about me. If it makes you feel good, trust me, it'll make me feel good too."

He gave her a little smile, but still seemed hesitant. She decided she was going to have to take the initiative. She wriggled around until she felt him slide into place. He felt it, his hips jerking forward instinctively. He groaned, his tail tightening around her waist and pulling her closer as he immediately started thrusting into her fervently.

His tail had been fun, but it was nothing in comparison to the feel of him on top of her, taking her so passionately. His tail half uncoiled from her waist, slipping down, the end wrapping around her thigh, pulling it up out of the way to free his movement up a bit as he strove to drive himself deeper into her. She started losing track of the pleasured sounds escaping her mouth. It felt like she was tangled up in him... his tail shifted around, holding on to her wherever he needed it... his half unfurled wings brushing her legs tantalizingly with his movements... his lips and tongue exploring her neck... his arms around her, holding her firmly, his talons sending tremors of pleasure through her as he struggled for purchase to keep his own ardent thrusts from dislodging her from his grasp.

It was indeed no more that a couple of minutes before she heard the slight change in his breathing that told her he was almost there, but by that point she wasn't sure she could handle it much longer. The pleasure within her had built up to an almost excruciating level, from which by all rights she should have already peaked at least a time or two, but for some reason she wasn't quite able to go over the edge. Suddenly he tensed, driving himself in to the hilt. She felt a rush of air as his wings shot out as heat flooded her, followed almost instantly by fangs sinking into the side of her neck. She jerked up against him and cried out, her peak finally crashed over her as a wild torrent of unbridled ecstasy rocketed through her.

The world became a blurry haze of pleasure and warmth for a bit after that. She didn't lose consciousness, but it was a close thing. When her mind finally gathered itself once again, she smiled as he nuzzled up against her. He was still pretty much wrapped around her, though his grip had loosened considerably. His wings were draped over them like a blanket so that he enveloped her almost completely.

He kissed his way up the side of her neck, then over to her lips, lingering there. After a few moments of tender snogging, he lifted his head a bit, smiling down at her a bit bashfully. "Told you I wouldn't last long. Sorry." he said apologetically.

She blinked at him incredulously. "You're shitting me, right?" She asked with a giggle. "If you'd have kept that up much longer I think you woulda ruined me for other men! Bloody Hell... that was amazing!" She ardently.

He grinned, obviously pleased with her reaction. "Sorry about the bite... I just couldn't help myself..."

She groaned as she remembered the feel of it. "No... that was brilliant! Bite me all you like..." She said, nuzzling up against him.

He let out a contented sigh, shifting his head down and going back to gently kissing her neck as he lay there atop her, holding her.

After a minute, Tonks started wondering what he was doing. By now, guys had usually gotten off her and either dressed and left or gone to get cleaned up or something... and yet still he lay there. After another couple of minutes of him still not getting up, it suddenly dawned on her that he wasn't planning to any time soon. Her mind boggled as it suddenly occurred to her how sad and pathetic it was that such a thing should surprise her. When she thought about it, she realized that never _once_ had a man just laid there with her after sex.

He lifted his head, feeling the slight tension in her body as these thoughts ran through her head. "What's wrong?"

She blushed brightly. What was she supposed to say? 'I'm just used to a bit of cheap, meaningless sex with guys who get up and leave the minute they're done and this actual affection type thing is freaking me out'? She quickly decided that was not something she wanted to admit. "It... it's nothing... I was just.. forget it." She stammered, embarrassed.

He seemed to pick up on the fact that his continued presence was the source of this unease. He smirked and it was obvious that his confidence was returning in full force now that the awkward part was over. "Sorry... I really should have covered this beforehand... see it goes like this: we fuck, I get to cuddle. I'm afraid that's the rule. Deal with it."

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NOTE: update on the contest - well, no results as of yet that I've seen, but I do believe you can still vote for your favorite fanfic if you haven't yet. The site is awards dot magicaltheory dot com. And, once again, if you chose to vote for me (no pressure. Really. ;) ) then just scroll down a bit. It's _under_ the vote button for some reason.

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A/N - Well, finally got through that. There still a bit to this night, as I'm sure you can tell, but we'll get through it eventually. I wanted to have another scene or two in this chapter, but with time restraints the way they are, I figured you'd rather I get another chapter out there instead of torturing you longer. I don't even want to go into the crap in my life. Let's suffice it to say my car is on it's way to spare parts and I'm gonna have to get another ancient vehicle and pray it's better cause I can't afford jack, but if I don't get another vehicle I lose my job, become homeless, etc. etc., so I'm gonna have to get another ancient crap car (an '87!). Oh well. Wish me luck. Oh, and for those rabid Lupin fans out there, I just saw a decent movie (from the video store, I think it's from like '99, but it's on DVD) with the guy who played Lupin (David Thewlis I believe his name is) as the main character. It's called "Divorcing Jack" and was like a BBC movie or something set in Ireland. He's got plenty of faults (like he's a real lush) but he's got a bit of that sweetness as well (and he doesn't have to mellow down that adorable accent because it's set in Ireland!). For instance, he loves his wife without question. Doesn't keep him from getting into a bit of _trouble_, but he still loves her. I just wish she appeared to warrant such devotion (I spent the whole time wanting to smack her ;P). He gets beat up an awful lot though. Oh, and the guy who played Lucius makes an appearance (from about 2/3 the way through) as one of the 'bad guys' though it's hard to figure out who the 'bad guy' really is (it being a bit of a mystery so you don't know who did what until the end). He plays a character that reminds me so much of Lucius. Sexy... homicidal... arrogant and completely sure of his own infallibility. He's an odd mix. He has emotions and attachments and a sense of fairness, but has absolutely no moral compunctions against killing people and such. He had very short black hair, which I found disconcerting, but he was still shaggable. Very.

Sunflour - Blaise hasn't touched Ginny yet. She touched Draco while Blaise was holding him, but she never actually touched Blaise. Blaise is trying to avoid touching people that need 'fixed' until he has a chance to recoup.

Lulabear222 - (deep sigh) ok, I knew this was coming... the Black family tree... For simplicity, Narcissa's father and his wife will be referred to as Mr. & Mrs. Black. Ok... so Narcissa is the daughter of Mr. Black and Eryn Delovo, by way of molestation. Eryn later met Balthys, they married (making Balthys Narcissa's step-father) and had Carys, Forester and Celestial, so those would be Narcissa's half-siblings (And therefore Draco's aunts and uncle) through their mother Eryn. Mr. & Mrs. Black also had two other daughters, who would therefore be Narcissa's half sisters on her father's side: Bellatrix (the family psycho) later married Rodolphus Lestrange and became Bellatrix Lestrange. If you don't know who those two are, you need to read book 5 again :P The other sister was Andromeda (Sirius' favorite cousin) who married the Muggleborn Ted Tonks (getting her disowned of course which is why Tonks isn't rich), and they had Nymphadora. That cover it? ;)

kittybro - It may be odd for us to consider asking your father how to do stuff like that, but you have to remember that they are _incubi_... sex is in their nature. Not to mention... I mean hell, if someone really knew how to do that, you honestly telling me you wouldn't ask how just because it made you feel a little bit awkward? ;P

lady lorethei - Actually, I'm in the market for a good genealogy program so I can keep it straight because any attempt at a hardcopy I make looks like spaghetti and ends up useless. Well, it's not too bad at the moment, but once they start reproducing, it just gets impossible. I tried one program but it was cheap and was completely useless in the end because it can't establish relationships between existing files. I mean like if two brothers married two sisters it wouldn't establish the relationships properly (not that that's an issue here, but it's a simple example). I think it had to do with Blaise... he fathered one child with Narcissa, her other child being Draco who married Ginny who's brother fathered a child with Pansy who also had a child by Blaise... it formed a loop and the program refused to allow it. If it balked at _that_, I might as well give up now! ;P

elka78 - I can't expect everyone to get it I suppose. Ok, from the top, the others were not 'done', at least not with eating. Note Balthys saying dinner was getting cold. They stopped fooling around under the table because Ron's dad came in. Balthys, Forester and Tonks just found something more interesting than eating to do. Nobody else got up and left, now did they? Next... I think everyone is smart enough to clue in on what Balthys might be wanting to teach him considering what he just did to Bazentine, what he _is _and the reference to most of it being instinctual. For incubi, instinct usually leads one place ;) Balthys never lowered his voice, so at least his side of the conversation was perfectly audible. I also suspect Tonks was paying attention to them and more likely to have overheard Forester as well. Ok, about the fantasies... I never said they had to be like 'scenes' or anything (I see you guys out there picturing whips and such. Naughty, naughty! (smirks))... I'm just saying... I mean come on, if you see someone you'd just love to shag, are you telling me you never 'fantasize' about like tossing them on the couch and shagging their brains out or something? Or imagining they would come over and just rip your clothes off or you look at their body and imagine running your hands over it... just little things like that. Next time you find yourself in the company of someone you'd like nothing better than to shag, pay attention to your thoughts (especially if they are coming on to you as well). Now imagine that that person can see\hear every one of those naughty little thoughts! The comment about "even ones you don't realize you had" was referring to the reason incubi were most hated... they have a particular fondness for shagging _guys_ that were firmly entrenched _in the closet_ so to speak. These guys were homophobes because they didn't want to admit they found men interesting, so when an incubi came along and fulfilled that particular deep dark fantasy they went on about how reprehensible and unspeakably evil it was that this creature would molest them in such a manner, even though they secretly wanted it. As for stealing sexual energy, that is mentioned quite frequently in different accounts of such encounters, but it is always referred to as being temporary. The worst I saw said the 'victims' felt tired and drained for several days afterwards... then again I've seen references to people who claim they were 'molested' every night like all night and it didn't mention them being drained. I figure it's optional. I mean for one thing, sexual energy is released during sex, obviously, so this could be why people say that... maybe they've just never had a good hard shag ;P Anyhow, my opinion is that it's up to the incubus/succuba. Oh, and lastly... I actually didn't _ask_ what people wanted to see as far as sequel or prequel. I merely mentioned that I had some ideas about a prequel (It would not, therefore, be Draco/Ginny of course since I've already shown the beginning of their relationship). If you can't figure out what previous incident I might want to write about, I'm not going to tell you. I'm sadistic that way ;P Sorry to say, I have absolutely no interest in writing a sequel. I believe I shall be taking this storyline just as far as I can with this story, and I've never liked stories set in the future with like the children of the characters. Having a couple of characters that are entirely mine is ok, but practically the entire cast of characters? Too wide open and very little to keep to 'canon'. I prefer the familiar 'universe' and rarely even read stuff that wanders too far from it. I believe in staying as true as possible to the source material. I generally skip anything that refers to 'alternate universe'. I like J.K.'s universe, thanks. Ok, with minor alterations, but still... :)

Morena Evensong - The reason Balthys had the upper hand on Bazentine wasn't just because she was only half blood, nor was it simply because he was happily married. I mean she did nothing for Forester and he was not only a single, horny teenage boy, but also only one _quarter_ incubus. Veela can 'vamp' and pretty much control men... Incubi\Succubi aren't as limited :) Their powers of seduction are effective despite the gender of the one they are seducing. They are also demonic in nature (which I believe would surpass simple 'magical creature' status), and have the ability to pleasure their chosen lovers beyond probably what any other creature is capable of. Nothing I've seen about Veela said anything about them being particularly great in bed. I mean the guy would be entranced by their wiles, so even if they were a lousy lay the guy would probably think it was great. Veela's powers have always struck me as superficial, like sirens... they just use it to get their way. Incubi also have a great many more powers than I've seen mentioned for Veela. Overall, I think they are far more powerful.

Amelie D. - ;)

OHsnap - some things to consider about the lack of 'romance' between Forester and Tonks... First and foremost, he has barely had any contact with _anyone_ his entire life... social interactions are not exactly second nature to him. Sex is in his nature and something he can understand on an intellectual level... romance is a whole other creature. Who is _naturally_ romantic? I mean be honest, a great deal of what makes someone romantic is learned behavior. A 'romantic' is created by either growing up around people who are romantic, or taking the effort to learn it by studying the opposite sex (or whomever they are interested in!) and learning to understand them and know what will make them happy and making the effort to meet those needs. I doubt he gleaned much about romance from what a child would watch on American tv. I mean he was seven last time he watched tv, got to spend only a few months with any real interaction with other people, then became a hermit on a little island. Silver and his little group probably had at least a couple of members in relationships, but even if they were incredibly romantic role models for him, it was a very short time frame for him to observe them, and I doubt they would have been trying to actively educate him since he was only a little kid. Not a lot to work with there. He's young, and I daresay he has the desire to please, so I imagine he'll learn in time. Second reason for the lack of a smoldering romance... in my mind, I don't see Tonks as someone who's had very deep relationships before (as you might have been able to tell from the chapter). I just don't see her as being emotionally ready for it, despite her being in her twenties. From Draco's comments we can assume she isn't overly discriminate in whom she shares a bed with, and I don't know many men who would be able to handle a woman who constantly changed so radically anyway. I know most guys are probably saying "you're nuts! I'd give anything to have a girl who could turn into anyone I wanted to shag!" ok, yes that would be cool... but consider that you'd never even know something as basic as what she _looked like_! There would be no mental image for you to associate with her and I think that lack of consistency would become disconcerting. Any man who wanted a _serious_ relationship with her would have to put some effort into it, and I just don't think anyone's ever taken the time before. Anyhow, just saying I don't think either of them have really experienced romance before.

Mealias - Good question. Meant to address that actually but forgot I guess. Pax can of course take or simply view memories by inserting his talons into the person's mind. This isn't a talent that Incubi usually have (Their talent for seeing fantasies is merely 'overhearing' the sexually charged thoughts of those around them), but they have a closer link with other demons, and were therefor able to 'watch' the memory by linking with Pax using their own talons. As for healing Harry, Harry and Pax have the same body, so he would have _had_ to heal Harry as well when he fixed up Pax. He couldn't have left him half done if he'd _wanted_ to. The whole obsessive compulsive thing. As for Ginny, as I believe I've already noted somewhere up above, Blaise hasn't touched her yet, so hasn't had to heal her yet.

anata oka-san - (laughs) not realistic, eh? And the rest _was_? Ok, ok... as for Forester and Tonks being quiet... Forester has been keeping himself inside his little shell all his life... I think he could manage to stay quiet. As for Tonks... that was what the Sanctuary spell Draco cast was for. It has a built in silencing spell. She could have been screaming her head off for all they knew. Ok, next... Kulia knew Eryn (Balthys' wife and Narcissa's mother) because Eryn was the girl that she had as an apprentice that Narcissa's father molested and thus we have Narcissa. As for Kulia knowing Snape... they met at Hogwarts when she arrived all beat up, and the conversation Snape mentioned happened that morning in the kitchen. I didn't 'show' the conversation, but I did mention Snape was going over to talk to her when he left Draco. And on to the next question... I'm a girl. Well, woman technically (if you're going by physical age rather than emotional age that is!). My muse is a girl because... well, muses are girls. There was like nine of them that sprang out of some greek god's head and were his daughters, etc. etc... my muse isn't like a real solid person or anything. Just in my head ;) Kinda a metaphorical reference really, but I often think of her as a separate entity (because she can vanish so completely at will for one. How could _part_ of me do _that_?) And now a question for you... what the bloody hell is a lemon? I mean a lemon in reference to a story?

JustYourAverageReviewer - Well, as of this chapter, in _my_ copy that is, admittedly, more refined (a bit better edited, etc.) that I plan to use to replace the current chapters when I finish this and get time, there are currently almost precisely 730 pages single spaced, half inch margin all around, size 12 font Comic Sans. That is without any Author's Notes, just straight text. In case you're curious, my actual word count (minus A/Ns, etc.) is roughly (because I don't know how it counts dividers, etc.) 424,937 words.


	72. Chapter 72

A/N - adult stuff near end. Like you couldn't guess.

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Chapter 72

Draco leaned back as a house elf cleared his plate. He watched the house elves as they magically cleaned the dinnerware, stacking it neatly on the side counters. It hadn't passed his notice that none had even attempted to go into the kitchen since Harry had entered it. Somehow he doubted it was just their dislike for the demon.

"Draco..." Balthys said, his voice low and unobtrusive. He had returned quite a while before and pulled up another chair on the other side of Celestial without comment since Bazentine was still laying claim to his old seat.

He looked at him curiously. "Ya?"

Balthys glanced around, making sure no one else was paying any attention to the conversation, then asked casually, "I was just wondering... is your grandfather still alive?"

Draco carefully tried to hide his smile. He was wondering when he'd ask about that. "No... he died when I was about four."

"Oh." Balthys said with a nod, carefully trying to hide his disappointment.

Draco couldn't hide the smirk that slipped over his lips. It was blatantly apparent how much Balthys would have dearly loved to pay back dear old grandpa Black for what he'd done. "If it helps, he died a slow, painful death. He was afflicted with a necrotic curse. He had more than his share of enemies, as you can imagine. Took him nearly two weeks to die. There was a cure, but he couldn't get the ingredients for it. Kulia flatly refused to ever get him anything for obvious reasons. Actually, my father had what he still needed laying around on his shelves, but it wouldn't have benefited him to hand them over so he never mentioned the fact. It would just be putting off mother's share of the inheritance. He might not have needed it, but that was no reason to go throwing away money in his opinion. Made more financial sense to just keep quiet. Mother didn't fight him on the subject."

A little smile slipped onto Balthys' lips and he settled back in his chair looking much happier.

Draco looked over, noting several house elves heading for the kitchen, looking as if they had been summoned. As they disappeared through the door, Harry emerged. Draco studied him as he sauntered over. He had a big smile on his face and looked thoroughly satisfied. When he reached Draco, he sat on the edge of the table next to him. Harry just sat there for a minute, watching Draco in silence, then reached out and poked him in the shoulder.

Draco furrowed his brow, wondering what he was playing at. After the third poke he'd had enough. "Cut it out!"

Harry grinned merrily, his eyes beginning to glow red as he poked him again.

Draco sighed. "You told her your name."

"Every last syllable." Pax purred.

Draco nodded, dropping his eyes. "I figured you had. I felt it when the bond was severed. It's funny... I never really felt it until it was gone." He sighed again. "Not that I ever really _wanted_ to bond another being to me, but..." He trailed off, unsure how to explain the sudden sense of loss he felt.

Pax's smile softened. He reached out, brushing his fingers down Draco's cheek. "I kinda miss you already too... but then again, you'll always be a part of me now. When a demon gives its full name, they are forever more what they were at that moment. I will always have a bit of you in me... _and_ a bit of Harry of course." A little mischievous smirk slipped over his lips, "In a way, I'm like yours and Harry's little demonic love child." he snickered.

Draco cringed in disgust at the thought, but shrugged it off, looked up at him searchingly. "And Potter... he's still..."

Pax chuckled. "Oh don't worry, he's just fine. He's just letting me take care of a few things, then we're going to take my lovely new mistress off to her room and show her the _full_ benefits of having a shadow demon lock, stock and barrel. Sorry about the wait for dessert, by the way... just giving her a little preview..." He said, wriggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"I see..." Draco said, noting Delse coming out of the kitchen and directing the house elves as they distributed the desserts around the table. She couldn't seem to keep a little smile off her lips, and she all but glowed with contentedness. "Well... I'm just glad you seem to have found a home for yourself. I hope you two... or _three_ rather, have a long, lovely life together."

Pax sighed blissfully. "I can only hope... of course even the briefest moment as her possession is enough to make it all worth it for me..."

Draco smiled, seeing the burning devotion in Pax's eyes as he gazed over at Delse. "Take care of her demon. Potter too if you feel like it. That's not an order of course... just a request from a friend."

Pax looked over at him with a warm smile. "A _friend_ would call me _Pax_. I'm really bloody tired of being called 'demon'."

Draco blinked, his eyes going wide.

Pax chuckled. "With shadow demons, the name only grants power over them the first time it is spoken aloud in its entirety in someone else's presence. Once I did that, I in effect handed over the leash. Nothing I, or anyone else, does will ever be able to take that power back now that it has been given. I could give you my full name right now without it doing a blessed thing. Of course I don't plan to... it's a bit embarrassing. I was rather _idealistic_ in my youth... which you could probably tell from 'Pax'..."

Draco smirked. "A demon named Peace..." He said, shaking his head.

"Yes, well I once knew a demon named 'Dainty Gossamer Butterfly of Venus', so stop looking at me like that. Least my name has a bit of dignity. Just a hint for future, very few of us are daft enough to name ourselves obvious shite like 'Bane the Vile Baby Killer' or something like that. Leave names like those for the goblins. Of course I did once meet a demon who called himself 'Eugene the Perfidious'. Now _he_ was an odd duck..."

"So how do you know the names of these other demons? Wouldn't that make you their master?" Draco asked

Pax gave a snort, "No. Shadow demons aren't considered 'people'. We can't belong to eachother. Even so, few would tell other demons their names, but some just like boasting about it so everyone will admire the ingeniousness of their chosen names... which generally means they aren't too bright considering our masters could ask us what their name is and we would have no choice but to tell them. Only our _own_ names are protected knowledge. Those are usually the demons who never see triple digits. Probably just had particularly daft masters when they told me. They certainly never got _my_ name! _No one_ has ever heard it. In fact, Delse was the first one to charm so much as a syllable out of me."

Draco opened his mouth to comment further, but Pax's attention had been drawn over to the door. Forester and Tonks had just reentered, both looking decidedly satiated. He didn't miss the way Forester's hand was casually resting on Tonks' opposite hip, Tonks' arm around his shoulders just above his wings, keeping them close as they walked. When they reached their seats, he could see Forester's tail slipping away from where it had been wrapped around her waist. He glanced over at Balthys. He was just smiling at Tonks and Forester knowingly.

Pax reached over and lightly swatted Draco's arm. Draco looked up, then followed his gaze as Pax nodded slightly in Delse's direction. Delse had knelt beside one of the elves, accepting something from it. Pax grinned, then leaned a bit closer. "This should be interesting..." he whispered mirthfully as Delse rose and walked over to where Blaise was seated.

Blaise quickly shifted away as she came up beside him. "Please don't touch, mother." He said quickly as she reached her hand out.

Delse rolled her eyes. "Fine." She said, dropping something on the table before him.

Blaise looked down. An old silver ring sat there before him. His face darkened. "I'm not wearing that." He said in a soft but determined voice.

Delse sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Oh yes you are! I don't care if it has his bloody crest on it, you're going to wear it. You don't like it, just go buy yourself a new one, but _until then_ you wear this one. Don't get me wrong, I want grandchildren... just not _all at once!_ Besides, I doubt Draco would appreciate you knocking up any of his other relatives!" She said, her eyes trailing across the table to Carys, then slipping over to Tonks. The girls looked at eachother and smirked.

"I'm not wearing it mother." Blaise said, folding his arms over his chest stubbornly. "I never let that bastard mark me with his bloody crest when he was alive, I'm sure as Hell not going to let him now that he's finally dead!"

Delse didn't get upset, she just smiled at him. "Very well, dear. You don't have to wear it. But until you have one of your own, I'm afraid I'm going to have to cast an impotency spell on you."

Blaise's eyes shot wide, darting up to her. She was smiling, but gave no indication that she was joking. "You can't!" He said in alarm, then his voice lowered and became pleading, "Mother... please don't make me wear that thing. You _know_ how I feel about it..."

"I'm sorry Blaise, but you really should have gotten yourself one years ago if you were so set against wearing this one."

Draco snapped his fingers at his elf without even looking. It scurried up. "Yes master?" It squeaked softly, not wanting to interrupt the conversation going on across the room.

Draco just held out his hand. The elf looked at it for a moment, obviously perplexed, then it brightened, digging in the pocket of its little outfit and pulled out the ring Draco had refused earlier, placing it in his hand. Draco stood, patting the elf's head as he brushed past him. The elf grinned.

Blaise, who had been glaring at the hateful crest gleaming innocently before him, looked up as Draco came around to his seat. Without a word, Draco took ahold of his wrist and pulled it closer. Blaise's eyes widened as Draco slipped the ring on his finger.

"One of the elves back at the manor found this and sent it along with the potion for Lupin, but it's not like I need it anymore." Draco said with a negligent shrug.

Blaise stared down at the ring incredulously. "You're giving me your ring?"

Draco smirked. "This doesn't mean we're engaged! I'm taken."

Blaise grinned, looking down at the Malfoy crest. "_This_ crest I can live with."

Draco gave a snort. "At least that makes one of us! Any time you want to switch crests and last names, just let me know! But remember that means you'd get my father!"

Blaise flinched back, "I'll just borrow the ring for now..." He said quickly, but with a grin playing over his lips.

"Thought as much." Draco said mirthfully. He glanced down at the unused ring, then over at Forester. Anticipating the suggestion, Forester held up his hand, the silver of the ring on his finger catching the candlelight. Draco looked over at Ron.

Ron caught the look as well, and shifted uneasily. "I'll stick to spells, thanks. I don't want to wear that if he hates it so much!"

Blaise grinned, leaning over and kissing Ron lovingly. When he settled back in his chair, he glanced around. "Well? Anyone want this thing? Up for grabs."

"I'll take it." Charlie said with a grin.

Blaise pulled out his wand and got the ring up on the end of it, then flicked it over to Charlie, not even wanting to touch it. Charlie caught it and slipped it on. It was a good thing that most good contraceptive rings had sizing spells on them, as Charlie's fingers were quite a bit thicker than Blaise's.

Blaise looked up at his mother, "Happy now?" he asked, holding up his hand so she could see the ring.

She folded her arms across her chest. "Just so long as that stays on your finger. I see you without it again any time soon and I'll have to use that spell, got it?"

"Yes mother." Blaise said in a exasperated voice.

She reached out to ruffle his hair, but Draco quickly caught her wrist. "He wasn't kidding about the touching. We really shouldn't get him back into wraith mode tonight. He needs rest."

She pulled her hand back, looking at her son with concern. "Are you ok?"

Blaise gave her a little smile. "I will be. The hospital just took a lot out of me. I'll probably be back to rights by morning. I'll fix you then, ok?"

She blinked. "Fix me?"

"I'll explain it to you later." Pax said, coming up behind her and slipping his arms around her. "For now, I believe it's time to call it a night." he purred softly, making her grin and blush.

"I... I have guests..." She said, having to try hard to concentrate on getting the words out while he nibbled on her neck.

Blaise grinned. "Run along, mother. Dinner's almost over and then I think we're all going to be heading off to bed."

She looked like she was going to object, but lost her train of thought. "Ok... night..." She murmured as Pax pressed up against her.

Pax chuckled, then reached into his pocket, fishing out a scrap of parchment and handing it to Draco. "There ya go."

"What's this?" Draco asked, accepting it.

"You once asked me what your father was up to... I couldn't answer you _then_..."

Draco's eyes widened and he quickly unfolded the parchment. He looked it over, his brow furrowing. "What does _this_ mean?"

Pax chuckled. "Didn't think I'd just hand it over on a silver platter, did you? I'm far too sadistic for that. Besides, I thought it'd give you more of a sense of accomplishment this way. If you still haven't gotten it by morning, I'll help you out, but you're a bright boy and I'm sure you won't need any more help from me than that. Night!"

Draco shook his head ruefully, looking back down at the parchment as Delse and Pax made their way out of the room.

"What's it say?" Blaise asked curiously.

Draco sighed, then read it aloud. "What you seek is three, not one. Two with which I am all too intimately familiar, the third I doubt you'd ever suspect. Together, these three have the potential to spawn a terror the like of which has never before been unleashed on mankind. You may not be graced with demonic heritage, but I trust you're bright enough to figure it out. Of course your father's mistake has tipped their hand and I'm sure Dumbledore has fathomed their plans by now anyway because of it. I just thought you might enjoy trying to work it out on your own."

"Three what?" Forester asked, obviously interested.

"Spells most likely." Draco said thoughtfully. He snapped his fingers to catch the attention of one of the elves. "Bring me my school bag from my room." He said, not even looking up from the parchment. Once the elf had scampered away on its task he went on. "My father and his precious 'Dark Lord' were most upset when Kulia stole back that elvish journal. I saw the conversation in a memory the... _Pax_ showed me. They felt it would give away their plans. I translated it into english..."

"Pax?" Blaise cut in curiously.

Draco gave a little smile, "That's the demon's name. Part of it at least. He just gave his full name to your mother, so he's apparently free now to tell us as well. He asked that we cut out the 'demon' shite. Seems after over seven hundred years of being called that, he's getting tired of it."

Blaise nodded, then patted him on the shoulder consolingly. "Don't worry. We'll take good care of him." He said solemnly, then he broke into a huge grin.

Draco snorted. "Good luck getting any 'play time' with him. I'll wager he's going to be pretty much inseparable from your mother now."

Blaise chuckled. "True, but she's gotta sleep sometime!"

Draco just rolled his eyes and shook his head, looking back down at the scrap of parchment in his hand. "_As I was saying_... I gave the translation to Dumbledore along with a list cross referencing it with a list of the potion ingredients father had ordered from her." He looked over as a breathless elf scampered in lugging his school bag. "That was fast. Thanks." Draco said absently, accepting the bag and looking through it. The elf grinned and hurried off back to its duties.

He pulled out the journal and the list of ingredients and set them aside, then pulled out his rough draft of the list of spells that matched the ingredients. He looked down the list as the others began gathering around. Blaise quickly backed off and made his way around to the other side of the table so he could be close but away from the gathering people.

"I can guess one right from the off." Snape said as his eyes combed the list, then pointed to one of the spells. "The binding spell you used on 'Pax' required four very rare ingredients that your father so kindly provided. In fact, there was a great quantity of those particular ingredients... probably enough there for at least twenty such spells."

Draco nodded, "But why would he need..." His eyes trailed down quickly and located another spell. "Oh bloody Hell..." He breathed.

"The subterranean blood orchid..." Kulia said in horror as she made the connection as well.

"Throw me a better clue than that." Blaise said in exasperation, craning to try to see the list in Draco's hand from across the table.

"He's planning on making more shadow demons." Draco said softly, feeling slightly sick to his stomach. "According to the journal, a single binding spell could bind up to a dozen shadow demons..."

"I told him I could only get the three ounces of orchid blossoms that was in the box I gave you... that's enough to make at least a _hundred_ demons, and he said he wanted more. He asked me to get him _half a kilo_... He said to give him that for now, but locate more as soon as possible... grow them myself if necessary." She said, settling down in the nearest chair and looking slightly faint. The twins stood to either side of her, touching her comfortingly and watching her worriedly.

"Is there anywhere else he could get it?" Draco asked urgently.

Kulia shook her head. "I truly doubt it. It was banned in eighteen seventy three. Follow up anti-demon legislation. To be found growing it or even in possession of it means an immediate one way ticket to Azkaban. They did their best to hunt down and destroy any natural sources as well. Did a pretty thorough job of it at that. I may very well be the last one who possesses it."

"Why would you risk carrying something that was so illegal and could be used to create _demons?_" Draco asked, surprised.

Kulia glowered at him. "Creating demons isn't its only use. Most of its uses are medicinal. It has amazing disease fighting properties as well as curse nullifying powers. I've kept a supply around because it's an ingredient in the only known cure for a sickness that decimated the snow elf population centuries ago. We once had a huge, thriving metropolis with our own government and everything. It was the pinnacle of our society. Unfortunately, we became too lax in our controls on our scientists... one felt the humans might someday pose a threat, challenging even our vastly superior magic and technology... he tried to create a weapon to destroy them if that day should come... a highly lethal virus... but through some error in his calculations, it wasn't _humans_ it killed. He unknowingly infected himself... left his lab for the night..." She shook her head sadly, "It was so virulent it spread to every man, woman and child in a single night and day. In the end, we had to destroy the entire island to stem its spread. _Thousands_ died. Over half of our population gone just like that. Only the snow elves that lived elsewhere survived... but it kept popping up... the dormant remains of the virus would drift around through the water and on the air currents and reactivate any time they came into contact with one of our kind. We managed to find the cure, and any who took it were thereafter immune to it, as were there descendants, but ever since my mother told me the tale when I was a child, I could never keep from worrying that the immunity may someday wear off, spread over too many generations..." Kulia trailed off, looking unsettled as she folded her arms over her belly protectively.

"Then why would you give your supply of it to my father?" Draco asked gently.

She gave him a little snort. "I still have nearly two kilos. I plant some every couple of decades to keep a fresh source. The seeds don't store nearly as well as the dried blossoms. Still, three ounces was all I was willing to part with, no matter how much your father offered. I did plant several seeds already, but I don't know if they'll germinate properly without me there to tend to them."

Draco looked down at the list thoughtfully. "Well at least it doesn't sound like he's likely to find more any time soon."

"You better hope no one else has a secret stash." Bazentine said from where she was leaning against the wall at the back of the little gathered group. "Because Dumbledore just made it legal to own and sell."

"What?" Draco asked, shocked.

"Weren't you listening?" she replied, rolling her eyes. "It's _medicinal_. Anyone who claims to have it for the sole purpose of preventing the spread of a disease or the like will have legal grounds to avoid prosecution. Hell, they could put it on the shelf at the apothecary shop and sell it right out in the open and be completely in accordance with the law so long as they label it for medicinal use only."

"Bloody Hell..." Draco muttered, then sighed, "Well lets just hope no one has any, and if they do, that they don't realize they can sell it..." He paused, a little smile slipping onto his lips. "Come to think of it... I think he made my entire greenhouse legal as well... even the nastiest plants often have at least some potential medicinal uses... remind me to thank him."

"How can I remind you of _that?_ I didn't hear a bloody thing. My employers don't sully their hands with illegal activities to my knowledge." She said blithely, examining her nails.

He just smirked, "Oh, that reminds me... put me on the Animagi registry, won't you? Wouldn't want that bloody Minister coming after me on that count."

She blinked, "You're an Animagi? When did this happen?"

"Technically, my first transformation was the night school let out. Didn't even have a clue I could change before that."

She furrowed her brow. Being an animagi wasn't usually something you just happened upon. "So what do you become?"

He grinned, looking around and realizing there were quite a number of people there who had never seen his other form. "Let me show you. Budge up and give me some room." He said, putting down the list. The ones who had already seen urged the others back, leaving him plenty of room. His form shimmered and changed. In just a moment, he was back in his pale thestral form. It had taken a bit more effort than usual with as tired as he was, but the change gave him no problems.

"Blimey." Hagrid said, beaming at him happily. "Would ya look at that!"

"Bloody Hell..." Tonks muttered.

Bazentine was looking around at the others, looking a bit puzzled. "What are you, a bug?" She asked.

He snorted with amusement. He'd gotten so used to being around the thestrals that he had all but forgotten that some people couldn't even see them. He stretched his head forward and nosed her arm. She jumped and let out a startled sound before she could reign herself in, blushing brightly as the others chuckled.

Celestial let out a little cooing sound as she worked her way close enough to see (having no trouble seeing him since she, herself, was mostly magical in nature). She hurried over and pressed her cheek against the soft fur on the side of his neck, her hands stroking his fur as she giggled. "Such a pretty flying horsey thingy." She cooed happily. She looked back at her father. "Can I ride him, daddy?" She asked pleadingly.

Balthys chuckled. "Maybe some other time. Come back over here and finish your desert. You need to be getting to bed soon."

She pouted, then gave Draco one last snuggle and hurried back to her seat.

Draco looked over as he felt a hand stroke down the other side of his neck. Christian was standing there, looking at him with obvious fascination. He noticed Draco looking and smiled, pulling his hand away. "Sorry. I know how irritating that is. It's just... I've always had a great fondness for thestrals. Been years since I last saw one. You have no idea how lucky you are to have such a strong Animagi form. You should see the ones some people get stuck with..." He said with a rueful smirk, his eyes still traveling over him.

Draco shifted back and smiled at him, then looked over at Bazentine, who was still looking a bit disconcerted. "If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a Thestral."

She straightened a bit, smoothing her blouse and trying to look unfazed. "I see. And your distinguishing markings?" She asked in a businesslike manner, pulling out a little notepad and quill.

"Well, my fur matches my hair. I'd say that's pretty distinguishing for a thestral."

"And his eyes are brown and gray mixed." Ginny added.

He looked at her in surprise, then over at Bazentine. "Ok, that too I guess. I've never really looked in a mirror when in that form, so I'll take her word for it."

"A platinum blonde Thestral with brown and gray eyes." She finished the note and tucked it away. "You have up to one month after your first full transformation to register, so I think I'll wait a further few weeks or so before filing. Fudge is just raring for something on you right now, and when he gets ahold of this I can pretty much guarantee a thestral slander campaign along with your name plastered all over the paper."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Kinda figured he'd do something like that." He glanced over and noticed that Forester wasn't even looking in his direction. As he shifted to the side a bit he saw that he had the journal in his hands and appeared to be pouring over it intently. He moved closer. "What's so interesting?"

Forester looked over, blinking in surprise at being addressed. "Hmm? Oh... I was just looking at this demon conjuring spell... this doesn't make sense..."

Draco furrowed his brow. "You can read elvish?"

Forester looked up at him irritably, then reached up and flicked his pointed ear. "These mean anything to you?"

Draco blushed slightly, "I didn't mean... it's just that from what I understand you were raised by a human and then pretty much lived on your own after that... I was just wondering how you learned to read elvish...?"

Forester sighed. "Father had all sorts of books... many of them were educational books... probably for his other kids... I taught myself. It's not that difficult."

"You taught yourself how to read it? Just from children's books?" Draco knew firsthand how very complex elvish was. He couldn't imagine anyone learning it without considerable help.

"Ya... how to read elvish, english, russian, german, simple latin and a smattering from other languages. Course I can only speak english and spanish for the most part. That's all they spoke on the tv. Knew how to read english, german and latin before I even went to the island. Mother was willing to get me books now and then if it kept me shut up. Mostly crap from the bargain bin, but at least she didn't shop at the Muggle places if she could avoid it. Haven't run across spanish books, but I think I could probably at least get the gist. After I got to the island it took me less that a week to find dad's storage unit and break into it. Not like I had a lot else to do. Hell I haven't even had a tv since mom abandoned me." He said distractedly as if it was perfectly normal, still examining the page before him. "This spell here... it binds the demon to whomever creates it automatically, so why would they need a separate binding spell?"

Draco leaned closer, reading over his shoulder. He was right. It said quite clearly that the conjurer would thereafter be the demon's master with complete control over the beast, even if he was not the eldest in his line. Only the separate binding spell used to _change_ masters had the requirement of being eldest. "Hmm... perhaps the binding spell isn't one of the three after all."

"But if that's the case, why would he order the ingredients for the binding spell? Two of those ingredients match nothing else." Forester said, shifting the list towards Draco.

"Maybe if we can figure out what the other spell is... there are an awful lot of ingredients left unaccounted for..." He looked over the list. He pulled a quill and a bottle of ink from his bag and settled down in a chair, putting a little check by each of the ingredients called for in the conjuring and binding spells, then looked for a spell that used the others. After a moment of scanning, he came across one. He furrowed his brow, rechecking. All of the ingredients not accounted for matched the spell before him except for two. He retrieved the journal from Forester and flipped through, finding the page to make sure he hadn't somehow mixed up the spell names. No... it matched perfectly. "Why would they want to cast _this_ spell?" He asked curiously. "It's for women with risky pregnancies..."

"Well it certainly would be a spell we wouldn't expect." Balthys commented.

"What does it do to the pregnant women?" Blaise asked, suddenly looking more interested.

Draco looked over the entry. "Says it prevents miscarriages." Draco became suddenly introspective. "Father's mistake..." He muttered softly, as if to himself. His eyes widened and he felt slightly light headed. "The only thing father has done lately is... the _baby_... Father always wore a contraceptive ring. Why would he suddenly take it off? And I can't believe he wouldn't have killed her rather than leave a potential heir behind. Even if it was too soon for a pregnancy test, since he'd taken off his ring he should have known it was a possibility and taken measures to prevent it, or at least finish her off to be sure."

"Unless he just forgot." Blaise suggested.

Draco shook his head. "No. Father wouldn't take off his ring and then just forget about it... unless... it's been quite a while since he took it off..." He said slowly. He suddenly covered his mouth, aghast.

"What?" Ginny prompted.

He looked over at her. "After I saw that memory of the conversation... I told you they said something about running out of time, he said 'They will be too far along for it to work before too much longer'. You said maybe they were brewing something that would pass maturation soon... what if... what if they aren't _brewing_ anything... In the 'hint', Pax used the words _spawning_ and _heredity_... what if they're _growing_ something?"

"Babies?" Ginny asked, horrified.

Draco dropped the journal and covered his face. "Why has it never occurred to me? In the memory, when Kulia got there to take back the journal and father left, the Auror threatened Pax... he said something about having plenty more women from the last batch he'd brought them if Pax needed taught a lesson or some such thing. At the time I thought maybe the sick bastards just had him gather up women for their demented pleasure... something to tide them over until they got the demon back... but what if the women were there to serve a _purpose?_" He dropped his hands and looked down at the innocent looking spell before him. "But how could this combine with the other two spells? I mean babies would hardly be the oldest in their lines, not to mention it would serve no purpose to give demons to children too young to even talk!"

Forester pulled the journal over, studying it intently. "Holy shit..." He breathed. He stood and reached over, snagging Draco's quill, his other hand and tail clearing a large patch of table. Without another word, he leaned over the pristine white linen tablecloth and began writing. He paused in irritation as the quill ran dry, lifting it and blowing on the tip, then continued writing. The ink never faltered again, the only pauses in his diligent work coming when he consulted the journal. "Standard recombination incantation... brew these separate and combine during this stage..." He muttered to himself absently as his hand flew over the linen, "That would boost the structural integrity of the womb during transference and keep the babies from dying..." As they watched, he covered a good meter and a half of table cloth from one side of the table to the other in neat script and small diagrams. When he finally finished, he leaned back and surveyed his work. "We are _so_ fucked..." he said ruefully, tossing the quill aside in disgust.

The others crowded around, looking over his work raptly. The way he melded the spells made perfect sense. It was horrific, but nothing beyond what Draco would expect of his father.

"Demons with human bodies of their own... they would be damn near unstoppable." Christian said softly.

"What are those last two ingredients for?" Ginny asked, trying not to look at the complex spellwork laid out before her. The mere sight of it made her feel sick.

"An aging potion." They all turned to look at Fred in surprise.

"What are you all looking at?" George asked.

"Anyone remember the Tri-wizard tournament?"

"We used one to try to get over that bloody age line."

Draco looked back down at the tablecloth and nodded. "They aren't the most patient of men... they wouldn't wait for the babies to mature on their own. They would want them grown and ready to spread terror as soon as possible. It would shorten the lives of their creations considerably, but I doubt they'd care. They could just make more."

"But that would be four spells. Pax said three." Ginny pointed out.

"Only three of them combine."Snape said softly, "The fourth is merely to sate their impatience once the combined spell is completed and their demonic army is born."

"And if they work that just right and conjure the demons directly into the babies _in utero_," Forester added gravely, "Neither the children nor the demons would even have a chance to form a sense of individuality. They would be complete, unquestioning slaves to their masters, which in this case would actually be whomever fathered their bodies. All the sick fucks will have to do is kill off the mothers once the babies are born and no one alive would be able to challenge their authority over the offspring. Their orders would even override self-preservation."

"The ingredients for the aging potion won't be too difficult to find elsewhere." Fred said grimly.

"And we know for a fact that several of those other ingredients should have been relatively simple to find as well."

Kulia nodded. "Lucius has always been a bit lazy about looking for ingredients. Probably figures why take the time to look for himself when I'll do it for him? Not like even _my_ fees were out of his price range. Shockingly, I got the impression he actually _had_ been trying to locate them himself this time... and probably for some time considering how agitated he seemed. He's gotten so used to my doing all his shopping he simply doesn't know where to even start looking for illegal ingredients on his own. It's all in who you know, and he only really knows _me_. I was able to find most of those ingredients locally, and I probably could have found almost all the others as well, but I already had them in stock. Anyone _competent_ in locating such things should have little trouble filling the majority of his grocery list. The blood orchids are going to be the only roadblock that I can see."

Draco sighed and an uneasy silence fell. After a few minutes, Hagrid cleared his throat, "Well, guess I should be headin out. Oughta be dark by now."

Draco looked over at him, only now realizing that Hagrid and the Thestrals were indeed scheduled to leave tonight. He suddenly felt acutely guilty for not having spent more time with them during their stay. He knew it wasn't right to keep them there any longer, but at the same time, knowing they were around was comforting somehow... not to mention he'd worry for their safety if they were to leave the grounds at the moment. In the end, concern won out. "You should probably stay... I mean what with father and all..."

"I ain't afraid of that puffed up goit." Hagrid huffed.

"No... but I was thinking about Tiger. I mean he can't fly on his own yet and if they were to attack you..."

Hagrid sighed, looking thoughtful. "A'right." He finally conceded. "Wouldn't want the little fella getting hurt."

Draco grinned. "Besides, he hasn't even met Celestial yet."

Celestial perked up, hearing her name.

Hagrid grinned. "Well at'd be no problem."

Draco smiled over at Celestial. "How would you like to see a _little_ winged 'horsey thingy'?"

She hopped up, jumping up and down and clapping her hands, then spun around, "Can I daddy? Can I?" She pleaded.

He rolled his eyes. "Very well."

Hagrid grinned. "I'll introduce ya." He said as the little girl scampered up to him. He looked over at Balthys. "I'll see she gets to yer room."

"That would be wonderful. Thank you." Balthys said, nodding. He watched his daughter hopping out the door excitedly, her little hand barely fitting all the way around one of Hagrid's big fingers, his hand nearly at head height for her. Her gargoyle followed her out patiently. With that nap she'd had earlier Balthys was getting the definite impression that he would be getting little sleep tonight. With any luck, the young thestral would wear her out some.

Draco rose. "I think we should all try to get some sleep. It's been a wretchedly long day, and I don't get the feeling tomorrow is going to be any easier."

Arthur sighed. "I should get back to the room as well. Molly is probably wondering where I am." He accepted the basket from the house elf that scampered over at this, then paused, looking back at the twins. "I'm sure she'll be bringing Justin by in a bit."

They nodded, then slipped their arms around Kulia as she rose. Balthys paused long enough to give his son a hug, "That was brilliant, by the way. I'm so proud." He said lovingly, then released the fiercely blushing boy. He tussled his hair, then hurried after Kulia and the twins.

"Oh, those things you asked for should be in the suite already." Blaise called after him. Balthys smiled over and him and nodded in thanks before slipping out the door.

Forester looked over as he heard a tapping sound. Carys was standing there, tapping her foot and glaring at him, arms folded over her chest. "Don't know any magic hmm? Can't control yourself cause you've never been taught?" She asked shrewdly.

He rolled his eyes. "This is _human_ magic stuff. They didn't exactly write instruction books on elvish magic! I don't know any of that elvish wandless fireballs-in-your-hands shit. Hell, I can barely even do anything the human way... I just understand how their spells work."

"You can do some human magic?" Draco asked curiously.

"Ya... well... not much really..." Forester said, obviously a bit embarrassed. "This thing doesn't really work that well..."

Much to Draco's amazement, he pulled out a wand. He let Draco take it and look it over. It was relatively simple, but well carved with an intricately interlaced celtic design on the grip. Draco looked up at him and smirked. "Sure you should be waving this around in front of a couple of Aurors?"

Forester shrugged. "It's not like it's a real one. I just carved it from a piece of wood some lightning blasted off one of the trees on the island. It doesn't have a core. I was hoping that since snow elves and incubi can wield magic without any help, I might be able to use this as a focal point and do human type magic even without a core. I can only manage a few really simple spells though. So, they gonna fuck with me over a stick?"

Draco blinked in surprise, then waved it a bit. The usual subtle feel of magic you got when holding pretty much any wand was absent. "Oh..." He looked up at Bazentine and smirked. "Would that be ok then?"

She rolled her eyes. "If they went around arresting every kid who ever carved a fake wand they would get nothing else done. And at any rate, I thought you said he was raised by a human, was that his mother?"

"Ya... well, mostly human. She was an eighth Veela." Forester replied, taking his wand back and slipping it away in the thin pocket in his jeans that ran down the side of his thigh. "Dad's half snow elf, half incubus."

"Only _half?_" She asked incredulously, looking at the door he'd left through. She pulled her eyes back off the door with apparent effort, then went on, pretending her little slip had never happened. "Well, it wouldn't be a problem anyway then, now would it? Will you be staying here for a while?"

Forester shifted uneasily, shrugging. "Guess so. At least until after Kulia's kids are born."

Bazentine nodded. "And how old are you?"

Forester looked over at Draco to see if he knew where she was going with this. "Sixteen. I'll be seventeen soon. I was born sometime in the spring. If you want more exact than that you'll have to hunt down my mom and hope she bothered to remember. Good luck."

She nodded, "Then you'd better get filing your registry papers so you can start school on time for the next term."

"Excuse me?" He asked, shocked.

"All school aged children are required to attend until they complete the required schooling. Your age would put you in sixth year, so you would be attending this term and next year as well if you remain in the area. Whether you pass your N.E.W.T.s or not, you'd be free to stop attending at that point." She looked over at Draco. "Since he's family, I suppose you'll be requiring me to take care of the paperwork?" She asked in a weary voice.

Draco was grinning. Forester set loose on Hogwarts? Now this should be entertaining. He'd have to see about making sure he got into Slytherin. "Of course."

Forester was looking back and forth between them in shock. "But... I mean _look at me_... I don't exactly look like a wizard! I'm not even a full half human!"

Bazentine rolled her eyes again. "_I_ was at more risk of being excluded from human schooling than you are! To the letter of the law, you can't be more than half of any _specific_ magical creature... If I had even one ancestor on my human side with Veela blood, no matter how far back or how little, it would have put me over the limit and I would have been out of luck! You aren't more than a quarter of any particular magical creature. Hell, to get technical, you only have to have _some_ human blood. You could be an _eighth_ human and still qualify for wizard status so long as you didn't have over half blood from any single other species. You're not going to get out of it that easily. I'll do the paperwork... but I'm leaving finding a tailor for your school uniforms up to Draco. That's not my field."

Forester shifted uneasily. He looked excited by the prospect, but at the same time very apprehensive. "But... I tend to... _frighten_ people..." He said softly.

Draco grinned. "No one's going to mess with my uncle! Hell, you're free to use the Malfoy name as well if you'd like, though I don't see why you'd want to..."

Forester scratched his side, obviously weighing the options. "Well.. it would be better than mom's... and I don't think dad would much care for me taking the last name of her rapist..." He shrugged, "I'll have to think about it."

"You do that." Draco said. He looked back over at Bazentine as Forester made his way over towards Blaise, who was beckoning to him. She was still looking rather put out, had ever since Balthys' little 'lesson'. He smiled as he saw Charlie drift over towards her. Draco quickly looked away as Charlie glanced around.

Charlie sidled right up to her, stopping bare inches behind her, then leaned forward, "You can vamp _me_ any time you like." he whispered softly in her ear.

A little smile spread across her lips as she shifted back a bit. He eagerly pressed against her, nuzzling the side of her neck. Her smile widened and she shifted forward, reaching back and grabbing ahold of his shirt, leading him out the door without so much as a backward glance.

Draco snickered softly. Well, that should help her wounded ego some. He glanced around, spotting Breanna. She had obviously noticed the departure as well. She looked decidedly disappointed, though she tried to hide it. Then Bill went over to her, whispering in her ear. Draco couldn't hear what he was saying, but a smile sprang to Breanna's lips and her cheeks reddened. After a moment, she gave a slight giggle and nodded and they made their way out the door as well.

Well, looked as if there would be quite a number of nicely warmed beds tonight as well. He would definitely have to see about getting a selection of contraceptive rings to keep around for guests, especially with the Weasleys around. They appeared to be quite a randy lot. Not that that was a _bad_ thing... especially since he had his own little Weasley to warm his bed. No, his own little _Malfoy_ actually. She was just about the only person who could make that name sound good in his opinion. He wandered over towards Christian, who was just standing there trying to stay out of the way and peering down at the tablecloth.

"If you can come up with any way of countering that, feel free to chime in." Draco said with a little smile.

"Simple." Christian replied immediately, looking up at him. "Just kill off all the bastards who would father children just to create mindless killing machines."

Draco's smile widened. He was getting to really like the way this man's mind worked. "Good plan. If it comes down to it, I'll throw my vote behind your suggestion... especially since my father is undoubtedly one of them." He stared down at the spell for a long moment, then sighed. "I know he's an evil, remorseless bastard... but it's still a bit hard to wrap my mind around this... I mean, for this to work... that means he's fathered more children... it means he's going to use my _brothers and sisters_ as _weapons_... who knows how many siblings I have on the way?" He said sadly, his heart aching.

Ginny came up to him, slipping her arms around him. He held her, trying to pull his eyes off of the table.

Christian gave him a little smile. The warmth in his soft brown eyes seemed to give off an almost tangible sense of comfort. "You're a good boy, Draco. Don't worry, I'll do everything in my power to see that that doesn't happen. The efforts of one man might not count for much in a war... but I'll do my best. Who knows? Perhaps I'll get to do you the same favor I did for Blaise. It would certainly be my pleasure..." He said ruefully.

Draco smiled. "If you get to him first, be my guest." He watched the man silently for a moment, then furrowed his brow thoughtfully. "I was just wondering... what you were saying earlier... about Animagi... you sounded like you were speaking from experience...?"

Christian actually blushed. He glanced around, surveying the room for listeners, then cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Swear not to tell anyone?"

A little grin slipped onto Draco's lips. "I swear."

Christian sighed. "Back in school... Alex and I... that's Delse's grandfather to you... well we learned about animagi and decided it would be just about the keenest thing ever if we could teach ourselves to do that... really impress all the girls and the like... I'm sure you know that foolish teenaged impulse."

"And you succeeded?" Ginny asked, watching him intently.

He scratched his stubbly chin ruefully, "After a fashion. We both managed to completely transform on the same night... and neither ever tried it again thereafter."

"Why not?" Draco asked curiously. He couldn't imagine never turning into a thestral again now that he knew how... not to mention it took years of training to become one (usually!) and he couldn't imagine just throwing all that effort away.

"Because." He replied with a smirk. "Each person has one possible form, and one only... but the kicker is... you can't control what that form will _be_..."

"Did you change into something bad?" Ginny asked wide-eyed.

Christian laughed. "Bad I could have handled. Ferocious... even frightening would have been fine with me. But of course that was never a real possibility with us... see your Animagi form reflects your inner self... what creature you most closely resemble spiritually. With that in mind, our forms... well, they were just slightly _embarrassing_."

"Embarrassing how?" Ginny asked, dropping her voice and grinning conspiratously.

"Well... Alex, poor boy, he turned into the cutest damn bunny rabbit you've ever seen. White with brown spots. Got snatched up by one of the school owls less than a minute later as a matter of fact. That owl got the shock of its life, believe me!"

"And what did _you_ turn into?" Draco asked with a mirthful glint in his eyes.

"That, my boy, I take to the grave." Christian said, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm going to go check on my ward before retiring for the night if you don't mind. Good night." He said, making his way towards the door before they could delve further.

> > > > >

"Welcome to my modest abode." Blaise said with a smirk as he led the little group into his suite. Carys, Forester and Tonks had followed them when they headed off for the night without a word ever being said. "Ah... I see they've left the refreshments..." He said, heading over to the coffee table on which sat a pitcher of chilled pumpkin juice and six glasses. He sat down before it and filled the glasses. Once he'd set down the pitcher, he set one glass off the tray, then took out his little bottle of essence and very carefully deposited two drops in each of the remaining glasses. That done, he slipped the bottle back in his robes. "Ok, one apiece. Have at." He said, taking the untreated glass and settling back, sipping it.

Ron and Pansy each picked up a glass and downed it.

"What's this?" Tonks asked, picking up a glass and eyeing it. Even in the relatively low light of the candle lit room she could see little flashes and shimmers of color dancing through the juice as she turned it.

"Well, see I have a little issue with excess strength right now... and that could be very dangerous to anyone I tried to shag if they weren't just as strong... and even if you don't shag _me_... it is very easily passed on, so anyone I _did_ shag would have it and become too strong to shag anyone who wasn't treated as well... lets just say for simplicity's sake that my doctor has advised me to dose anyone who 'spends the night' with this first. Shouldn't take too long for it to kick in, but you need to drink the entire glass to be safe. You'll be a bit stronger afterwards, but it'll only last maybe four days or so, then you'll be back to normal."

Forester leaned over a bit, sniffing the glass in Tonks' hand. "What is that?" He asked, wrinkling his nose.

Blaise blushed slightly. "It's actually a substance my body has started producing reminiscent of Re'em blood... it's an extract taken from a sample of my blood."

Forester rolled his eyes. "I knew it was you... but what did you _put it in?_"

Blaise blinked. "Pumpkin juice."

"Agh! Haven't you people ever heard of like apples or oranges? Pears even? Pumpkins are for pies and jack-o-lanterns. Period. Ok, maybe roasted pumpkin seeds too... but _juice?_" He shuddered.

Blaise just chuckled. He'd never even thought to ask if they liked pumpkin juice.

Forester sighed and picked up a glass. He took a deep breath, then downed it quickly, setting the empty glass down as he grimaced. "Agh. Don't ever make me drink that shit again."

"Deal." Blaise said with a big grin. For _Forester_ to have shown that much faith in him, taking an unknown substance on Blaise's word alone, was just about the most flattering gesture he could imagine.

Pansy leaned a bit closer to Carys, who still hadn't even touched a glass. "Ron already drank some..." She commented casually with a mischievous smirk.

Carys' eyes darted over to Ron and down to the empty glass he was holding. She pouted, then looked down at the tray. He would shortly be too strong to even consider shagging her if she didn't drink some as well. She rolled her eyes, snatching up the last glass and downing it. She grimaced as well. "Agh. He's right. You people really drink this stuff?"

"It's an acquired taste I guess." Blaise said with a shrug.

Tonks looked around at them and groaned piteously. Years of Auror training told her not to even contemplate consuming an unknown substance like that... but... "Oh bloody Hell!" She grumbled. "I'm sure as Hell not sleeping alone tonight!" With that, she quickly knocking it back before she could think better of it.

The formalities done, they all returned their glasses to the tray.

"Great," Forester said, turning to Ron, "Now can you fuck my sister so she'll shut the Hell up already?" He asked with a smirk.

Ron blushed bright red as Carys giggled and smirked at him.

"Oh ya... and her dad told us to make sure you know the Cardinal Rule." Tonks said mischievously, "The woman always comes first! Both meanings apply."

Ron just blinked, mortified. Balthys was expecting him to shag Carys as well?

"Great. That's settled." Blaise said, rising.

"Oh..." Pansy said, "There is just one more thing." She said with a smile, then slapped Blaise smartly.

Blaise blinked at her, stunned. It hadn't hurt physically since the essence hadn't had a chance to work yet, but it left him stinging emotionally. "What was that for?"

"That's for lying to me." She said, folding her arms across her chest.

"Lying? When did I lie?" He asked, obviously dumbfounded.

"You said I was the only girl you ever wanted to have your baby!" She said, her eyes angry and a bit watery.

He sighed, stepping forward and gathering her in his arms. "Pansy... you know how much I love you... This thing with Narcissa... it was just..."

"Don't you dare say it was an accident, because I know better Blaise Zabini." Pansy said primly. He pulled back, looking at her in surprise. "You have never once 'forgotten' to cast a contraceptive spell before shagging a girl. In fact, the more wasted you are, the more likely you are to cast one whether it's needed or not! You've even cast them on _me_ a couple of times when you were pissed as a newt, even though I had the charm. Hell, I saw you cast one on a _boy_ once you were so drunk!"

He sighed deeply, cuddling up to her. "I'm sorry, Pansy. I never meant to hurt you."

She let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes. "You better just hope mine come first! I wanted to be the mother of your first born." She said, her voice dropping and becoming soft and slightly petulant.

Blaise sighed, "I don't care which comes first. I'm going to love them _all_, no matter when they were born or who their mother is... or father for that matter..." He said, his eyes glancing over at Ron as he gave him a little smile before returning his gaze to her. "No matter how many children I may have, I have more than enough love to go around... but you'll always be the only _woman_ I love..." He said softly, gently kissing her lips.

As the kiss deepened, her stance eased a bit. Ron knew well how difficult it was to stay upset at him when he kissed you like that. After a few minutes of increasingly intimate snogging, Pansy pulled away. She shoved him back, making him fall over the arm of the couch, landing on his back on the couch. She then giggled, practically pouncing on him and going back to snogging him passionately.

Well, that little fight didn't last long...

Ron's eyes widened as he felt arms wrap around him from behind. He felt Carys press up against him as one of her hands drifted down, caressing him boldly through his pants. He let out an involuntary groan. He hadn't even realized he'd gotten so aroused.

"Why don't you show me the bedroom, Ron?" She asked in a soft, sultry voice.

He swallowed hard, glancing around. Forester had taken Tonks over to one of the other couches where they were snogging raptly, already half stripped.

Carys released him, then took his hand. "Which door?"

He swallowed again, hesitantly nodding towards the door to the bedroom.

She smiled and started towards it, gently pulling him along after her.

When they got in the bedroom, she closed the door behind them, then released his hand, walking in and looking the room over with wonder. "Not bad..." She said, then sat on the end of the huge bed and bounced to check for softness. "Nice..." She purred, laying back on it and nestling down in the blissful softness. After a minute, she sat up, pulling off her shirt and tossing it carelessly aside. Ron just watched avidly as she stripped off her bra, then kicked off her shoes, quickly followed by her socks. He was a bit surprised when she removed the belt that had hung loosely around her hips... it had several knives attached to it, though how he hadn't been able to see them before was beyond him, especially since the one on the back of the belt was rather large. He had to smirk when she slipped off her pants. She wasn't wearing any knickers... and cuffs and collars matched...

He slowly drifted around to the side of the bed as she crawled up on it further, snagging one of the big pillows and cuddling up to it. Once she was settled, she gazed over at him with a little smile on her lips. Ron wished he had a camera... She was just laying there, not doing anything overtly sexual, but for some reason, it was about the most erotic sight he'd ever seen. Of course she would know that, wouldn't she? He quickly pulled his eyes off of her as he remembered she could see his thoughts. She had started squirming slightly, her pale cheeks flushing.

He kept his eyes off her, but doffed his shirt. Everyone was expecting him to shag her... it felt a bit like he _had_ to. He undid his pants and pushed them down, only belated remembering his shoes. He managed to get out of them, feeling completely graceless and having to try hard not to look at her. She undoubtedly found his clumsiness rather amusing, and he wasn't sure he'd be able to get through this if he saw her laughing at him.

He pulled his wand out of the pocket of his not tangled up pants and braved a necessary glance up at her as he quickly cast a contraceptive spell on her. She was just smiling at him. He set the wand on the bedside table, then paused, taking a deep breath before slipping off his skivvies. He crawled across the bed to her, then grabbed up a pillow, laying down on his front and using it to prop his head up some, looking over at her. They just stared at eachother contemplatively for a few minutes.

"Can I ask you a question?" He asked tentatively, breaking the silence that had drawn out between them.

She nodded silently.

"Why me? I mean Blaise would be more than happy to shag you, and I _know_ he thinks you're a bit of alright... and knowing him, he's got to have some pretty interesting thoughts on the matter... so... I just can't help but wonder..."

She smiled, snuggling down in the fluffy pillow a bit more. "Because of how you think of me."

He blushed brightly. "I'm a teenaged boy... I can't really control my brain." He said ruefully.

She giggled, but then her smile sobered a bit. "Pretty much every male I meet has those kinds of thoughts when they see me. You wouldn't _believe_ some of the things they imagine doing to me... but... I'm just saying, it's not just that you want to have sex with me. I could find that pretty much anywhere."

"Why me then?"

"Like I said... it's how you think of me... with most men, they imagine doing things to my body... I'm no more than a faceless sex toy... _you_... you _see_ me. I'm never faceless to you. You have never once just thought about ways I could please you... you imagine pleasing _me_... you don't want to just shag me... you want to _make love_ to me..." She trailed off, staring intently at the edge of her pillow as she absently traced designs on it with her finger. "The first lover holds a very special place in the hearts of my kind... I just... wanted my first time to be special... I knew it _would be_ if it was with _you_..."

He watched her contemplatively for a minute. "You know I'm with Blaise and Pansy... and Pansy's pregnant... and... I really love them..."

She grinned. "I said a special placing in our hearts! Never said I wanted to _marry_ you! I don't think I'm going to be settling down any time soon. I'm still young, and there are an _awful_ lot of shaggable boys out there... Ok, you'll probably have to put up with me showing up in your bed every once in a while..." She said with a mischievous smirk, "But nothing monogamous. In fact, I believe I'll be having a go at that cute wraith when I'm done with you!"

Ron grinned. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind that at all."

She smiled softly, reaching over and brushing her fingers down the side of his face and on down his neck. "You don't _have to,_ Ron. I'm sorry I've been so forward... it's just... I mean I'm nineteen! Not to mention it's nearly the full moon... and I really, _really_ want you... but what I want doesn't matter. What do _you_ want, Ron?"

He looked over at her for a long moment, then slowly reached out, trailing his fingers down her cheek just as she had done. When he got the base of her neck, he didn't pull his hand away. His fingers drifted down past her collar bone. She shifted on to her back a bit more and he traced her breast with a feather light touch that made her shiver.

He shifted a bit closer, then leaned down and kissed her gently. Her eyes immediately fluttered shut as she eagerly returned the kiss. He deepened it, letting his hand trail down over her stomach. Much to his surprise, he could feel her trembling slightly. With a trace of amusement, he realized that, for the first time, _he_ was the one who was more experienced. He'd never gotten to feel that way in _bed_ before. Even the first time he'd shagged Blaise he had felt completely inept.

With growing confidence, he kissed his way down the side of her neck and on down to her breast tantalizingly slow. She let out a little sound of pleasure as he began teasing her with his tongue in a way that Pansy loved. He smiled against her, increasing his onslaught as she twined her fingers in his hair and undulated up against him with a moan. The sound made him ache almost painfully. He felt fit to poke a hole in the mattress and knew he couldn't keep up this foreplay much longer. He let his hand drift down between her legs. She let out a trill, immediately pressing up against his hand. She felt more than ready.

He worked his way back up, then kissed her passionately as he started shifting over. She spread her legs eagerly. As he settled on top of her, he could feel the trembling that had just begun to subside starting up again.

He rubbed up against her a bit, then shifted down some. As he tried to push himself into her, he met much more resistance than expected. He pushed a bit harder, then froze as a little pained sound escaped her. He shifted up a bit, looking down between them, then sighed. "I'm not trying to brag or anything... but maybe you should find someone a bit... _smaller_ to be your first... I don't want to hurt you, and... well I'm just not sure it's gonna even _fit_..."

She let out a little frustrated sound, pushing her hips up some, but he could tell it hurt. He was about to move off of her when he felt her hands slip onto his bum. Suddenly, he felt her claws sink into him. It didn't hurt... in fact it sent an amazing jolt of pleasure through him. His hips instinctively jerked forward, driving nearly half his length into her and making her cry out in pain.

He looked down at her with concern, noting the tears trailing from the corners of her eyes. She pulled him down close. "Problem solved." She gasped, trying to shift her hips around to work more of him into her.

Well, she'd already gotten through the painful part, might as well make it worth it for her. Ron let out a groan as he pressed deeper. He had known she'd probably be tight from what the twins had told them about Kulia, but this was beyond even what he imagined. It felt like she was trying to crush him. Despite the pressure there was plenty of lubrication, so his movement wasn't hampered much anymore.

It felt almost like an entirely new experience. The feel of it quickly enticed him to speed up. The sounds she was making had lost all traces of pain. In no time at all, he was moving fast enough to shake the big bed, and having to try hard not to finish too soon. Even without the little 'rule', he'd never liked being the first one to finish. He'd finished at the same time as Pansy a couple of times, but had never beaten her to it and left her unsatisfied. He was determined not to let that happen with Carys either. Especially not her first time. Still, it was quickly beginning to feel like an endurance test to hold back when it felt so amazing.

He let out a gasp and had to bite his lip to keep from finishing as she dragged her claws down his back, sending shocks of pleasure through him. He felt her body beginning to tense and prayed she was finishing, because he didn't think he could handle much more.

She suddenly pulled him down, wrapping her arms around him. All bodily control left him as she sank her fangs into the side of his neck, sending a wild rush of pleasure through him. He hadn't thought he'd be able to get out so much as a drop with the vice-like grip her body had on him, but as the sensations rushed through him, it felt like his body was trying to drain itself of seed. He just lay there atop her for several minutes as his peak slowly subsided with a few last little shudders.

Once he'd regained his breath a bit, he shifted up, looking down at her. She was just laying there with a grin on her face, looking blissfully contented. He shifted his weight onto one elbow, reaching up with his free hand and feeling the side of his neck. The skin felt surprisingly unbroken.

"What?" She asked with a smirk.

"It felt like you bit me."

She giggled. "Cause I did. We do that." She said with a slight shrug.

"Well you could warn a bloke..."

Her grin widened as she slipped her arms around his neck. "Ok... fair warning... I'm planning on biting you a _lot_ tonight..."

> > > > > > > > > > >

NOTE: update on the contest - well, still no results yet, but the site says that the reader's choice winner should be announced soon. They have taken down the voting thingy, so I hope you all remembered to vote! If you are a judge in the contest, well I don't want to rush you, but she's hoping to wrap this up soon... and I certainly hope you're not waiting for me to finish this first! The site is awards dot magicaltheory dot com.

> > > > > > > > > > >

NOTE 2: I've been thinking I might actually put a little profile up, and the thought occurred that I could put in a little progress report every once in a while there if it's taking me a while to post so you have an idea why, and maybe when I'll hopefully be posting the next chapter. The profile looks simple to change, so it shouldn't be too hard.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - Yes, it _is_ like raising rabbits, isn't it? Anyway... I'm not answering as many of the questions anymore... it's taking up too much room and time, and I'm setting up a crucial part right now and I don't want any chance of hinting at it. Also, PLEASE stop saying to stick in more Draco/Ginny! There were like half a dozen such requests from the last chapter alone! The characters get attention as I _need_ them to, and I'm not gonna sit here and figure out how I can rearrange what I have planned to add in more D/G! Or anything else I don't have planned for that matter. What I'm writing I need. If I don't need it, don't expect me to stick it in just for giggles. Not to mention, if you don't recall, Draco has had a very long, very trying day. It would be contrary to what I've already written to make him suddenly ready for a nice rowdy romp in the sack! He's tired people, leave him alone!

Believe it or not, I would like to actually _finish_ this fic eventually! It's getting down to the point of now or never, because my muse is getting bored! She is starting to fight tooth and nail because she wants to move on to other things! And the next HP book just came out an I wanna read it, but it's gonna totally screw my mindset to have new info tossed at me cause I won't be able to write stuff if it's been specifically contradicted by J.K.! You know how I am about staying true to the source material, so this is gonna be rough on me. I was just getting into HP when the last book came out and wasn't near writing my own, so I haven't had to deal with this before. If I ever wanna put out my other fic I have mostly written I may have to just hope I can alter it to incorporate whatever new information she gives us, cause otherwise I dunno if you'll ever see it, cause it's not done and I don't think I'll be able to finish it otherwise after reading 6.

For those of you wondering if I was one of those loons that lined up at the local bookstore at midnight to get a copy of HP6... well DUH! My boy even dressed up as Harry. Glasses, wand and even black hair color! He was cute as Hell! Anyway, no I haven't read it yet, though I'm simply dying of curiosity... but my boy expects me to start reading it to him next week when he gets back from camp. I just want to know one thing... is it true that Blaise actually has a decent role in HP6? And if so, how is his appearance described? Please DO NOT spoil it for me or I may have to figure out how to email curses! I just want a simple yes or no (In private email, as others might not want to know even that much) on the Blaise question, and a simple physical description if he is in it. That's it. I really need to know. It's been eating at me since I read something that said J.K. hinted he might be... otherwise I might just sit down and read it cover to cover and confuse my poor muse something awful.

Oh, and just a note for giggles - I took an online Harry Potter quiz and when I was done, this is what it said: "Thanks for taking our quiz. You answered 100 of the questions correctly. You are Albus Dumbledore. You are truly the greatest wizard of the age." (chuckles) it was only 13 questions, but I thought it was cute.

elka78 - Hmm... Tonks calling Forester 'boy' was my personal habit sneaking into the fic I'm afraid. I tend to use the term 'boy' to refer to any male in a light hearted, affectionate manner. I figure men never really grow up, so I'm safe referring to pretty much any male as boy. I once worked with a guy who was about 83. I called him boy too. He didn't seem to mind ;)

byrnes - sorry it's too complicated for you, but I have no intention of making it more focused on Draco/Ginny or chopping it into pieces so it will be more palatable. If you really want to stop reading just because of complexity, I think you should.

DeeCohan - Unfortunately there is a big difference between a knee and a woman's reproductive system. What Pax did for Lupin was merely rip the muscles and tendons that had healed wrong loose, then used magic to reattach them properly. I think internal medicine is a bit beyond the rip up and re-heal method. Besides, Pax could simply feel his way around on the knee, whereas Delse's problems are in the soft tissue of her abdomen. Delse's problem probably has more to do with scar tissue and such, and I imagine that her now late husband had already sought out the best human healers since he would have been eager to get an heir. She hasn't had a problem conceiving, so that part of the 'equipment' is working (though she would be using some method of long term contraceptive now to avoid a pregnancy that could kill her), she just can't carry a child to term.


	73. Chapter 73

A/N - adult stuff. Like right away. Some slash type stuff. Please read at least the marked part of the A/N at the end.

> > > > >

Chapter 73

Ron sighed contentedly as Carys nibbled on the side of his neck. He'd already shagged her a number of times, his breath not even completely back to normal after the last amazing romp, yet he felt his loins stirring again. The essence had most definitely kicked in in full force. He looked over as he heard the door open.

"Bloody Hell! You two still going at it? Ever hear of variety?"

Ron blushed brightly as Blaise slipped his arm away from where it'd been draped across Tonks' shoulders and handed her his wand, then walked up to the bed, buck naked and smirking. Tonks stayed with the others, all three of them in a similar state of undress. The girls were carrying their own wands as well, giggling and whispering to eachother as they looked over at them. Forester had his hand clamped firmly over his eyes.

Blaise sat brazenly on the side of the bed. "Well?" Blaise asked Carys with a grin, "That big hampton of his do the trick for you? Get you all nice and broken in?"

"It was more than sufficient, thank you." She said with mock seriousness.

He chuckled. "You _should_ thank me. This one's known for suppressing his sexual urges." He looked down at Ron, "Feel better now that you've worked out some of that frustration?"

Ron just rolled his eyes mutely, his blush darkening.

"Tell you what... let me go toss these guys in the closet and I'll come back here and throw myself into the mix..."

Carys gave a snort of amusement, shifting up a bit more and sitting there, straddling Ron's hips, her arms folding over her chest. "Presumptuous little wraith, aren't you? Just _assuming_ I want to shag you like that..."

Blaise smirked as he noticed the continuation of the color theme on Carys. It was pretty easy to tell he liked what he saw, especially while he was unclothed. "Never said you'd have to, though I'm open to that idea if it interests you. For your information, I haven't had a chance to shag my hot redheaded lover here in a while, and as you can imagine, he's quite addictive."

She giggled and blushed. "Oh... um... right." She glanced over at the others as she heard them snickering, then her eyes caught on something. "Hey! No fair! Why do _you_ get a tattoo?"

"I chose my family well as a child." Forester replied guilelessly, hand still firmly in place.

She huffed, then her eyes widened a bit and she looked down at Ron. He was looking over at Forester as well. She let out a little disgusted sound and swatted his chest. "Don't be fantasizing about my brother while you're in bed with me!" She said indignantly.

Ron ripped his eyes away and looked up at her contritely, his face and ears practically glowing with embarrassment as Forester smirked wickedly.

Blaise chuckled. "That's my little loverboy." He said proudly, then leaned over and kissed him passionately. When he sat back up, he gave Ron a smirk. "Why don't you give this little crumpet another good shagging." He said, swatting Carys' bare rump, then rising. "I have something I want to show Forester first."

"Yes, sir!" Ron said dutifully, letting his hands come to rest on her rump and squeezing lightly.

Carys groaned happily as he pressed up against her. "If you insist..." she murmured, shifting back down and kissing Ron hungrily.

Pansy slipped her arm back around Forester and led him forward, following Blaise. When he heard the door close behind him, he finally relented and lowered his hand, then blinked in surprise. "I thought you were joking about the closet." He said, gazing around them.

Blaise grinned. "This is just the way to my little meditation room. Since my dad is finally dead, I guess I don't have to keep it a secret anymore. This used to be where I hid to get away from him." He said, slipping his hand over between the clothes and the wall to touch the image of the unicorn. The panel in the wall popped open and they followed him in.

Tonks was staring around at the impressive crystal specimens, but, as Blaise had predicted, Forest barely even noticed they were there. He clambered quickly over the cushions, dropping down to his knees before the cd player, reaching out to touch it almost reverently.

"Thought you might like that." Blaise said with a smirk.

"It works?" Forester managed to get out, his fingers tracing the lines of the device like a long lost lover.

Blaise dropped down on the cushions in his favorite spot and grabbed up the remote. With the touch of a button, loud chaotic music filled the room, making the girls start slightly. Forester, on the other hand, looked completely enraptured. He wrapped his arms around the player, resting his cheek against the flat, cool top lovingly as his wings extended out as far as they could in the small space, curving around so they could pull tight. He shivered in pleasure as the sound buffeted him.

Tonks moved closer, reaching out and touching one of his wings. Her eyes widened and she grinned. She could actually _feel_ the music through his wings. Every beat, every screamed line of lyrics, every reverberating screech of the guitar... it was all picked up by the thin membranes, making them pulse and vibrate. Pansy came over, kneeling beside him and feeling as well.

When the track ended, Blaise turned it off. "I'm not sure what you like... I have a stack of CDs to the side and there's a drawer in the front of that trunk it's on that has more. I have mostly alternative, grunge, some heavy metal or whatever they call it... pretty much anything I found that was sufficiently fucked up and angsty..." He said with a smirk, "Some of the stuff in the drawer is pretty old school, so you might actually know them."

Forester had finally released the stereo, pulling his wings in with a little shudder. He shifted over, looking down the stack beside the stereo, then shifted back and opened the drawer. He chuckled, picking up a cd. "Nirvana?"

Blaise grinned. "Most of it is a bit mellow for me, I admit... but there's just something about his voice... doesn't hurt that he's shaggable as Hell... those eyes..." He sighed, shivering and snuggling down in the cushions a bit more.

Forester grinned. "Not to mention he was obviously fucked up as hell. I had a life sized poster of him on the wall when I was a kid. Fuckin tragic what happened to him... now that's one person way more fucked up than me..." He said, shaking his head ruefully. He gasped, setting the CD in his hand quickly aside and grabbing up another. He let out a little sigh of bliss as he looked at it.

Blaise sat up, looking around to see which one he had. He chuckled, "Nine Inch Nails?"

Forester grinned over at him. "Actually, it's more one particular song of his..." He said, quickly figuring out the buttons, carefully putting one of the CDs off the five CD changer back in its waiting case and replacing it with his chosen one. "When I was a kid, listening to music... well it was pretty much my first somewhat sexual outlet."

"Sexual?" Blaise asked uncertainly.

Forester pushed the button that drew the CDs back inside and looked back at him with a smirk. "I was only _seven_... I wasn't interested in having sex yet... but... I mean I'm part incubus... my very nature is sexual... _sensual_... the impulses were there, even before I associated them with other people. If I found the right song... with the right beat... it was just about as good as sex... especially with these wings..." he said, ruffling the wings in question.

Blaise snickered. "You got off to music when you were a kid?"

Forester grinned, forwarding it to the right track. "Not in a _jerking off_ kinda way, but ya, I guess I did. Laugh now, but if you really listen to it... _feel_ it, I bet you could get off on it too..."

Blaise chuckled, then folded his arms up behind his head. "Ok then, I'll give it a try. Play this _magical_ song for me."

Forester pressed play.

Blaise grinned as a pulsing beat started up, vaguely reminiscent of a heartbeat. At this volume, even he could feel it. "'Closer'... Always loved this one... main reason I bought that album in fact..."

"Shh..." Forester said softly.

Blaise glanced over at him, then his eyes widened. Forester was crawling over towards him, wings half unfurled and eyes glowing. There was something almost predatory in the intensity in those glowing eyes... in the way his tail was switching back and forth like a panther about to pounce.

He could feel the wraith power in him stirring uneasily, but it was drowned out by a rush of hormones. He'd been dying for a go at this moody incubus since he laid eyes on him... he had just assumed he wasn't interested by how fixated he'd been on Tonks. By the time Forester closed the scant few feet between them, he had Blaise's _full attention_...

Forester settled beside him, reaching out and tentatively running his hand over Blaise's stomach. It looked like desire and common sense were warring inside him... but the throbbing beat coming from the stereo and Blaise's blatantly obvious arousal quickly tipped the scales. Forester shifted down as the lyrics started up, playing his tongue over Blaise's stomach and making him shiver with pleasure, leaving his skin tingling. Forester trailed his tongue up Blaise's chest almost teasingly, shifting closer and settling alongside him as he reached the side of his neck.

Once he was settled, Forester lifted his head some, looking down at him, his hesitance returning. This time Blaise could see the barely veiled fear in his eyes as well. Forester stared at his lips for a moment, obviously wanting desperately to kiss him. He let out a little sigh. "Just don't kill me, ok?"

Blaise grinned. "Ok."

Forester kissed him tentatively and Blaise suddenly knew what it was he feared. The wraith within him blazed to life. He was able to hold it back, but he could feel a drawing sensation through his skin as Forester pressed his body against him, and even more strongly through their joined lips. This must be the siphoning of sexual energies he'd heard so much about, but somehow he doubted he would have noticed a thing if he were 'normal'. Even as he deepened the kiss he could feel the desire to retrieve the energy nagging at him.

Forester's tongue slipped into his mouth as the main chorus started up, all his worries obviously forgotten as desire chased them away. The feel of his tongue was pure bliss, its gentle caress sending pleasure shooting throughout his body. It was as if he could feel his very soul through that hot, wonderful tongue... Somehow he knew without a doubt that this simple gesture left Forester completely vulnerable to him... he could take Forester's soul for his own in a heartbeat if he so desired, and Forester obviously knew this...

Forester had settled almost completely on top of him now, his body rubbing against Blaise in time with the beat of the song, a groan of longing escaping him. Blaise slipped his hands down onto his bum, using the hold to press them closer, thrusting his hips up against him. He ached to roll him over and shag that wonderful arse. He felt Forester's tail wrap around his waist and knew a change in position wouldn't be allowed, but he was ok with that right now... it felt shockingly good just grinding against him like this.

Thankfully, the wraith within Blaise quickly stopped fixating on the loss of energy... it had also stopped feeling so much like a separate entity. His whole body began feeling strangely attuned to the incubus pressed so intimately against him. A tingling, buzzing sensation began suffusing his entire body as the air seemed to almost crackle around them. When he opened his eyes his vision was a chaotic mix of wraith and normal, making him quickly close his eyes again, feel light headed. Then again, that might have been caused by the amazing sensations Forester was sending through him.

Forester broke the kiss but kept moving against him, the lyrics of the song falling whisper soft from his lips as he nuzzled up against him, eyes closed and wings lifted high to catch every last tremulous chord. The look of pure rapture on his face made Blaise groan. His hands explored Forester's hot flesh, but he let Forester guide the experience entirely. He'd never really bothered with too much that didn't involve penetration in some way (or at least led up to it), but he was most definitely going to have to try a bit more diversity in bed! He quickly felt himself teetering on the edge. He tried to take control of himself as Forester shift his head to the side, knowing full well from watching him earlier what was coming.

As soon as the beat dropped away and the first of the closing notes rang out, Forester tensed and Blaise felt fangs sink into his neck. Blaise cried out as a wild rush of ecstasy and raw power surged through him, his senses spinning like an out of control carnival ride. Every other thought was instantly wiped from his mind as it felt like the whole universe pulsed around them.

The next track was almost over by the time his mind finally righted itself. He cautiously blinked his eyes open, his breath panting in his chest. His eyesight was somewhat back to normal, but everything looked strangely off... the lighting was wrong somehow... He blinked a couple of times, then realized the little glowing lights above weren't above anymore... and yet there was light...

He blinked again, then stared around in bewilderment. Everywhere he looked, his crystals were unmistakably _glowing_. He looked over, noting the huge rose quartz point on the shelf beside him glowing brighter than the others, even brighter than a torch.

Forester's full weight was on him, his wings draped over them limply. For a brief, terrifying moment, he thought he'd done something to Forester, but then he felt him nuzzling against his neck, kissing it gently. He let out a sigh of relief. He grabbed up the discarded remote and turned the music off, then dropped it and ran his fingers through his sweat dampened hair as Forester continued cuddling him tenderly. "That was..." He trailed off. He just couldn't find the words to describe it.

"Fuckin amazing." Forester sighed happily. "Told you it was a great song..."

Blaise chuckled, then glanced over at the girls. He could only see glimpses of them, as they were both nestled down in amongst the numerous pillows and cushions. He tried to shift his head up some to see them. Neither seemed to be moving much. "You two ok?" He asked curiously.

He heard slightly giddy giggles, then Pansy's head popped up some. Her cheeks were flush and she looked blissfully contented, "Do that again!" She said in a mirthful, pleading voice, then rolled over and cuddled down in the cushions some more.

Blaise looked at Forester questioningly. Forester just chuckled, looking around at the still glowing crystals. "Crystals can amplify and store magic. That's why they're so popular for charms and such. The girls probably got hit with a pretty wicked backlash."

"'Fuckin amazing'!" Tonks giggled from somewhere over near the stereo.

Blaise snickered, then looked back at Forester. "Don't suppose you'd like to give them an even better show...?" He asked hopefully.

Forester sighed, resting his elbows on either side of Blaise, twining his fingers and resting his chin on them, staring down at Blaise. "I'm afraid our desires conflict..." He said sadly.

Blaise blinked, "Hmm?"

"This... it's... well it's new to me..."

"Tonks took care of that already, didn't she? I mean you've even shagged Pansy..."

Forester smiled softly. "Not just sex... _boys_. I mean I've always kinda felt... attracted to them... well some of them anyway... but it's not really something I've been able to admit, even to myself. I mean it was bad enough being the winged freak boy... but being a winged freak boy who liked other boys? Maybe things have changed a lot since I last got to glimpse the world through my little tv... but I've grown up feeling like this kind of thing was... well... _wrong_..." He said, his cheeks coloring with embarrassment. "I guess I felt these urges just proved I was some terrible, immoral creature... that what was wrong with me went even deeper than my appearance... it proved I was something unnatural and _sinful_."

"There's nothing wrong with love and affection... no matter who it's between." Blaise said softly, stroking his hand down Forester's hair, then tracing one of his delicately pointed ears with his fingertips.

Forester grinned, "I had no doubt you'd say something like that." He said ruefully, then shifted his head over to rest on one hand, the other trailing over Blaise's damp skin. "When I was in with Tonks and my father for my little 'lesson'... he told me... well... apparently those of incubus descent, the males at least, are pretty much all bi." A little smile traced over his lips. "I'm 'normal'..." he said softly. "Never thought I'd be able to say that..."

"Well if bi is normal..." Blaise said leadingly, his hands slipping around him under his wings.

Forester chuckled. "Yes, but as I said, it's new to me. Well, not the urge... but the idea that it's ok. I might be willing to try fucking a boy... but I'm not ready to be fucked by one... and you don't want me to fuck you."

Blaise sighed. "It's not you..." He said sadly, "I just... I mean I've only ever been with Ron like that..."

Forester smile, tracing his fingers down the side of his face. "I know... and I think that's beautiful. What you two have is special, and I'd never dream of coming between you..." He paused thoughtfully, then smirked. "Ok, that was badly phrased, but you know what I mean. Of course, if either of you ever change your minds..."

"You'll definitely be the first one on the waiting list." Blaise assured him.

Forester grinned, then it slipped away as he shifted up a bit, looking down between them and grimacing. "Awful messy playing with boys..."

Blaise chuckled and barely caught his wand as Tonks tossed it in his general direction. He quickly started cleaning them up.

Forester shifted off him so he could finish. "Still... how could I resist? I mean my dad says it's ok... and the very same day I find a good reason to try it out? Sounds like fate to me. Who am I to argue?"

Blaise finished up and looked at him, "What reason? Not that I object in any way, just curious."

Forester grinned. "Had to give you a test drive before you had a go at my sister. Succubi draw off even more energy, and I mean I could probably have still enjoyed it without biting you, but from what I've read, succuba can pretty much only finish if they bite... and trust me, they can get _really_ pissy and vindictive if you leave them unsatisfied, thus the little rule for Ron. Well, hopefully this at least showed that wraith lurking inside you that what we draw off during sex is well worth the investment if you let us finish."

"Ah, I see." Blaise said with a sardonic grin, "Well it was a good lesson. Feel free to take me for a test drive any time you like."

"I'll keep that in mind." Forester said with feigned seriousness. He carefully situated his wings and rolled over onto his back, then cleared his throat loudly. "Girls... you participated in a way, so I believe there is a rule..."

Pansy and Tonks quickly crawled over to him and settled on either side, cuddling up to him happily. He sighed contentedly.

Blaise chuckled, locating one of the little spheres that had been lighting the room. It was blackened and warm to the touch. "So much for those..." He muttered ruefully, tossing it over in a little waste bin near the door. He finished locating and disposing of the other burnt out spheres, then looked back over at the others. It was a pity not being able to give Forester any more of an initiation... he grinned as a thought suddenly occurred. "You know... if you want to try shagging a boy, why don't you just talk Tonks into turning into one?"

Forester's eyes widened and darted down to Tonks. "You can do that?"

Tonks rolled her eyes, releasing him and sitting up. "Well, I've only tried it a couple of times... It kinda takes a while, but I can work on it..." She hadn't changed at all since talking to Balthys actually. She hadn't wanted to change a look that was obviously working well. She scrunched up her face some in concentration.

Almost instantly her shoulders broadened, her breasts shrinking down as her entire musculature and skeletal structure altered subtly. She opened her eyes and looked down at herself in shock. "Bloody Hell..." She said, staggering to her feet. 'She' now appeared completely male. She was staring down at herself in confusion. "A change of that magnitude should have taken the better part of an hour!" she said incredulously. She concentrated again and shot upwards. She let out a surprised sound, ducking her head down quickly as the ceiling approached at an alarming rate.

"Holy shit! Welcome to fuckin Wonderland, Alice!" Forester said, a bemused smile on his face.

Blaise chuckled. "Damn. You're bigger than Hagrid!" His eyes dropped a bit and he gave her a considering look. "You think Hagrid's really hung that well?" He pondered.

Tonks followed his eyes, then blushed, "That can be whatever size I like unless I'm duplicating someone." She said, looking around interestedly. Everything looked so much different from this height, "But even then I can change it if I like... it just defaults to whatever size they really are. It's weird... I don't even have to have seen them naked before. Somehow when I become them my body just knows how big to get. Never been wrong yet. Admittedly, I occasionally try at least a partial change if I'm curious enough about someone..." She said with a mischievous grin, then concentrated again and suddenly shrunk. She let out a squeak as it felt as if she was in freefall, then fell on her bum on one of the cushions when she suddenly stopped the change. She looked up at Blaise, who'd come over to get a closer look. "Never seen an adult that size unless they were a house elf." He chuckled.

She giggled merrily, getting up... though 'up' wasn't very far. She was now a fully developed man who was a hair shy of a meter tall.

"Looks like that stuff you gave us fucked with her abilities a bit." Forester mused, looking her over.

"No shit!" Tonks said, but didn't look upset... if anything, she looked ecstatic with this new development.

Blaise looked at her contemplatively, "Say, could you do that? Be a house elf that is? I mean that would be like the ultimate form for a spy... who would suspect a house elf?"

Tonks snorted (which was adorable at her current size). "No trans-species changes for me thanks! How do you think I got the nickname _Kitten_? Course Christian was the only one to witness that particular catastrophe, thank Merlin."

Blaise chuckled. "Didn't go as well as hoped?"

She wrinkled her nose. "Not exactly. I was more like an anthromorphized cat person and it was wicked difficult getting back to normal. Fur is absolutely wretched!" She said ruefully. "Went about as well as Hermione's little brush with that bunged up Polyjuice potion couple years back. That's why I tried it in fact. It made me curious."

"Well, definitely stick to humans then. Wouldn't want you hacking out fur balls." Blaise chuckled.

Tonks glared at him, then an evil smirk came over her little face. She stared at him intently and Blaise suddenly found himself facing... _himself!_

"Bloody Hell." Blaise said, wide eyed. It was exactly as if he were looking into a mirror. He slowly circled around, inspecting his twin intently. Try as he might, he could find absolutely no difference. He smirked as he finished his circuit. "Damn... I'm even more shaggable than I thought... and you're right, Pansy... I have a bloody _brilliant_ arse! Hell, I'd shag me in a heartbeat!"

Tonks grinned, then looked thoughtful, "I wonder... it wouldn't really be crossing species boundaries _too_ much... and wouldn't have any bloody fur to worry about..." She concentrated really hard. For a moment, it didn't look as if anything were happening... then suddenly something sprouted from her back.

Blaise quickly grabbed ahold of her as she wavered, dedicating too much concentration to what she was doing to worry about keeping upright. Blaise held her as the growths developed and took proper shape. He watched raptly as they stretched out, forming into a pair of pristine white wings. He grinned, "Those are brilliant and all, but actually it was a _tail_ I wanted..."

She chuckled, shifting back a bit now that she was done and smiling at him. He noted the pointed canines and slitted pupils. He looked down as he felt something brush his ankle. There was a perfect replica of Forester's tail trailing up his leg teasingly. He chuckled. "Sweet."

"Oh _Hell_ yeah..." Forester said, getting up and eyeing the incubus incarnation of Blaise. He chuckled appreciatively.

"Bloody Hell... can you really see this much better? Wicked..." Tonks said, gazing around raptly. "Never tried changing my eye _type_ before..."

Pansy let out a little whimper. "Why does something that hot have to be a _girl?_" She asked piteously.

"Hmm... let's check out the authenticity..." Forester said mischievously, circling around Tonks. He sidled up behind her, then leaned forward and nuzzled the little stretch of skin between the wings, then ran his tongue up it teasingly. Tonks shivered. Forester shifted up close, peering over her shoulder and chuckling. "I'd say you have the nerve cells set up right..."

Tonks stared down, giggling almost nervously. "Never had _that_ happen when I was pretending to be a boy before..."

Forester pressed up against her, reaching around and stroking her as he nuzzled her neck. Tonks let out a little shuddering breath at the sensation, closing her eyes. Then he lifted his head and smirked at Blaise. "I think I can take it from here..." He released her, giving her a light swat on the bum, then slipped around her and over to Blaise. "Tell you what," He said, turning Blaise towards the door and draping his arm around him as he led him towards it, "You go have some fun with Ron and my sister and I'm gonna work on widening some horizons..." He glanced back over his shoulder and smirked. Tonks had settled down on the cushions, looking bemused as she stroked herself. Pansy's eyes were watching her movements as she bit her bottom lip. Forester looked back at Blaise. "I don't think my job's gonna be all that difficult..."

Blaise suddenly found himself looking at the closed door to his hidden room. He let out a little laugh, then turned, heading for the bedroom. Looks like tonight was going to be even more interesting than expected. He'd definitely have to see if there was some kind of Metamorphmagi registry somewhere...

> > > > > > > > > > >

"_Draco!_"

Draco's eyes sprang open as he spit out a mouthful of water. Ginny was in front of him, her hands propping his head up. He lifted his head as she released him and rubbed his hand over his face. "Bloody Hell... sorry..."

Ginny chuckled, "Bed time for you, mister. I don't wanna be a widow just because you couldn't stay awake in the tub!"

He grinned at her ruefully, then watched appreciatively as she slipped out of the tub, grabbing up the waiting towels. He sighed as she wrapped hers around herself, then carefully levered himself up, going over to the edge of the large tub and climbing out a bit less gracefully than usual. He accepted the towel and began drying himself off as he padded into the bedroom, feeling like he might just fall over if he stopped moving. He hadn't felt this tired since right after being hit by that bludger.

He wasn't completely dry, but he was finding it hard to care. He dropped his towel as he reached the bed, pulling back the covers and slipping gratefully under, ignoring how the sheets clung to his damp skin. He was past caring. The bed felt heavenly, clingy sheets and all.

Ginny took the time to finish drying herself, then grabbed up his towel and placed it with hers across the back of a hardwood chair before circling around and crawling into bed with him. As much as she'd love to shag him, especially since he was laying there looking so _unbelievably_ shaggable, she was content to let him go to sleep. She knew how wretchedly tired he was, and besides, the night before had been absolutely amazing... and of course she was going to be remembering that little interlude in the closet for a good long time to come. It had been absolutely brilliant! And now he was to be a Healer... or, well at least pretend to be in training to be one for the time being anyway. Who knows, perhaps he'd take to it and go ahead and finish the training.

She sighed contentedly and cuddled up closer to him as the candles dimmed. Like many young witches, she'd always thought that a guy being a Healer was just about the sexiest profession imaginable. They were always so altruistic and brave... saving lives every day, even at the risk of their own... She'd had more than her share of Healer fantasies... one of which she had finally gotten to live out in that little supply cabinet. She wondered if he'd laugh at her if she asked him to put the robe back on the next time they were alone and he was _awake_...

Draco stirred, his eyes cracking open. "Oh... envelope..." He muttered, obviously barely conscious.

"Hmm? What envelope?" Ginny asked, shifting up and moving her ear closer.

"In the drawer... after the wedding... he said to wait..." He said, his words trailing off into nothing.

She furrowed her brow, then looked around. A drawer. What drawer? He was obviously completely dead to the world now and would be of no further help. She shifted over, opening the drawer in the bedside table on her side of the bed. Nothing. She shifted back, then leaned over him, opening the drawer in the one on his side. Bingo.

She pulled the large envelope out, looking it over curiously. Her breath caught in her throat as she saw her name printed on it in small, neat script. She recognized the handwriting. She sat up, settling tailor fashion and staring down at the innocuous looking envelope for a long moment. The candles, sensing she was no longer laying down, brightened once again.

She had been avoiding thinking about Percy. In a way, if she didn't think about what horrible things might be happening to him, she could try to believe that it had just been a bad dream, or some kind of mistake... perhaps just a glitch in her mum's clock... that he was really just sitting in a little flat somewhere safe and sound. She knew it was living in denial, but it was the only way she could deal with it right now. She knew full well there was absolutely nothing she could do about his situation, and to let herself dwell on something out of her control would quickly drive her mad. The rest of the family seemed to be dealing with it in a similar fashion. They hadn't spoken of him hardly at all. She knew her mother had set several of the Zabini house elves to watching her clock in turns so that eyes were always upon it, ready to dash off and tell them in an instant if there was any change. Other than that, her mother seemed to have completely immersed herself in caring for Justin and Penelope to keep from worrying constantly over Percy's fate.

She couldn't avoid it any longer.

With trembling hands, she turned the envelope over, undoing the twine binding it shut and opened it. She peered in. There appeared to be a number of things in the envelope. She tipped it over and spilled them out onto the bed before her. Her bottom lip trembled as she picked up a photo of Percy playing with Justin. She looked down and spotted another of him and Penelope in the hospital, Justin no more than a squalling newborn. There were about a dozen more little glimpses of his life with his young family. He looked happy enough... she picked up a family photo that looked rather recent. It was large enough for her to see him clearly. Penelope was holding Justin while Percy was standing behind her with his arms around her, his hands resting on her stomach lovingly, a hint of her second pregnancy already showing. His head was resting on her shoulder and he was looking into the camera. There was a little smile on his lips, but when she looked closely, she could see a hint of deep sadness in his eyes.

She swallowed, blinking back the tears that were stinging her eyes. She spotted a folded bit of parchment and picked it up. A small key fell out as she unfolded it. The parchment was a letter. She braced herself, then made herself read it.

Dear Ginny,

My dear, sweet baby sister... what can I say? I know this is a poor excuse for a wedding present, but for reasons that are most  
likely apparent to you by now, I haven't had much chance to shop. The pictures that I have included are of me, my wife Penelope  
(whom you may remember from Hogwarts, formerly Clearwater), and our son Justin. My second son should be arriving before  
too long as well. I'm not sure if you've even heard of their existence before, as my letters to father have gone unanswered and  
were probably used to light the evening fire or some such. Not that I blame him. What I did was unforgivable, and I'm well  
aware of that.

As you no doubt know by now, I've went and gotten myself into a spot of trouble. I'm well aware that my demise is immanent,  
and if it brings you pain when it comes to pass I beg your forgiveness. I never meant to hurt you. Any of you. I've come to  
realize in these, my last few days, that there is nothing in this world more important than family. For this reason, I pray you can  
all find it in your hearts not to hold my trespasses against my wife and children, and to accept them into your lives. Please don't  
make them go through this alone. I'm not sure if Penelope will be able to bear it when she discovers I am gone, and I fear for the  
baby she carries if she doesn't have the love of a family to sustain her. They are staying with Penelope's parents, but I'm afraid  
they have never much cared for me. I doubt she will find much solace in their arms. They will most likely be openly glad to see  
me go.

These are all the pictures that remain to me. Penelope's parents most likely have plenty of pictures of Penelope and Justin, but  
they have made a point of either refusing the pictures with me in them or cutting me out of them (usually in front of me), so these  
may be the last ones existing of us together as a family. I braved the Ministry building itself to retrieve them from my desk after  
the flat was destroyed. I couldn't bear the thought of losing these, the last of the mementos of the brief joy I was allowed with my  
beloved wife and son. If my children ever ask after me, hopefully there will at least be these few pictures remaining. There is no  
other place I know of and that I can get to that they will be safe.

I know this is wretched of me, but seeing as you may well be the only one who would even consider it if I asked a boon of you,  
I'm forced to do so now. Please, I beg of you, make father at least meet them. I know if he sees Justin he will come to love him.  
If I know that my wife and children will have the love of the family I once had the honor to call my own, I will be able to rest in  
peace. The key is for our vault at Gringotts. It doesn't contain much, but if you could get it to Penelope, I would be forever  
grateful.

You may not be able to see the sense in what I have done, and why I feel it is important enough that I should make a widow of  
my wife so early in life and leave my sons without a father to guide them. Please just believe me when I say that what I do, I do  
for you, for my wife and children, for the rest of the family, and for countless other innocent witches, wizards and Muggles. What  
I have given to the Daily Prophet was no more than the tip of the iceberg. The rest needs to be known, but for the stability of our  
society must wait a bit longer. Things may seem bad now, but believe me when I say that there is so very much more wrong than  
anyone ever dreamt. What I unwittingly stumbled upon can not be allowed to be silenced once again or all will be lost. The  
danger we face comes not only from the obvious. For this reason, I am willing to give my life to protect this knowledge. I have  
hidden it away where I hope those who would take it will never think to look. I hope things will calm soon, and that this conflict  
will pass. When it has, I only ask that you remember me fondly. Do this, and my sacrifice will be more than worth it.

I know I promised I would always be there to protect you, and I hope some day you'll forgive me for breaking that promise.  
I love you with all my heart. I wish you all the joy and love you so richly deserve. I know you and Draco will be happy together. Admittedly, I was skeptical when I heard who you were to marry, but I trust your judgment. You've always been able to judge  
people better than I.

Well, I guess this is goodbye. If any of the others care to hear it, tell them how very much I love them and miss them. Perhaps  
we'll meet again some day on the other side of the veil. Take care of yourself, and remember, no matter how old you get, you  
will always be my little BBG.

Love, Percy

Ginny set the letter down, her hands trembling. She looked over the photos. Her eyes came to rest on a thin book. She picked it up and opened it.

Her tears broke free, coursing down her cheeks. It was a small photo album. The first page was a picture of Percy as a teen... he had a carefree grin on his face with her up on his shoulders. She was about five and had on one of his black shirts that hung loosely on her, holding her arms out to the sides and waggling her arms to make the loose sleeves flap, pretending to be a bat bogey. She flipped the page, her tears only increasing. The book held about a dozen photos, all of the family. If this was from his desk at work, he must have kept the album in a drawer or a pocket of his robes, not wanting the pictures out where others might see. The leather of the cover was well worn, parts of it slightly darker, obviously having been handled and held a great deal.

Draco stirred. "Ginny?" He asked worriedly.

She sniffled, quickly wiping away her tears and rubbing them dry on the covers, "I'm fine. Just finishing up." She said quickly, then carefully folded up the letter and gathered the photos and the key, slipping them back into the envelope. All accept for the most recent picture of Percy with his family and the little album. She set the envelope on the bedside table, then settled back, looking at the picture of Percy's little family.

Draco shifted up wearily, then wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm fine. Go back to sleep." She said.

"No you're not." He said softly, but without a doubt.

She looked over at him. His eyes were full of concern, and there were glistening trails from the corners of his eyes where he'd obviously cried in his sleep. "Can't lie to me about your feelings anymore. Not when they're this strong." He said, then leaned closer, kissing her cheek comfortingly.

Her bottom lip trembled as she stared down at the photo, then she shifted over, propping it against a water glass on the bedside stand. She picked up the album, opening it up to the picture of the two of them and propping it up next to it, then settled down in the bed. She just stared at them as Draco spooned up against her, wrapping her in a protective hug and kissing her neck tenderly.

"I just want my brother back." She said achingly, her voice cracking slightly.

"I know." He said sadly, holding her as she broke down and started sobbing. "We'll get him back."

> > > > > > > > > > >

Draco walked along in an uncharacteristic slouch. He was exhausted, and yet he couldn't sleep. He'd waited until Ginny cried herself to sleep then left the room, not wanting to wake her. His body felt slow and heavy with weariness, yet his insomnia had chosen the opportunity to kick back in full force. He had some of the potion for dreamless sleep along, but he couldn't bring himself to use it. He knew his body needed rest, but his mind was churning with worry and speculation over what was to come. The anxiety had been steadily growing in him and he could no longer deny it. He was _afraid_ to use the potion, afraid something would happen and he'd be helpless in his drugged slumber. It was as if a huge shadow were hanging over him. Something was coming, he could feel it in every fiber of his being, and he hadn't the slightest doubt that it would be far worse than anything else he'd ever experienced.

Never had he had so many reasons to be afraid... so much to lose. He had never had anyone to truly worry about. His mother had always been the impassive lush that never seemed to require a second thought. She had almost been like just another part of the mansion. His father had long since stopped bothering with her, hadn't even so much as struck her in years. The thought that she might be in danger had never really entered Draco's mind. But now... now she was most definitely in danger. His father would kill her in as painful and drawn out a manner as he could devise if he got ahold of her, of that Draco was sure. He didn't even want to contemplate what his father would do to the two tiny sibling that had only just begun life in his mother's belly.

And of course now he had a whole big family to worry over. The thought of anything happening to his beloved Ginevra was unbearable, but he'd already begun getting attached to the other Weasleys as well... even _Ron!_ He'd never witnessed the warm closeness and open affection they had for eachother. The thought of being somehow a part of that big, loving family had formed an undeniable attachment between him and every other member of his new family. Of course through Pansy, Blaise and Snape were now family in a way as well. He felt a stirring in his chest at the thought. Snape had been so much more a father to him than his real father ever had been, and Blaise... he'd never felt as close to someone (other than Ginny now of course) as he did to Blaise. He'd never thought he could feel so strongly for another boy... and come to think of it, they were going to be related even more closely through the tiny sibling his mother carried as well. That was definitely going to take some getting used to. It also meant Blaise was just as much at risk of his father's retribution as his mother was, if not more so.

And now it wasn't even just his 'adopted' family... he had _blood_ relations as well! He'd never had much in the way of close relatives, and the thought was a bit mind boggling. He had an actual aunt and uncle! Two aunts actually. It was hard thinking of little Celestial as an Aunt, but she was technically. He still couldn't believe Balthys was now his grandfather in a way. It was only through marriage, but still. Never in his wildest dream had he imagined they would ever be related! And who knows, perhaps he might even be adding Lupin to the list as well. Of course that would just put the gentle man at the top of Lucius' torture and kill list...

He stopped in front of a door, sighing as he reached out and touched the damage the Thestral Stallion's talons had left in the wood. It would probably be fixed by morning, but the house elves apparently hadn't gotten to it yet. He had wandered aimlessly, but he knew he'd end up here sooner or later.

He opened the door and crossed the dimly lit sitting room in silence. He came to a stop before Molly's clock, staring at it in the sparse light from the fireplace. She had had to extend the center spoke to allow for the many new hands she'd added. He gave a little half smile as he saw a bit of blond hair amongst the many hands resting on 'home'. Then the smile slid away as his eyes slipped over to the only hand that was not safely ensconced on the crowded spot. Percy's hand still lay on the 'mortal peril' space. Draco hoped it was his imagination, but it looked like it had shifted a bit, but not in the right direction. It had drifted closer to the space marked 'dead'.

He just stood there, staring at the little blithely smiling photo of Percy on the hand. It looked so unlike the sad, tortured young man he'd spoken to on his wedding night. Had that really been just last night? He consulted his watch. It was just shy of midnight, so yes, technically it had just been the night before. It seemed like ages ago. Still, he was sure it had seemed like much longer to Percy by now. He knew well what his father was capable of. Even _he_ had had many occasions when he was brought to the point of wishing for death while at his father's 'mercy', and his father had actually been _taking it easy_ on him, not wanting to do too much obvious damage. He let out a deep sigh. Why hadn't he stunned Percy and chained him to the wall if that was what was necessary to keep him there? Sure, he hadn't known the true extent of his peril until after he'd left, but he should have been able to guess.

As his eyes went back up to the clock, they widened in horror. Percy's hand was moving. His heart seemed to seize in his chest, his throat locking up as the hand slowly drifted over, coming to rest firmly on 'dead'.

Draco let out an anguished cry, dropping down to the floor and hugging his knees to his chest as he let out a sob. The guilt and pain welled up inside him, threatening to overwhelm him. He couldn't bear the thought of facing the Weasleys, seeing their pain and loss. And Ginny...

"Please, sir..."

He took a shuddering breath, trying to gather himself. He lifted his head, searching around until he spotted a house elf sitting on one of the chairs that was facing the clock. This must be the one on 'watch'.

"Please don't be fretting so, sir." It said soothingly. "You is needing to wait..." It said, pointing at the clock and settling back in its seat.

He looked back up at the clock, blinking away the tears. Nothing had changed. He looked back at the elf, but it was just staring intently at the clock. He looked back, watching.

After a long, drawn out minute, the hand ever so slowly started moving again. Draco watched incredulously as it drifted back up to 'mortal peril'. He scrambled to his feet, looking closer, sure he couldn't have just seen that, but Percy's hand was resting back where it had been before. He reached up, but then pulled his hand back. He wanted to touch it, to verify what his eyes saw, unwilling to believe them, but he didn't want to risk damaging the delicate instrument.

He turned to the house elf. "How did you know it would do that?" He demanded in shock.

"It is always going back before..." It said with a little self-conscious shrug.

"'Always'? Just how many times has it done that?"

The house elves ears flattened back. "I is begging your forgiveness, sir... I is not knowing you is wanting me to _count_, sir. I is not knowing... Is you wanting me to start counting?"

His jaw dropped slightly. That this had happened before was shocking enough... but the elf couldn't even recall how many times it had happened? "How long then? How long since it started?"

"It is starting just before I is coming for my watch. Maybe nine o'clock? The other elf is saying he is coming back if you is being patient, and is saying not to be alarming everyone unless he is _staying_ dead."

"Probably best."

Draco's eyes jerked up, catching on movement. Harry seemed to appear from the darkness. "Bloody Hell! Stop doing that!" He said, calming his racing heart.

Harry chuckled, then came over, dropping onto the couch by the fire. "Like I was saying, that's probably best really. Not sure poor Molly's heart could take watching that over and over again."

Draco looked at the clock and sighed, giving a slight nod. His heart almost hadn't taken it, and Percy wasn't even his son. He could only imagine how much worse it would be for her or Arthur.

The house elf was watching Harry nervously. Draco gave it a little smile. "Why don't you go out in the hall and take a breather. I'll watch the clock for a bit."

The house elf hopped up, nodding quickly and dashed out of the room without question.

Draco took a seat on the couch. "So, why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be tending to your new mistress?"

Harry grinned. "Oh don't worry, she has no complaints. She's just tending to some household matters right now."

"Household matters? At midnight?"

Harry chuckled. "Ya, well the house elves are getting a bit frazzled and she's just getting them settled."

"What has them frazzled?" Draco asked, surprised.

"Well, they aren't used to anyone but the Zabinis being here for any extended period for one. They're trying a bit too hard to keep track of everything if you ask me. They're all in a tizzy because they have people wandering the halls unescorted, non-Zabini animals roaming all over the place, one of which was trying its damnedest to claw its way through one of the doors and get in..."

"_What?_"

Harry smiled. "Kulia's other gargoyle finally returned. Delse went to let it in. Then she was going to go and try to get Celestial and Tiger to stop climbing up to the top of the tallest tower and jumping off. It's about to give the poor elves coronaries."

Draco let out a laugh. Looked like Tiger found a way to keep 'flying' after the others tired of flying him up so he could jump and glide to the ground. He'd also apparently found a playmate. "That does sound like it would be nerve wracking for them."

Harry sighed, looking at the clock. "I wish he'd just stay dead." He said softly.

Draco looked over at him in shock. "Why the Hell would you say that?"

"Because I've seen enough to know he'd be better off that way." He said softly.

Draco swallowed, his throat feeling a bit thick. As much as he hated to admit it, he was probably right. "We might still be able to get him back." He said, trying to sound optimistic, though deep down he was feeling far from it.

Harry looked over at him, watching him in silence for a long moment, then said softly, "What would there be left to get back by now?"

Draco looked away. He didn't even want to imagine what condition Percy was in. Harry might well be right. There may truly not be enough of him left to save.

"You work out the riddle?"

Draco felt a bit of relief at the change in subject, but at the same time it brought up a whole new subject that made him feel sick inside whenever he thought about it. "Demon hybrid soldiers fathered by Death Eaters." He said with a slight nod.

Harry nodded, settling back in his seat and folding his arms over his chest. "Sick fucks. The idea had been discussed a bit around him when they didn't think he was conscious, but he didn't think they'd actually do it. He wasn't sure until he saw your father in Hogsmeade. He wasn't wearing his ring. He was always so very careful about not fathering any children, even if he was sure he was going to kill the woman when he was done with her. Didn't want to take a chance she'd somehow, impossibly, get away and bear an heir. Better safe than sorry I guess. Seeing that ingredient list confirmed it beyond a shadow of a doubt. You were looking at it when he passed by you once. With a photographic memory, a glance is enough."

Draco looked over at him, furrowing his brow. "Potter?"

Harry gave an amused snort. "Just catching on, are you?'

Draco stared at him. "You... just seemed like the demon. I can usually tell the difference."

Harry shifted a bit uneasily. "Ya... well... to tell the truth it's getting a bit harder for _me_ to tell the difference too. Before, I was rubbing off on him... now... it's like he's rubbing off on _me_."

"Rubbing off?"

Harry sighed, "It's hard to explain. Blaise... well he did whatever that was to fix up the demon... and he did something to me too... and ever since then we feel closer somehow, like something that didn't quite fit before does now... and he... well..." He sighed in frustration as he tried to verbalize the strange feelings inside. "This is going to sound daft, and if you so much as smirk I'll curse you!" He said, narrowing his eyes at Draco for a moment, but when Draco just nodded, he went on hesitantly. "I've... always felt like there was something missing in me. Maybe it's just the loss of my parents or how my aunt and uncle treated me growing up... the way most people alienated me in one way or another since I came to know about the wizarding world, whether because they hated me or thought I was some almost mythical 'savior'..." He said, scowling in irritation at the thought, "I've always felt a kind of... void inside... when he's there... it's like it goes away. I don't feel as alone... as empty. It feels almost like the longer he's in me, the deeper he settles until he's starting to feel less like a demon possessing me, taking control from me on occasion... and more like a part of myself... the moment I refused to let him leave me, it's like I broke down some kind of barrier inside. It started before that really, but _since_ then the lines have blurred so much... it's gotten so the transition between me and the demon is so subtle I sometimes don't even realize it... like we're two parts of the same mind... I speak sometimes, he speaks sometimes... but the transition doesn't even seem to require thought anymore... and when we make love to Delse, I couldn't honestly tell you who it was who is in control anymore. We both love her and want to please her and it's like there's no difference between us at all when we're with her..." He let out a sigh, "Makes no sense, I know."

"Actually, it makes perfect sense. Of course, I may be the only one who would understand." Draco said softly. "Sounds just like Darien and I."

Harry looked over at him, making sure he wasn't making fun of him somehow. Draco just stared back at him guilelessly.

They sat for a while in silence.

"So..." Draco said to break up the silence that was drawing out. "Who's running around unescorted?"

"You mean other than you?"

Draco grinned, "I'm not going to get lost. They don't have to worry about me."

"Being a Thestral has some advantages, eh?" Harry asked with a grin.

"Jealous?" Draco chuckled.

Harry looked thoughtful. "Hmm... you can fly, claw people and find your way around without a map... I can speak Parseltongue _and_ demonic, take most attacking spells without even flinching, survive Avada Kedavra repeatedly, casts spells with demonic power to catastrophic effect, and shag about ten times better than should be humanly possible... I think I'm ok with what I have, thanks. Being able to fly without a broom _would_ be cool though." He said with a little nod.

Draco gave a snort. "Bugger off."

Harry just chuckled. "But to answer your earlier question, Lupin and your mother have also apparently found their rooms a bit stuffy."

Draco straightened a bit. "She shouldn't be going on long strolls in her condition. Where'd they go?"

"The elves didn't say, but I think I can guess." Harry said with a wicked chuckle, rising. "Care to place a wager?"

> > > >

"Why would they be here?" Draco asked, puzzled as they stepped into the Hall.

Harry quickly made a hushing motion. He walked forward a few yards into the hall, then just stood there, eyes closed and listening for a moment. A smile sprang to his lips as he turned to the side, "Reminiscing." He whispered with a little snicker, then crept forward.

Draco followed him, puzzled. Harry came to a stop, then leaned against a tree, staring around it. Draco came up beside him, then quickly stifled a laugh. They were there, just as Harry predicted. They were huddled under a cloak, but from the number of clothing items scattered around, that was undoubtedly the only thing they had on. Narcissa was laying on top of Lupin, who was running his fingers through her long hair that seemed to almost glow in the moonlight falling on them through the tall windows. They were kissing in a slow, deeply passionate way that made Draco smile. He'd never seen his mother look so happy and contented.

He patted Harry's arm and they made their way silently out of the hall, not wanting to disturb them. When the door was closed Draco sighed. "Well, at least not everything is going all to pot."

Harry smiled. "Any light in the darkness." He said softly. Draco looked at him in surprise as Harry reached up and brushed his cheek. Red eyes stared back at him. "Go get some sleep, Draco."

Draco gave him a little smile, then nodded. "I think I will."

> > > > > > > > > > >

Snape stroked Hermione's hair absently as she lay there cuddled against him. Their evening together had been more than pleasant, yet he couldn't seem to settle down and sleep. It was morning already, the sky outside their window beginning to lighten, and still he hadn't slept a wink. His mind kept wandering to dark places he'd rather it didn't go. The plan the demon had hinted at was horrific... and yet he knew that it was completely plausible. He knew the complete disregard the Dark Lord and most of his followers had for lives, human and otherwise... but to use their _own children_...

He'd only known he had a daughter for a couple of days and already his heart had taken the knowledge and twined it so intrinsically throughout his very core that he couldn't bear the thought of anything ever happening to her. He couldn't imagine fathering a child, knowing full well for all those months that it was your own child growing in the woman's belly, and then doing something so reprehensible to it... in effect destroying the child just to make a cold, emotionless weapon.

How many children did they have there, awaiting a fate worse than death? What would they do with them if they didn't acquire the means to summon demons to inhabit their bodies? Somehow he doubted they would keep them and raise them. They were almost certainly using Muggle women, and the children would therefor not be pure blood. There hadn't been a rash of witches being abducted to his knowledge... though the Muggle papers _had_ reported a small, but significant rise in the number of runaways and missing persons all over Europe near the end of the last school year and on into the summer, mostly female. They had suspected it was part of some kind of Death Eater movement once the Dark Lord came out, but had never found any real evidence it was related. They had expected something flashy and shocking right from the off. It was almost nerve wracking that he'd been so uncharacteristically subtle. Well, before Diagon Alley of course.

What was even more worrisome for his own circumstances was that he hadn't been told of this plan, or even of the attack on Diagon Alley. He was supposed to be a highly trusted Death Eater. Why had the Dark Lord not so much as hinted about it to him? Of course it was possible that he'd only told those who would be actively participating in the Diagon Alley attack about it beforehand... and he may just not have wanted anyone near Dumbledore to have any knowledge of the plan with the children since he had long suspected Dumbledore of having natural Ligilimency abilities. Snape had always been exceptional at Occlumency, but this might have actually been a strike against him in Voldemort's opinion. Voldemort had yet to get so much as a peek into Snape's mind, and at times Snape had seen indications that this was most vexing to him. He'd explained that he had natural mental barriers that were augmented by highly ingrained training that his father had started him on when he was no more than a child, and that he didn't think he could let down the barriers even if he tried. Voldemort had seemed somewhat less than content with this reason. He liked being able to poke about in the minds of his followers whenever he so chose. It gave the overly paranoid man a bit less to fixate on.

Even if he wouldn't have been told why, he was surprised Voldemort hadn't at the very least had him father a few children. He could have just told him it was a loyalty test or insuring his bloodline or some such. After all, Voldemort had promised to insure that loyal bloodlines were carried on and thrived. Even if his followers fell in his service, their progeny would be protected. Of course, Snape was thankful it _hadn't_ been required of him. He wasn't sure if he could have retained a cool, calm exterior if they had tried to implant demons in his own children. Besides, he somehow doubted the women actually _wanted_ to bear the little demonic offspring of their abductors, and rape wasn't something he'd been able to even bear watching, even back when the Dark Lord had first reigned and such things were almost expected of Death Eaters. Lucius had found this particular 'weakness' rather amusing.

Perhaps Lucius was behind it. He'd been growing decidedly disenchanted with Snape. Even in the beginning, Snape had known Lucius had ambitions... visions of grandeur acquired through cunning and double dealing while riding the Dark Lord's coat tails. Back then, he seemed to consider Snape a close comrade and confidante. He'd even hinted that, should he be put into any kind of position of authority, he would like him along as his right hand man.

After Voldemort's sudden fall and disappearance, Lucius had always looked at him differently. Lucius himself had been forced to bow, scrape, bribe and connive his way out of going to Azkaban... and he seemed to view Snape's easy avoidance of it as highly suspicious. They had slipped into a more 'casual acquaintance' type relationship after that. No longer did Lucius share his ambitions and confidences with Snape. Not that Snape missed Lucius reminiscing about his favorite torture sessions or a woman who had put up a particularly good fight. Snape would still attend Lucius' many extravagant parties and once Draco had started school, they became parent and professor, and had occasion to socialize a bit more, though Lucius kept on his 'public face', even though Snape already knew far too many of his dark little secrets.

"Where are you?"

Snape blinked in surprise, looking down into Hermione's warm brown eyes. He forced a little smile. "Sorry. Can't seem to sleep. A bit preoccupied."

"No kidding." She said with a smirk, then it faded as she laid her head back down on his shoulder. "Sorry... go ahead. There's a lot to think about right now. It's ok."

He stroked her hair, kissing the top of her head gently. "There _is_, but that's no reason to dwell on it during the little time we have to ourselves, especially since I was gone a good part of the day yesterday. The day didn't exactly work out according to plan..."

"No... I truly doubt anyone planned on what happened. But it wasn't all bad. I mean I never dreamed I'd meet Kulia's family, but that was great anyway. Part incubus... that's just amazing. I've read a lot about them." Hermione said with that familiar glint of scholarly excitement in her eyes.

"Interested in sex demons, are you?" he asked with a smirk.

She grinned. "Not an unusual subject for sexually frustrated teens to read up on. Actually, the books I looked through looked _very_ well read..."

Snape smirked. He quite imagined they were. If he was being honest with himself, he had to admit that he had known all about them by the time he hit fifteen. He never did find a valid method for summoning them though. There had been mention of ceremonies to try to ward them off and such, but the authors didn't even appear to consider that someone might actually want to _attract_ them. It was just said they seem to be very drawn to people with strong magical powers who were very sensual and open to new ideas, but even more so to those with unfulfilled sexual desire, or repressed sexuality. That being the case, he should have been _swarming_ with them in his teens. Despite that, meeting Balthys and his children was the first time he'd ever laid eyes on even so much as a half-breed of the species. Well, to his knowledge anyway. Carys didn't appear to get much more than fangs from the incubus blood in her, and he'd heard of other powerful wizards who had been said to be half incubus though they showed no physical sign of it, Merlin the most notable of them of course.

"Thinking about doing a bit of research with Forester?" Snape asked teasingly.

Hermione snorted and swatted his chest. "Not likely. Why? You wanting to do a bit of research yourself with Carys? She didn't look like the type that would mind helping you out..."

Snape rolled his eyes. "I'm not a fool. Messing about with succuba has inherent risks I have no intention of taking. Only young men are foolish enough to hazard that with full knowledge of what they are capable of. Besides, I don't need a succuba to be contented now, do I?" He said, shifting his head down and capturing her lips.

When the kiss broke, she smiled, shifting up a bit so she could kiss him without stretching awkwardly. She settled down, closing her eyes as their lips met again. He slipped his arms around her as the kiss lingered and deepened.

When their somewhat drawn out snogging session ended, Snape sighed, nuzzling against her. "I love you, Hermione." He said softly.

She sighed happily, "I love you too, Snape."

He chuckled softly. "You know, sooner or later, you're going to have to stop calling me that."

She pouted playfully. "Why? You've always been Snape to me... How can I think of you any other way?"

"Very well, Miss. Granger."

"Oh stop!" She giggled.

"What?"

"My name is _Hermione_ and you well know it. The only people who call me Granger are ones who don't like me."

"Well I have a first name too, and the few people who don't despise me tend to use it..."

"But your name sounds so..." She trailed off.

"So you just dislike my name?"

She rolled her eyes, "It's just Severus sounds so cold and like you're cutting someone up or something. I just don't feel it suits you."

"Well, it's worked well enough for me my whole life." He said with a slight shrug.

"_Draco_ calls you Snape." She quickly pointed out.

"I'm not bedding Draco."

Hermione laughed, then settled down on him a bit more, nuzzling against him. "You've just always been Snape to me... Snape, my evil, vindictive, _wicked_ Potions professor." She said in a sultry voice, nipping his neck and undulating against him.

He groaned, then smiled, "Ok, ok... for now you can keep calling me Snape... but at least stop calling me professor while we're shagging. I find it disconcerting..."

She giggled mischievously, "I'll _try_ to stop..."

He kissed her cheek, "But you _are_ eventually going to have to come to terms with my first name."

She pouted, "Why?"

"Because... when we get married, _you_ will be a Snape as well."

Her eyes went wide and she sat up abruptly, staring down at him incredulously. "Married?"

"Well... if you don't find someone else and wander off again of course..."

Her eyes dropped as her cheeks flushed. "I..."

He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back down. "I was only teasing." He said gently, stroking his hand down her back soothingly. "You know it will be a while before we can even consider it... you have to complete your schooling... and then we should probably wait a bit longer still so it doesn't look too suspicious..."

She lifted her head, staring into his dark eyes, "But... after that... you would really want to marry me?"

He smiled, "If you'll have me. There's nothing I'd love more than to make you my wife and spend the rest of my life with you. You complete me." He said with soft spoken earnestness.

Hermione just stared down at him incredulously for a long moment, her eyes watery, her mouth hanging open a bit. She suddenly took a deep breath and let out a little cry of joy, wrapping herself around him and holding him so tightly he could scarcely breath. When she let up some she kissed him passionately.

He got a quick gasp of air when she finally let up on him. She shifted up, grinning down at him, then her expression sobered. "I find your proposal acceptable, but until it is signed and sealed, I retain the right to refer to you as Snape."

He chuckled. "I can agree to those terms. Until then, I would like to put down a deposit..."

She watched, puzzled, as he slipped something off his pinky... except there didn't appear to be anything on it... She watched as he took her hand. Her eyes widened as she felt the unmistakable feel of a warm metal band slipping onto her ring finger. She sat up again, furrowing her brow and feeling the invisible ring. Slowly, a gold band became visible, appearing on her finger and gleaming back at her innocently as if it had always been there. She gave a little gasp, looking closer. It was an old fashioned ring, a simple band of gold with light but fluidly graceful lines tracing apparently abstract designs around it with no beginning and no end.

"It was my mother's." He said softly. "Father was never one for extravagance... if you'd like a new one later I'll get you one..."

"No... it's beautiful. I love it." Hermione said, hugging her hand to her as tears streaked down her cheeks.

"I've charmed it to be invisible unless you will it to be otherwise. We can remove the charm once the engagement is official, but I felt it best for now..."

She quickly nodded, then wrapped herself around him again. She kissed him lovingly, then pulled her head back, looking thoughtful. "You know what this means, don't you?" She said with a little mischievous smile.

"What?" He said a bit warily.

"You're going to have to meet my _parents_..."

His eyes went wide. "Oh bloody Hell..." he muttered, utterly horrified. "Um... perhaps that would best be put off until later as well..."

She giggled.

They looked over as there was a knock on the bedroom door. Snape looked rather relieved as he shifted her off, grabbing up a robe and pulling it on. He made sure she was covered, then went over, opening the door.

Balthys smirked at him. "Morning." He said, walking past him and on into the room. "Tried knocking on the suite door but I guess you didn't hear me."

"Something I can help you with?" Snape asked as Balthys smirked at Hermione and gave her a little nod of greeting.

"No. Just done." Balthys said casually, reaching into his pocket and producing a small glowingly white object.

Snape's eyes went wide as he stepped closer, looking at the diminutive carving. "You're done? Already?"

"Actually I finished this by about three thirty. Most the way through the next already in fact, but I didn't figure you'd want to be disturbed any earlier. Celestial and that little thestral have been ripping around the room nonstop since they had to stop jumping off the towers, so there was little else for me to do anyway. Not like I could sleep through that. Don't worry, with my incubi blood I can go rather extended periods without sleep without much bother. Luckily it takes a while to work up to that ability. Those two both looked about ready to drop when I left. Should be blessedly quiet in the room by the time I get back to it. Well, unless Justin gets cranky... Anyway, thought I'd drop this by if you were awake, and you were, so here I am."

Snape reached out to take the carving, but Balthys quickly snatched it back. "Ah ah. No touching for _you_." He said, then tossed the carving over to Hermione. She caught it, then stared down at it, stunned.

"And just why can't I touch it?" Snape asked, puzzled.

Balthys gave him a little smile. "Let's be frank, shall we?"

Snape folded his arms over his chest, giving a nod and watching him warily.

"Do you want whomever stuck that thing on your arm knowing about you and her?" Balthys asked bluntly, pointedly eyeing the sleeve hiding his dark mark.

Snape's eyes widened.

"Somehow I didn't think so. Until you get rid of that _thing_ or get rid of whomever put it there, I wouldn't suggest you touch the carving."

Snape put his hand over the mark self consciously and sighed. "It doesn't come off."

"Well then go with the alternative." Balthys said with a guileless smile.

Snape sighed. "If only it were that simple." He muttered, then forced a little smile. "Thank you. I hope we'll be able to use it someday."

"Oh you will." He said distractedly, looking around. "Nice room."

"Yes, I suppose it is." Snape said, a bit disconcerted. Balthys didn't appear to be leaving, and he wasn't sure how to tactfully ask him to after the man had just done him a favor.

Balthys looked over at him and smirked. "Aren't you going to ask me how to use it?"

"We were at the ceremony." Hermione said, looking up from the carving for the first time.

Balthys gave a little snort of amusement. "I doubt very much that they completed the ceremony in front of you. Unless of course they let you into their bedchamber afterwards... Draco didn't strike me as quite that open..."

Hermione blushed. "Oh... um... no..."

"Well, you saw the public part, then you take her back to the room as usual..." He sat on the side of the bed and held out his hand. Hermione handed it back to him. "Place your fingers here and here..." He said, showing her, "Then squeeze slightly..." The carving shimmered and grew larger. "Then place it like so on her belly and then do what comes naturally." He said, resting it on Hermione's stomach, making her blush even brighter. "This does requires the missionary position, so sorry if that cramps your style." He said with a playful smirk. "But once you've consummated the union it's done. After that, this is just a memento, but a pretty one at least."

Hermione picked the carving up, experimentally placing her fingers on the designs and making it shrink down. "It's amazing." She said, stroking its warm surface with her fingers.

Snape moved closer, looking down at the glowingly white object. "I'm just curious... why do you need incubus blood to make these?"

Balthys grinned, then held up his hand, his talons slipping out. "Because you need _these_ to carve it properly."

Snape smirked. "Those must come in rather handy."

"On occasion..." Balthys said with a little nod. He opened his mouth to speak again, but his eyes suddenly shot wide and began to glow as his wings half unfurled.

Snape let out a little hiss of pain and clutched his arm. As the pain started to ease, he slid back his sleeve a bit and Hermione caught a glimpse of black on his arm. He dropped the sleeve and hurried over to the wardrobe the house elves had put his clothes in.

Balthys looked over at Hermione questioningly, but she was too worried to explain.

When he had his pants on, he doffed the robe, and Balthys got a look at the mark on his arm. The black had mostly subsided, the mark returning to it's usual ugly red. Snape pulled on his under shirt, quickly tucking it in as he looked over at Balthys. "I have to go. Not sure when I'll be back. Could you give my apologies to Delse for me?"

"Of course." Balthys replied immediately.

"Just tell her I was called away on urgent business... but tell Draco what happened, and he'll know who here needs to be told where I really am."

Balthys nodded.

Snape grabbed up the bag in the bottom of the wardrobe and carefully extracted something thin and rectangular in shape. As he unwrapped it, they saw that it was a small portrait of a prudish looking old witch who was nodding off in a rocking chair with overstuffed lime green cushions. He set the portrait on a chair, then cleared his throat loudly. When the old woman continued snoring away, he picked the portrait up and gave it a good shake before setting it back down. She woke with a little startled sound, quickly snatching at her spectacles as they tried to slip off.

"Blood and sand!" She said indignantly, righting her askew hat and smoothing her clothing. "There's no need to be rude!"

Snape sighed impatiently. "You've been given a job to do. Are you going to do it or sit there squawking?"

She glared at him. "Message?" She asked in a crisp (and rather cold) tone.

"Tell him I've been called away. While you're at it, tell him Draco and the others know the Dark Lord's plans and on the off chance he doesn't know yet, he should contact them."

She gave a rather rude snort. "Think you're smarter than him now, do you?" She asked sarcastically.

Snape rolled his eyes. "I never said that!" He said, very carefully keeping his temper. "And I don't have time for this!"

He snatched up his vest and pulled it on, quickly buttoning it up. He looked up as he heard her tisking. She was looking over at the bed where Hermione was wrapped up in a sheet and Balthys was still sitting on the side of the bed. "Lands... looks like the moral requirements for professors have gone down a great deal since my day. An young girl _and_ an _incubus_? Scandelous!"

Snape gave her a poisonous glare. "That 'girl' is of legal age, the 'incubus' is a visiting _relative_ who was just stopping by to drop something off, and might I remind you that there are other methods of getting messages through... and that fire is still lit!" He said, jerking his head significantly towards the fireplace where the fire was indeed still crackling.

"Lewd _and_ violent... your mother must be proud." She replied caustically.

His eyes flashed and he took a step towards the portrait, but then let out a sudden cry. The searing in his mark had returned. This time, instead of going away, it began increasing until it felt like his entire arm was engulfed in flames. The intensity of the pain clouded his mind and he stumbled, then felt arms grab ahold of him. After a moment, the pain eased back down to a low burning.

He blinked his eyes open, gasping for breath. As his senses returned, he realized that Balthys was holding him, and his wings were wrapped tightly around them, cocooning them together. He tried to straighten up and take his weight off of Balthys, but the incubus didn't release him. "Um... you can let go now..." Snape said a bit uneasily.

"Not until he does." Balthys replied in a slightly strained voice.

It wasn't until then that he noticed the way Balthys had his eyes closed, a look of concentration on his face. He quickly realized that the mark had not subsided its onslaught... Balthys was blocking it!

It was a good minute or so before the burning finally eased the rest of the way and Balthys let his wings slip away, furling against his back as usual as he stepped back.

"Thank you." Snape said, unable to meet his eyes.

"Who is this person that you let do these things to you?" Balthys asked uncomprehendingly.

"He's never done that before." Snape said, grabbing his winter cloak off the hook. He pulled it on, then looking thoughtful. "That felt... _personal._"

"You can't go to him if he's mad enough to do that to you!" Hermione said fearfully. She was standing there wrapped up in the sheet. He glanced over, making sure she'd left the carving on the bed, then stepped up to her, wrapping her in a loving hug. "I _have_ to go, Hermione. No matter what. Dumbledore is depending on me."

She let out a little piteous sound, hugging him tightly.

"You must promise me something." He said softly.

She pulled her head back, looking up at him. "What?"

"No matter what, you must swear to me that you won't leave these grounds unless Dumbledore himself escorts you. He should be coming by around midday if all goes as scheduled. When he leaves, go with him to Hogwarts and then do not leave the grounds."

"But what if..." She began, but he put his fingers over her mouth gently.

"Hermione... believe me when I say I will be much safer if _you_ are safe." At her look of dubious confusion, he sighed. "You were there in that room... when I told you about Pansy, and then Draco and Dumbledore came in... what was discussed there would be my death sentence if the Dark Lord ever found out about it. He can't get that information from my mind, but if he gets ahold of _you_, we _both_ die."

She bit her lip. Even Dumbledore had said it would get Snape killed. She'd never realized that her merely being in that room could put Snape's life at risk. Slowly she nodded her head. "I promise." She said sadly.

"Besides," he said gently, "So long as I know you're safe, I can bear anything the Dark Lord might do to me."

She let out a little whimper and hugged him tight.

"Want me to call a house elf to bring a ward for the grounds?" Balthys asked gently, not wanting to intrude.

Snape sighed as he released Hermione. "No need. I'll apparate."

"But this place is like Hogwarts. You can't apparate out." Hermione said immediately.

"No, I _can't_ apparate through the wards... but that doesn't mean I can't apparate to the gate, walk out, and apparate from there." Snape replied with a little smile. "Sometimes you just have to find shortcuts. I, for one, do not want to leave him waiting long enough for another little reminder, so goodbye." He said, giving her another quick kiss, then backing up. He glanced over at the witch in the painting who was sitting there, looking stunned by the sudden turn of events. He rolled his eyes. "And if that old bat doesn't get up off her arse and do her job, toss her in the fire and send Dobby!" He said before Apparating away with a clap.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - I know, I know. About bloody time I posted! Well, I've been having some difficulties lately, both with my muse and on the technical front. As far as the technical, my firewall expired and I haven't been able to even get online for several days because any time I get on without a firewall some bloody hackers get into my computer and fuck with stuff, sticking trojans on my harddrive and such, and I also end up with icons on my desktop I never put there, and I _sure as Hell_ never put those 'girls girls girls' sites and shit like that in my favorites! No fuckin privacy and sure as Hell nothin sacred anymore! Well, I have a good firewall now, so that shit best not be happening anymore.

On the muse front, and **PLEASE READ**... I have been toying with the idea of starting the prequel before this one is quite over... but I'm going back and forth with the idea... I haven't written a whole lot on it yet, though I have a bit of it planned out already. There are some characters I would like a bit more developed for the end of _this_ that I can only do in the prequel, and yet I hate to put off the end of this still longer just for some character development. Perhaps I'll just wait on that, finish this, and deal with the fact that you just might not understand the reasoning behind some things before I have the prequel out. (if you chose to read it that is). It's frustrating really, cause I'm not good at making tough decisions... and I mean I don't even have a title for the prequel yet! If anyone has ideas for it, please send them to me in private email and if I chose yours I will be sure to credit you in the A/N. If you haven't guessed yet, Hermione/Snape will be the main focus of the prequel, and I'm not anticipating that the focus will shift much or that it will go _that_ long, as we have a preset time frame, and I will be avoiding giving too much away about this one, such as the fact that there's a demon floating around (just in case people later read them in time sequence), though I will of course be foreshadowing some of the things that happen in this. I'd like to hear your thoughts on this. Should I pause this and do the prequel? Cause if so, I'm gonna have to pretty much pause _NOW _or I'll be leaving you with a cliffy an everyone will wanna beat me. I mean this leaves you wondering what's up with Voldy, but I didn't think it was too bad. I toyed with leaving the last section off, but that would have made it a rather short chapter, and you've all waited so patiently... Well, tell me what you think, and I'll probably go with majority rule. I'll put it in my profile when I make my decision on which way to go so if need be those of you who only have story alert can watch for it since it won't tell you if I start posting a different story. Just a warning, either way it might take a little while to get something up, cause both need some major planning and sequencing to go any further. Just bear with me ;)

Just a note for those of you unfamiliar with 'Closer' by Nine Inch Nails... actually, I'm sure you've probably heard it. It's the song with the lyrics "I wanna fuck you like an animal... my whole existence is flawed... you get me closer to God". Put that song on repeat with someone special sometime! ;P Just so you know, I have no idea how long the radio version is (on the few stations that will actually play it, though most that do play it censer it as well) but the version on the Downward Spiral is a little over 6 minutes long. Just didn't want you to think it was a standard three minute song ;>

XxTimesStopsxX - little refresher... Breanna is Pansy's mum. The one who got wasted at a party and shagged Snape ;) I've often thought I need a reference manual... Just don't know where I'd put it in an online story, or how much I could say in it without giving away stuff for those who haven't finished the story yet.

Krystal Klear - oh don't worry, I'm not planning on changing this one to reflect HP6. My other fic, which no one has ever seen, could be easily adapted to have a black Blaise though. I wrote the other one before I became interested in the Blaise character, so his part is very small in it. I'm just worried there will be too many _other_ changes. I'll just have to wait and see I guess.

Nameundecided - Where did all the rings come from? Well, Forester's was obviously from his dad, and specialized for him. The ring Delse wanted Blaise to wear was the one his father had given him, but he had always refused to wear because it had his father's crest on it. Delse had let him go without seeing as there were alternatives (the spells) and he had been studiously careful before, but since he knocked up Narcissa (and only Draco and Ginny know that wasn't entirely an accident) she decided he needed a way to take care of that without possibility of forgetting. The ring Draco gave Blaise was the one Draco had always worn, but had taken off when he and Ginny decided to try for a baby. One of his elves found it in the carriage where he'd tossed it aside and tried to return it to him, but he no longer wanted it. I mean what would be the point? Ginny's already pregnant and he has no intention of shagging anyone else.

byrnes - I have never said you had to flatter me, not to mention that I would hardly classify your last review as mostly "lavish praise"! You said it was "good" but that it was put together in such an irritatingly complex way that you couldn't even stand to read it anymore! Then you proceeded to tell me what I had to do to 'fix' it! I found that just _slightly_ insulting. I'm not about to go gutting my work and throwing away everything that, in my opinion, makes this fic worth reading! My story is what it is, and is far too integrated to even consider dicing up, even if I were inclined to, which I am _not_ in any way, shape or form. I have spent nearly all my free time for damn near a YEAR now working on this and I am getting a _very_ low tolerance threshold for irritation and people telling me I'm doing everything wrong. I'm trying valiantly to finish this fic, and I can't do that while being antagonized. I flatly refuse to get into a back and forth bitching war, so to keep things civil I've blocked your reviews, as I will with anyone else who decides they want to take a poke at me from now on. Of course that shouldn't be a problem since you've already said you aren't going to read this anymore because it's too complicated.


	74. Chapter 74

A/N - implied adult stuff near end.

> > > > >

Chapter 74

"Severus, Severus..." Voldemort said sadly, shaking his head as he looked down at Snape, who was kneeling before him, head bowed. "You disappoint me. When I call, I expect that my _loyal_ followers will be at my side _promptly_."

"Forgive me, my Lord. I was not alone when I received your call. I tried to get away as quickly as possible without raising suspicion." Snape replied penitently.

"And who exactly was with you?"

From his tone, Snape knew immediately that Voldemort was aware his little 'lesson' had been blocked. He couldn't afford to lie to him. He wasn't sure if anything short of a demon could have blocked it. "Kulia's brother is visiting. He dropped by to talk to me."

"Kulia?"

Snape felt his unease growing, remembering what had happened when Kulia had made Voldemort's 'acquaintance'. "The snow elf."

Voldemort's snakelike eyes narrowed as he let out a hiss of anger. "That wretched bitch has relatives? I thought all of her ilk were dead and gone!" Then he looked thoughtful. "Even still... that couldn't have been a snow elf I felt."

Snape longed to shift uneasily, but knew that movement of any kind would not be tolerated without permission. He also knew Voldemort probably had a good idea what had blocked him. This might even be a test of his honesty. "He's actually her _half_ brother. They had different fathers. He's half incubus."

"They have an incubus now?" Voldemort growled angrily, starting to pace in irritation.

"He shouldn't pose a threat. Incubi are pacifists."

"I'm well aware of their nature, Snape!" Voldemort snapped, making Snape finch. "But he is half snow elf, and they _aren't_ pacifists! Far from it! Why else would he come here now if not to join their side?"

"He just came because Kulia is pregnant. Births are rare in their species..."

"Pregnant?" Voldemort asked sharply, pausing in his pacing. "Yes... that would explain it..." He said thoughtfully. "She shouldn't have been able to overpower me on her own... but in dire circumstances a mother can draw from the powers of their unborn child. It must be an exceptionally strong child to have amplified her powers that much... Who fathered it? Please tell me it wasn't that bloody shadow demon!"

"No... it wasn't the demon. I believe one of the Weasley twins is the father." Snape replied. Even with his Occlumency talents, he avoided lying directly to Voldemort. It was very hard to lie to him convincingly, so he tended to reserve it for when it was absolutely necessary. Best to dodge things and give half truths. Voldemort had never asked if she was carrying twins, and hadn't actually asked if Snape knew why the child might be strong enough to do him damage. Then he furrowed his brow, almost forgetting himself enough to glance up, but caught himself. "Shadow demons... I didn't think they could father children? Wouldn't it merely be the child of their host?"

Voldemort chuckled. "With magic, anything is possible. You should know that." He said mysteriously, then went over, taking a seat in his large, almost throne-like chair. "That shadow demon is far more trouble than it's worth. I should have known better than to take one of Lucius' suggestions. Sure it was fun to play with, but to put it in the grasp of our enemies? The daft beasts need constant supervision. I knew no good would come of the endeavor..."

"Forgive my impertinence, my Lord, but what exactly was it sent to do?"

Voldemort looked at him for a long moment and Snape quickly began expecting to be ravaged by the Cruciatus curse at any moment. Surprisingly, it didn't come. A little smile slipped over Voldemort's thin lips. It wasn't pleasant on his hideous visage. "It was to corrupt the minds of their precious Gryffindors of course. Their most prized students... imagine the chaos when the brave and trusted Gryffindors joined my legion of loyal Death Eaters! Admittedly, he did net me a few more recruits, but not nearly the number expected. And of course he was supposed to get Potter to kill himself once he'd gotten to Dumbledore's precious Hogwarts. Don't know what it's been playing at, staying there and leaving Potter alive all this time. It shouldn't have taken more than a couple of days for it to overpower his will to live enough to force his hand. That would have been almost poetic... Imagine the chaos that would have caused..." He said wistfully, then sighed. "What a waste."

Voldemort's mood appeared to be darkening, which could turn very dangerous for Snape, especially if Voldemort really was unhappy with him about something. "Actually, Potter did attempt it. He merely failed."

Voldemort's eyes widened as he sat up a bit straighter, his hideous smile returning. "Did he now? Oh do get up!" He said, waving him up impatiently as he realized he had yet to give him permission to rise. "Tell me about it." he said eagerly.

Snape got up, though he kept his head slightly bowed as was expected. "He slipped out of the tower and hid in the prefect's bathroom. Got in the tub and slit both wrists, but he was discovered and revived."

"Rotten luck, but then I suppose it couldn't really be that simple. Who saved him?"

Snape felt a flutter of unease inside. From the intensity of Voldemort's gaze he knew he had no chance of lying without being discovered. "One of the ghosts saw what he was doing and ran about screaming for help. If it wasn't him, it would have been someone else..." Snape gave a mental sigh as Voldemort started looking impatient. "Draco." Snape finally admitted.

Voldemort gave a little snort. "Malfoy's boy? He's turning out to be a rather huge disappointment. Stealing the demon away from his father... refusing to come along peacefully in Hogsmeade... helping _heal_ people... then those things he said in the paper..." He shook his head. "Saving Potter's life as well..." He said in disgust, "He's proving to be more trouble than that old fool Dumbledore! Did he really marry that Weasley?"

"Yes."

Voldemort sneered derisively. "Well, I'd say Lucius' bloodline is assured. They'll probably pop out a dozen or so kids at _least_. Well, if I let them live that is. Lucius has said he may be willing to give up on Draco and merely father a new heir."

Snape couldn't bring himself to agree with that, choosing instead to remain silent.

Voldemort eyed him. "Fond of the boy, are you? Lucius said as much."

"I don't know if you could call it 'fond'." Snape said dismissingly, "He _is_ an exceptional potion maker, which is depressingly hard to come by nowadays. For that reason alone I'd prefer to see him live. I don't want to be stuck in this wretched job forever, and he has the potential to be a passable replacement as Potions Master. Besides, knowing Lucius' tendencies I'm a bit doubtful that he'd be able to successfully replace Draco. He's far too fond of killing the women he molests, or at least damaging them too much to carry a child to term. Not to mention, he would need someone to raise the child, and I doubt any woman he successfully impregnated would take the job."

Voldemort chuckled. "Yes... we have had to work with him a great deal to curb his tendencies. The bloodlust is strong in that one." He eyed Snape appraisingly. "They know about our plans, don't they?"

There was no point trying to lie. "Yes. Well, at least I believe so. Seeing as I have not been privy to your plans, I can only assume what they have surmised is correct."

"And what have they surmised?"

"That you are attempting to create loyal demon/wizard crossbreeds."

Voldemort nodded. "I knew it was just a matter of time before they figured it out once they got ahold of that journal and the ingredients Lucius so foolishly ordered from the snow elf. What are they planning to do to oppose it?"

"I don't know, my Lord. They only figured it out last night. To my knowledge, they have no counter as of yet. I will be sure to tell you if they come up with something, though I can't think of how they could stop you should you succeed in creating them."

"Don't suppose you could get me those blood orchids?" Voldemort asked with a sarcastic smile.

Snape looked thoughtful. "That may prove difficult. They were at Hogwarts last I saw them. She gave them to Dumbledore. I have no idea what he would have done with them." He knew it lowered his current value to Voldemort to admit he couldn't get what he needed, but if he'd conceded that it was possible to retrieve them Voldemort might have sent someone else to get them instead, and he didn't want them making an attempt on Zabini Manor on the off chance they were there. Of the two targets, Zabini Manor would be far easier to take by force than Hogwarts. He still wasn't certain Voldemort was doing more than stringing him along for information before killing him at this point. If he had to die, he'd much rather do it alone.

Voldemort growled. "Destroyed them no doubt." He sighed. "Looks as if we must go to the backup plan after all." He looked over at Snape contemplatively for a moment, "Lucius believes Draco has done something to the shadow demon. He said he felt it leave the bloodline the other day. Tell me, what line did they bond it to?"

"The Zabini line."

Voldemort gave another snort. "I thought as much. That slutty little miscreant is the only other one who knows that accursed language, so I knew it had to have been him."

Snape carefully kept his face neutral. _Very_ few people had known Blaise knew that language. He certainly didn't remember hearing Blaise's father spreading the knowledge around. Why would he? It would have been admitting to dealing with a snow elf on a regular basis. The only time he knew of it being discussed openly was when Fudge had come to Slytherin dungeon just after Kulia arrived with the journal. Was it one of the Aurors with him that had told Voldemort, or Fudge himself? "My Lord... if I may... why was I not informed of this hybrid plan? Or the attack on Diagon Alley or even the demon that was sent to Hogwarts? Surely its efforts would have been much more effective if I had been informed. I could have kept it in line, helped it along and prevented it from being discovered..."

Voldemort stared at him for a long moment, a little smile playing over his lips once again. "Let's be honest about this, Snape. I know very well you are currying favor on both sides. No matter who comes out on top in the end, you stand to be on the 'right side'. Do you think it has not occurred to me that, should you have information that could win this war outright, you might just hand it over to assure yourself a prime position in the resulting regime?"

"My Lord! I am and have _always_ been..."

Voldemort waved it off impatiently. "You're loyal to the bone and nothing could _ever_ turn you, yes, yes. It's all I ever hear from you lot. I still don't turn my back on you, now do I? I'm not so foolish as that. I know full well that those drawn to my service are rarely trustworthy. They obey me for three reasons: Fear, their own personal gain and because of what wicked pleasures I provide them that society at large would never tolerate... _not_ because they feel any real sense of loyalty. They are loyal as can be until the moment it no longer benefits them. Look how quickly most of them fled and denounced my name when they felt I had lost all power. Most of them never even thought to look for me... to try to help me return to power. It is only my renewed power and the fear of my retribution that keeps them in line. _You _have never been as enamored of the lifestyle being in my service provides... that leaves only two reasons for your loyalty... and I'm not sure those are strong enough on their own, which makes you prime to turn. As strange as it seems, I'm more comfortable working with the sociopaths. Them I understand. Of course violent tendencies and bloodlust alone don't assure loyalty either. Look at Lucius. As evil and violent as they come, and I'm still going to have to deal with him when the time comes."

Snape eyed him for a long moment, then spoke carefully. "I trust the article in the paper came as no surprise...?"

"Please!" Voldemort replied irritably. "I've known from the off that little bastard would stab me in the back the second he thought it would profit him. Doesn't surprise me in the slightest that he would be putting plans for my eventual overthrow into place."

"I've long suspected he was less than loyal as well, but since he was working to your advantage for the time being I've just been having him watched. I would never let him pose a real threat to you, my Lord."

"Really... and who have you had watching him?"

"Crabbe and Goyle actually. They are always in his presence, so they were the logical choices."

Voldemort snorted. "Do you really think they would stop him?"

"Yes." Snape replied without hesitation. "Their lines have long been loyal to the Malfoys, but their allegiance to you takes precedence. Some people were born to follow... to serve, and those two are definitely in that group. In some cases, mindless muscle is exactly what you need. Once I assured myself they were loyal, I charged them with watching him. They may be thick, but I believe they could take him."

"It's nice to see you're so worried over my well being. Still... Crabbe and Goyle? They're too daft for me to even get a good read off of."

"I doubt very much that there is anything _to_ read." Snape said with a little smirk, "But then their brain power isn't what I was looking for."

"True. Without the blood orchids, it will take a lot longer to get what we need to make our demonic servants... most of the women are just about due. Some are overdue actually. We have spells to quell labor when it starts, but many of them won't be able to go on much longer. We'll have to pick and choose which will go first. We're going to lose quite a number of them, but they're replaceable. Each Death Eater that I selected for this little 'project' was charged with tending to his own breeding stock, so Goyle's women are about the healthiest we have. He may be dim, but I think his wife had him pretty well trained before she died. His women might make good first choices after all. Thinking about it, the hybrids would have little use for intelligence anyway, and added physical strength would be a definite plus, even with part demons."

"I was wondering, did Lucius actually manage to let any live?" Snape asked with a little sardonic grin.

"Only four. He managed to impregnate a good dozen or so, but he wouldn't leave them alone. Killed a couple outright. A few managed to kill themselves. The others miscarried and were in no shape to try again, so he finished them off as well. After he finally realized he would be completely without demonic servants if he killed off any more, he finally left the last few be. Since then, I have had to use the Cruciatus on him twice for having his 'fun' with the other Death Eater's women. My followers tend to be rather possessive, and I can't have them squabbling amongst themselves. Besides, I don't want all of the women looking like his little wretches. I doubt his servants will be as strong as the others even if they survive. Now he's settling for going out and catching fresh girls for his 'entertainment'. Bit harder now. The Muggles have started catching on. Some of his favorite hunting grounds have even put curfews into effect because of all the 'missing persons'." Voldemort said with a chuckle.

"Even Muggles can figure out they're in danger if they are preyed on often enough. Not that they can do much more than hide, but still." Snape said dismissingly. "I'm curious..." He said hesitantly after a slight pause, "What did _he_ think of yesterday's Daily Prophet?"

Voldemort chuckled merrily. "Lucius, of course, played off the entire thing as a ruse by Dumbledore to forge a split between me and 'my most loyal servant'. He claims it was _you_ who helped Draco teach those house elves that wretched spell. He doesn't much like you."

Snape sighed. "Yes, I'm getting that feeling. I think he's still bitter over the fact that I never even had to go to trial. I told him it was your standing order to remain close to Dumbledore if something should happen to you so I would be in an even stronger position of trust for when you returned. He seemed to think I should disregard your orders and be more loyal to _him_, standing right beside him in that court room and even following him to Azkaban if necessary."

Voldemort nodded. "I've seen that in him more than once. He tends to try to discredit any who demonstrate more loyalty to me than him. Crabbe and Avery were the ones I had give him a little 'lesson' after that bloody snow elf got away. He's already started subtly hinting that Avery is less than loyal. I doubt Crabbe is far behind. The man is obviously convinced I am a mindless fool who can be bent to his will." He said, obviously amused by Lucius' predictability. "If it makes you feel any better, it was Lucius' mark I used to call you here. As much as I enjoyed watching his great discomfort, I would not have held the second call as long as I did if I didn't know it was being blocked. Sad as it seems, of the two of you, _you_ appear to be the less likely to stab me in the back at the first opportunity."

Snape lifted his eyes hesitantly to meet Voldemort's. That sounded as if he had done that more to hurt Lucius than him... "So... where do I stand with you then, my Lord?"

"That's a bit of a sticky question. I would _like_ to trust you, but I simply can't afford to. We are at a crucial juncture right now, and we cannot afford a slip-up... or a _leak_. You're the only one who is in a position to provide such a leak without my knowledge. Even depriving you of any pertinent information, as a Death Eater you can locate me at any time, and even so much as my current location could prove enough to make a shambles of my plans. I can't allow that, Severus."

"My Lord, I would never..."

"How's your daughter?" Voldemort asked softly, cutting him off.

Snape felt a shot of cold fear dart through him, but gave no outward sign of how very much it shook him that Voldemort knew about Pansy. "She appears to be content. Knocked up. Twins fathered by two different boys no less. She's a bit of a slut, just like her mother."

Voldemort looked amused, "Did you really not know?"

"How could I? The woman shagged over a dozen men that night, and that's just the ones I know about. I certainly didn't expect it was I who managed to impregnate her."

"Indeed. Well, she isn't a _son_, but she will be carrying on your bloodline. With great gusto from the sound of it."

"As I have no immediate plans of having more children, I suppose she'll have to do. Besides, if she doesn't get married I may still have a couple grandchildren with the Snape name." He gave a little smile, "Knocking up another man's wife appears to be the way to go. I didn't even have to be bothered with raising her."

Voldemort chuckled. "Yes. It _is_ rather convenient, isn't it?" He rose from his chair again, coming up to stand before Snape. "You're going to have to make a decision, Snape." He said softly. "I have promised you all to protect your bloodlines should you prove yourselves loyal. You've never had anything to protect before. In order for you to get this extra... _benefit _for your newfound daughter... I will require a little _reaffirmation_ of loyalty. Surely you understand."

"What would you have me do, my Lord?" Snape asked immediately.

"So eager." He chuckled.

"You think I want to have to deal with raising an _infant?_" Snape said with a slight grimace of disgust. "I'll stick to the full grown one, thanks."

"Only logical." Voldemort said with a nod, "You will prove yourself tonight. Until then, you will be my _guest_ here." He snapped his fingers and the door opened. Goyle and Avery entered, coming over to Snape without a word being said. Snape's eyes went wide and darted over to Voldemort as Goyle pulled his robe open and took his wand.

Voldemort just smiled his gruesome smile. "Guest quarters, if you please gentlemen."

"Yes, my Lord." They both intoned, then Snape felt Goyle's large hand clamp around one arm, Avery's thin but strong fingers wrapping around the other as they propelled him towards the door without another word. All he could do was go where they led trying to retain as much dignity as possible.

As they left the room, he saw Lucius leaning up against the wall. He smirked evilly and gave Snape a little mocking wave as he passed by.

> > > > > > > > > > >

Draco rapped gently on the door. He almost hoped no one would answer. No such luck. Arthur opened the door within moments, looking out at him curiously. "Is there something you needed?" He asked, glancing at his watch.

"Sorry to call on you this early." Draco said, keeping his voice low so it wouldn't carry. It was barely dawn, and he didn't want to wake the others.

"No problem. I wasn't asleep. You don't appear as if you've gotten much sleep either..." He said, noting the weariness that was still readily apparent in Draco.

Draco's eyes avoided Arthur. "I got a couple hours in." He mumbled, not wanting to go into what had been keeping him up. "How's Penelope?" He asked, trying to put off what he came for as long as possible.

Arthur sighed. "She had a bit of a nightmare and started having contractions. Molly was able to stop them, but she won't leave her side now. Not that I can blame her. I haven't slept a wink either."

"I hope the baby's ok." Draco said worriedly. "How did you stop the contractions?" He asked curiously. He hadn't had to deal with pregnant women before, and that sounded like something good to know.

"A couple of shots of firewhiskey." Arthur said with a wry grin. "Calmed her right down and the contractions went away. She's in a rather good mood now actually."

Draco chuckled. "I'll have to remember that." He sighed, knowing he couldn't put it off longer. "I just came to..." He trailed off, his eyes coming to rest on the couch near the fire. Christian was laying on it, apparently asleep, his arms folded across his chest. It didn't pass his notice that one of the man's hands was tucking into his robe exactly where he kept his wand.

Arthur noticed his stare and smiled. "Refused to leave his charge unguarded. Couldn't have kept him away if we tried. Not that we would. Penelope seems to find his presence reassuring."

Draco shifted uneasily. "Well, Blaise seems to trust him." He said with a slight shrug. Actually, that carried a lot of weight with him. Blaise had never been very trusting of... well pretty much any adult males, most likely yet another remnant of the emotional scars his father had left him with. In fact, Snape was the only other one Blaise truly trusted that Draco knew of.

Arthur nodded. "Dumbledore's mentioned him. Always said he felt he was a good man."

"He belong to your little club?" Draco asked with a smirk.

Arthur looked back at him sharply. "What do you mean?" He asked a bit evasively.

Draco rolled his eyes. "I've known about your 'Order' for quite some time now. Father's crowd knows about you. Maybe not specifics like a rollcall of your members or anything, but they know Dumbledore has his own little brigade of loyals. Snape's told me a little bit too."

Arthur's eyes were wide with open shock. "He told you about us?"

"Well, like I said, I already knew through father's crowd, so it's not like Snape was leaking me information. He never told me your secret handshake or whatever it is you all do to identify eachother, who was in it or what you did other than try to fight the Dark Lord. We just talked. Occasionally he'd feel me out to see if I was ready to turn yet, but I was never ready to sign my own death warrant. I always knew Snape wasn't playing on the same team as father. I really can't figure out how that bloody snake could actually believe Snape was loyal. I've know since I was a child he was nothing like my father, just like he's known I'm not either. He's helped me when no one else could or would... and even saved my life a few times. No true Death Eater would do that. That's probably why he taught me Occlumency before I even got to school... wouldn't be good to have that information sitting out there in a defenseless child's mind, free for the taking."

"I see..." Arthur said slowly, giving a little nod. "Still, I hope he at least put it past Dumbledore first..."

Draco stared at him for a moment. "Do you think I'm a security risk?" he asked in a soft, serious voice.

Arthur sighed deeply. "I didn't say I felt you were _now_... but you must admit, you didn't act exactly amenable towards our side before..."

Draco rolled his eyes. "If you're talking about me and Potter, I had good reasons for going after him. Still, even when our little rivalry began, I would have sooner _killed myself_ than give my father anything that would help bring his precious 'Lord' back to power. Father has been an evil, ruthless and violently abusive bastard my whole life... but in a private, very hushed up kind of way. I already spent so much time at St. Mungo's they kept my room reserved for me with my own things decorating it and everything... and that was him being _subtle! _You think I would ever have done anything that would allow him to run free as he's doing now? I've known my whole life what kind of raw evil dwelt within him. Without the need to keep up appearances, I have no doubt he has the potential to be twice as bad as the bloody snake Lord ever could be."

Arthur sighed again and stepped forward, slipping his arms around him and holding him comfortingly. It was hard to believe someone could be so blatantly sadistic to their own son, but from what he'd overheard from the others since they returned from St. Mungo's, he had no doubt this boy had been through a great deal at his father's hands. "I'm sorry, Draco." He said softly, "I shouldn't have questioned you."

The almost thoughtless act of paternal affection felt completely foreign to Draco. Part of him wondered what it would have been like to grow up with a father like this. He felt a little ache of longing inside, but quickly drew away. He didn't feel like he deserved such a gesture at the moment. Arthur didn't take offense. He flashed him a little smile of apology, assuming the gesture had made Draco uncomfortable.

"Well," Arthur began, quickly changing the subject, "In answer to your earlier question, no, Christian isn't in our 'little club'. I would say it's pretty obvious we can count on him and consider him on our side... but he's from a more traditional time. He'll do what's right, but he's loyal to his position even if not to the current administration, and therefor won't openly oppose the Ministry by joining a group that appears to currently be at odds with them. More just a technicality really. We don't have a problem with honoring his wishes."

"I see. Just didn't know how much I could say in front of him, even if he appears to be asleep... I've been sent with a bit of a message..."

"A message?" Arthur said, his eyes immediately alert.

"Snape's been called away and he wanted you to know."

"Called away by...?" Arthur asked significantly.

Draco nodded. "And from the sound of it, I don't think he should have gone. Apparently after the 'call', Snape didn't pop over there fast enough and the bastard did something that sounded a bit like the Cruciatus through his dark mark. Kept it up for over a minute before letting him go."

"A minute? Was he ok?" Arthur asked worriedly.

Draco nodded, "Ya... luckily Balthys had stopped in to talk to him and was able to block it."

"I should go check Molly's clock. She added Snape along with the others yesterday." Arthur said, grabbing his robe off the little rack just inside the door.

Draco shifted over in front of him as Arthur made as if to slip past him. "I can check it." He said quickly.

"There's no need. You go get some more sleep." Arthur said, shifting to the other side of the doorway.

Draco shifted in front of him again. "Just let me check it."

Arthur's eyes widened at the ever so slight ache Draco hadn't quite managed to keep out of his voice. He quickly pushed Draco back a few paces, pulling the door closed behind him. "What's happened?" He asked tensely.

Draco dropped his eyes. He opened his mouth, then closed it. How do you tell a parent their son has been dying over and over again all night? The elf that had been watching the clock had finished his shift and come by to give him a 'report' shortly before Balthys arrived. Percy had died a further nine times within the two hours after he and Harry had left, then whomever had him appeared to tire of whatever they were doing, and he'd only died once more about an hour previous.

"Did he...?" Arthur asked, his voice breaking and falling away.

"No! Not really..." Draco added, not wanting to lie to him outright. He took a deep breath and sighed it out as Arthur watched him searchingly. "He did... but then came back. A couple of times." he finally admitted. "I was afraid he might again while you were there..."

Arthur turned away, his breath shuddering in his chest. He leaned against the wall, pressing his forehead to the cool stone.

Draco's eyes stung as Arthur's shoulders shook. He could do nothing more than stand there helplessly, trying to pretend he didn't hear the soft sobs. "I'm sorry." He whispered after a few minutes. "This is my fault. I should have tied him up and dragged him back here if that's what it required..." He said as a few tears slipping down his cheeks. The guilt was writhing within him, filling him with an almost overpowering urge. He wasn't sure if the urge was to hurt whomever had Percy, or to hurt _himself_ in retaliation for the pain his inaction had caused.

Arthur sighed, sniffling and trying to pull himself together. "No. It's not your fault, Draco. I'm the one who shut him out long ago. If I hadn't, I would have known what was happening... would have found a way to use the knowledge he had without putting him and his family in danger. It was my stubborn pride that put them in harms way in the first place. You had Kulia send the gargoyles. Without them, Penelope, Justin and the baby would be captured or dead by now. You're the only one who even _tried_ to help them, and I'm grateful for that. You have no idea how grateful." He turned back, wrapping him in a tight hug again. "Thank you, Draco." He said softly.

Draco sighed and held him. He didn't feel he deserved any thanks at all, but it felt like Arthur needed someone to hold onto right now, so he didn't pull away. He doubted Arthur would share this knowledge with Molly, not wanting to upset her further, so he was unlikely to seek solace in her arms.

It took several minutes for Arthur to pull himself together properly, then with a silent consensus, they both made their way to the room that now held the clock. Draco led the way, not bothering to call a house elf. His sense of direction had gotten down right uncanny ever since he had discovered his power to change into a Thestral. Under more pleasant circumstances, he might have taken pleasure in the ease with which he found his way through the winding hallways. Right now, he couldn't get over the cold dread that had settled in the pit of his stomach.

When they reached the room, he took ahold of the handle of the now immaculately repaired door and took a deep breath, saying a silent prayer that Arthur would not have to see his son's hand return to that most feared spot. He braced himself, then opened the door. Arthur strode past him, hurrying up to the clock.

Percy's hand rested on 'Mortal Peril', but Draco had no opportunity to feel relief as he saw Snape's hand. It was not where it should have been at all. "Prison?" Draco asked, flabbergasted.

Arthur let out a sigh. "The clock must approximate if someone is not in any of the set categories. I can only assume this means something has happened, and Snape is being held against his will. This isn't good. Not at all. We must inform Dumbledore at once." Arthur said, his eyes straying to his son's hand anxiously, undoubtedly noting as Draco had before that it now rested noticeably closer to 'dead'.

"Balthys said he sent a message to Dumbledore before he left using a portrait..." Draco said, trying to distract him. "We could go use that. It would be faster than an owl, and it couldn't be intercepted."

Arthur sighed, pulling his eyes from the clock with great effort. "No. I don't want to alarm Hermione. I've a portrait of my own I can use."

"I'll lead you back to your room then." Draco said as Arthur's eyes began to edge back towards the clock. He didn't want to wait around long enough for Percy's hand to take another sojourn where it shouldn't be.

Arthur gave a nod and flashed him a little smile, knowing why he was so eager to lead him off. He headed for the door.

Draco paused, looking down at the elf that had sat silently in the same chair the other had occupied earlier. "Keep an eye on Snape's hand now as well. I want to be informed of any movement. In fact, if _any_ of those hands stray where they shouldn't I expect to know!"

The elf quickly nodded her little head, looking cowed.

"Thanks." He said offhandedly as he started off after Arthur.

The return trip was largely silent. When they reached the room, Arthur patted his shoulder, turning towards the door.

"He knew what he was getting into." Draco said softly.

Arthur turned back, looking at him questioningly. "Severus?"

Draco flashed him a little smile. "Well, I'm sure _he_ has known since the beginning the risk he ran... I was talking about Percy. He came here on our wedding night. He didn't come in, but I went out and talked to him."

Arthur stared at him for a moment before responding. "What did he say?" he asked softly, sounding as if he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

"He knew the kind of trouble he was in... had known even before he wrote those articles. He said he felt he played a part in what is happening, whether he knew it or not, and he felt he had to set things right no matter what. I don't think he ever imagined they would go after Penelope though. He seemed to think they would just focus on him if he kept everyone else out of it. If I had any inkling it might be my father going after him, I could have told him he wouldn't limit his scope like that. I think he figured they would just kill him and be done with it."

Arthur closed his eyes and sighed softly. "Why didn't he come to me? Or barring that, to Dumbledore or one of the members of the order? He knew a number of them. Knows." He corrected himself quickly, looking pained.

"He didn't want to endanger you... and he seemed to feel that when the inevitable happened it would be easier on you and the family if you were still mad at him. Thought it would make it hurt less." Draco sighed as he saw Arthur flinch at the suggestion. "He just wanted to do what was right and take full responsibility for his actions without involving you. He loves you all very much."

"Did he mention... our fight?" Arthur asked softly.

Draco nodded. "That's what I asked him about in the first place. No one had really said much about it, so I couldn't understand the rift between you. He took full responsibility for it, and said he knew full well what he said to you was wrong. Her parents had apparently been rather wretched to them and were trying to break them up, but with that job he was _finally_ going to be able to support her properly, so when you suggested he turn the job down he just kind of lost it. He said it was all his fault."

Arthur sighed. "How can it be his fault when I never even bothered to try to find out why he was acting the way he was. Just kind of assumed that his ego had become a bit over inflated. He's always been so very ambitious. Letting that assumption lay was my true failing."

"There has to be something we can do other sit here and stare at a clock and hope!" Draco said in frustration.

Arthur gave him a little commiserating smile. "I wish there was, but at the moment we don't even have any idea where he is. What can we do other than go outside the wards and say 'Here I am! Come and get me!' then hope they'd capture us rather than kill us outright, then hope they'd take us to the same place they're keeping Percy? And then what? At best Percy wouldn't die alone. I doubt that's what he wants. Somehow I don't think that would truly benefit _anyone_. Well, perhaps the bastard who's got him, but certainly no one in this family. Believe me, I've been trying to think of any way we could do something ever since I found out he'd been taken, and that's the best I've come up with so far. I've actually contemplated it."

Draco sighed miserably. "Ginny's not taking this well. I can't stand seeing her like this. Can't stand looking into her eyes and seeing pain. I feel like I should be out there doing something... _anything_ that would make that pain go away... but I don't know how to do that! I don't think I can bear seeing her cry like that again."

Arthur took a deep breath, then forced a little smile. "Welcome to married life, Draco. I'd like to tell you it gets easier, but it doesn't. Seeing pain in my Molly's eyes still cuts me to the core. All you can do is try your best to make sure the pain never gets there in the first place... or deal with it the best you can when it does. Go get a bit more sleep, Draco." He said, giving Draco a consoling clap on the shoulder, then slipping back through the door.

Draco stared at the door for a long moment, then turned and started wandering down the hall. His insides were in turmoil. He just couldn't help but wonder what would have happened had he simply caught up with Percy and made him stay. Then again, what if Penelope hadn't been able to get to Zabini Manor without his assistance? Percy would be safe, but his family would be going through the tortures they were undoubtedly inflicting on him at the moment. He couldn't speak for Percy, but if it were the choice between Draco himself getting tortured to death or his father getting ahold of Ginny and the tiny baby growing within her, Draco wouldn't even have to think twice. He'd do anything to protect her. Then again, maybe Penelope would have made it there on her own and they could have all been safe...

His walked down corridor after corridor as his mind filled with 'what if's. He couldn't seem to make them go away. He needed someone to talk to, and he certainly didn't want to burden Ginny with this. He looked up and sighed. He was standing before Blaise's door. His feet seemed to have come to the conclusion even before his mind had.

He reached out and knocked. He certainly hoped Blaise was done playing with his relatives by now. He'd seen Tonks, Forester and Carys following them out the night before. He doubted they were just walking them to their rooms before bed. They'd probably been having a right fine orgy. He could certainly live without seeing _that_. He knocked again, then waited. He sighed deeply, then reached out and opened the door. He listened cautiously, then entered. The common room was empty, though there were quite a few articles of clothing laying about. The pillows and cushions on the couches were mussed a bit, the books all knocked off the coffee table and the tall standing reading lamp behind one of the couches was laying on its side with its shade broken. He tried not to think about what they might have been doing in there. Whatever it had been, it had definitely been enthusiastic.

He sighed, knowing the most likely place he'd find Blaise. He went over to the bedroom door and knocked once again.

"Cut it out!" Forester's voice called from the other side of the door. "That knocking shit is getting really irritating!"

Draco rolled his eyes and opened the door. If they didn't want him knocking they'd just have to deal with him barging in.

"Come to join the party?" Forester asked with a chuckle. He was laying on his back on the bed, Blaise cuddled up beside him and fast asleep. They weren't alone in the bed. Draco's eyes widened as he saw the girl who was draped across Forester, nibbling on his neck. She was mostly obscured by a sheet, but she had a long flow of smooth, deep red hair. It was a _very_ familiar shade.

"What the Hell is this?" Draco growled angrily.

The girl looked over at him. "What's your problem, squirt?" She asked with a little amused snort. Even her face bore more than a passing resemblance to Ginny, though she looked a bit older.

"This your idea?" Draco demanded, glaring at Forester.

"What the Hell crawled up _your_ ass?" Forester asked, furrowing his brow in irritation.

Blaise stirred, then looked over, spotting Draco. He rubbed his eyes, then followed his gaze. He grinned, his cheeks tingeing slightly pink. "I was feeling a bit nostalgic. Hope you don't mind."

"Nostalgic? What the bloody Hell has that got to do with getting my cousin to fix herself up like Ginny? You have a thing for my wife or something? Because I'll tell you right now, you even _think_ about making a move on her and I'll give you a right fine pasting!"

The amusement had fled Blaise's face, replaced by an expression of deep hurt. "I... Draco, how could you even _think_... I would never _touch_ Ginny!" He said in a pained voice.

"Real bloody convincing when you're laying in bed with _her_ when she looks like _that!_" Draco said pointedly, gesturing towards Tonks.

Blaise opened and closed his mouth several times, but could muster no words. Tears were starting down his face and he pulled the covers off, getting up and walking briskly off towards the bathroom door.

"Blaise!" Tonks called after him pleadingly, but he ignored her, going into the bathroom and closing the door so hard that a crack nearly a foot across formed in the thick wood. She turned her eyes on Draco as they filled with anger. "_What the fuck is your problem?_" she yelled at him.

"Your appearance is my problem!" He growled back.

"What, you still have the hots for this little bint or something?" She asked archly.

"Well I married her, didn't I?"

"Well then someone better go tell Ginny you're a bloody bigamist!" Tonks said sarcastically, crawling over to the bedside table and picking something up. She flicked it at Draco angrily. "If I wanted to look like _Ginny_, I would have bloody well looked like her!"

He caught the odd, thin little square she had thrown and looked at it. It was a picture. Blaise had purchased a Polaroid camera and about a dozen packages of film on their little outing into Muggle London. He had been snapping off pictures almost constantly until he'd run through the entire lot, then he'd simply given the camera away. It was just the pictures he'd wanted. The little picture in his hand was one Blaise had gotten one of the Muggles at the bar they had frequented to take. It was him and Blaise... and a certain Muggle girl with dark red hair... the one they had shared later that night.

Draco let out a pained breath. He had never even realized how much she had looked like Ginny before. No wonder he'd taken such an instant liking to her! He looked up at Tonks, who was now standing before him, glaring angrily at him with her arms folded over her small, pert breasts. She was exactly as he remembered now that the picture had reminded him. He didn't remember the electric blue lace knickers or the bellybutton ring, but still.

He tossed the picture back over onto the bed, rubbing his hands over his face. "I'm sorry." He said softly.

"I don't think I'm the one you need to be saying that to."

Draco let out a little groan at the mere thought. He knew she was right, but he wasn't sure he could face Blaise after making such an arse of himself. Still, he knew he couldn't just leave it. He took a deep breath and went over to the bathroom door. He tapped on it. "Blaise?" he called softly.

He waited, but there was no reply. He tried the knob. It turned, but he had to force the door a bit as the hinges appeared to be damaged. As he peered in, he sighed. The tub against the back wall of the bathroom was styled after a Muggle hot tub in size and shape. Blaise was perched on the corner of the wide ledge that ran all the way around the tub with his back to him. He was sitting there, hugging his legs to him with his head resting against his knees, obviously crying.

"Blaise..." Draco said morosely, walking over towards him, "I'm sorry... I forgot about her... I just saw how much she looked like Ginny and jumped to conclusions..."

Blaise stiffened slightly at the sound of his voice, quietly sniffling and gathering himself. "It's fine, Draco. Just forget it." He said, trying to make his voice sound offhanded. He reached over, turning the knob on the tub.

Draco came to a stop behind him as he just sat there in silence, adjusting the water temperature. "Blaise please... just yell at me or something. I know I deserve it."

"Yell at you? Why? It's nothing I haven't heard a hundred times before. I'm just some amoral, thoughtless slag running around shagging anyone and everyone like a dog with two dicks. Hear it everywhere I go. Never bothered me in the slightest, because those people who said it didn't even know me. I knew if they took the time to get to know me..." He drew a shuddering breath. "You've called me a slut before. I could deal with that. Simple statement of fact, like you said. I guess I just never realized that you truly thought so little of me..."

Draco let out a little pained sound. "Blaise..." he said pleadingly.

"I've never once shagged someone who was in a happy relationship unless the person they were in a relationship with was in the bed with us! Don't you think I know how wretchedly hard it is to find someone you truly connect with? How could you think..." He trailed off as his throat tightened, shaking his head. "I love you, Draco." he said softly after a moment, "How could you think I would ever hurt you like that?"

"Blaise I'm sorry... I just... I'm tired and all strung out over what's happening... Percy and this demented plan and now Snape..." Draco said, scrubbing his fingers through his hair irritably.

Blaise's head popped up a bit, though he didn't turn. "Snape? What about Snape?"

Draco sighed. "The bloody 'Dark Lord' called him off and appeared to be in a particularly foul mood, and now Snape's hand on the clock says he's being held against his will." Draco sighed, then turned and sat on the side of the tub beside Blaise. "That's why I came here. I needed someone to talk to. You know how much I hate admitting to actually having emotions..." He said, flashing Blaise a little smile, but Blaise just kept staring down at the slowly rising water in the tub, his face impassive save for a few tears still wetting his cheeks. Draco sighed. "Please don't be like this, Blaise. I said I was sorry and I meant it. You're the only one I have to talk to... the only one I've ever felt I could be even remotely open with." He said, reaching over and resting his hand on Blaise's shoulder.

Blaise glanced at the hand, then over at Draco. "You don't have to gay yourself up on my account, Draco. It's probably uncomfortable enough for you to even be in the same room with me when I'm naked." He said, shrugging off the hand.

"I'm not uncomfortable around you." Draco said firmly, though it was a boldfaced lie at the moment. He'd always had his own personal lavatory, and even when changing for a quidditch match at Hogwarts they'd all had their own little rooms. He'd hardly ever been around even half undressed boys before, and therefore found it a bit off-putting, despite how close he felt to Blaise.

Blaise slipped his feet down into the tub and stood up in the ankle deep water, turning to face Draco. Draco averted his eyes reflexively. "Mmhmm." Blaise said, rolling his eyes. He sighed and settled down on the bench-like ledge that ran around the inside of the tub. He sighed, resting his head back against the side. "So what is it you wanted to talk about?" He asked. His voice sounded more resigned than actually eager to help him like it usually did.

Draco stared at the finely crafted tiles beneath his shoes. Try as he might, he couldn't bring himself to air his worries and frustrations. How could he burden Blaise with his personal problems after he had just hurt him? The guilt over the pain he had quite obviously caused him settled heavily on his heart, just another layer on top of the silent turmoil within him. He took a deep breath and let it sigh out. "Forget it." He said sadly, rising. "I just... need some sleep."

"Oh just tell me." Blaise sighed in exasperation.

"No, really. Not like I can do anything about it right now anyway. I should get back to bed before Ginny wakes and finds me gone. I'll talk to you later." He said, making his way towards the door.

Blaise sighed deeply. "Fine. Brunch is at eleven."

Draco glanced back and gave him a little nod. "See you then." He said, then prized the door open and slipped out.

Blaise shook his head, then shifted around, folding his arms up on the side of the tub and resting his chin on them. He valiantly fought off the dark thoughts that tried to crowd in on him. He stared absently at one of the fat, scented candles perched on the back ledge of the tub for ambiance. Its flame flowed up serenely, drifting back and forth in the minute air currents. He took a deep, calming breath and just lost himself in the flame, letting it occupy his mind completely, pushing all else aside.

Slowly the thoughts flowed away along with the tension in his body. There was no malice in that flame... no burdens or judgment. He let its purity and innocence flow through him until his body became no more than a vague, distant thing. The water crept up around him, cradling him in its warmth. He was aware of it only as a gently flowing sensation, swirling lazing around him, serene as the flame before him. He let his mind drift with it, feeling its gentle brush caressing him... slipping through him... leeching away the excess heat of his body and making him one with it.

The world crashed back into being around him jarringly as the door creaked behind him. He gasped, feeling slightly dizzy. He'd never been able to achieve such a deep meditative state before. He blinked, trying to reorient himself. He looked down at the now chest deep water. He must have jerked when brought out of it, because the water was lapping around as if roughly stirred, even slopping over the side a bit here and there. He took several deep breaths. It felt as if he'd stopped breathing entirely. Not as if he had been suffocating, just as if he had merely forgotten to do it for a few minutes or so. He slipped his arms off the side and shifted down a bit more in the water, feeling chilled. He rested his head against the side, watching the flame's light dancing on the wall now that the flame itself was out of sight.

He reached over and turned off the faucet. The water was up to just a few inches below the rim. He hadn't bothered invoking the quick fill spell, so that should have taken at least ten minutes on its own. It certainly hadn't _felt_ like ten minutes had passed...

The water lapped around him again as someone joined him in the tub. He sighed. He didn't really feel like having company right now. He didn't even look over as he felt someone settle next to him.

"You're not going to sit there moping all day, are you?"

Blaise's eyes went wide and his head whipped around. Draco was sitting beside him, smirking and, from what he could see, completely naked. "Wha... what are you doing?" Blaise managed.

Draco's smirk widened. "Apologizing." He said softly.

Blaise's eyes shot wide as Draco leaned closer, slipping his arms around him and drawing him closer as he kissed him deeply. Blaise made no attempt to resist, letting him hold him and kiss him for several long, passionate minutes. When the kiss finally broke, Blaise settled down against him, resting his head on his shoulder.

"How was that?" Draco asked softly.

Blaise sighed. "It was lovely." he said, cuddling closer. "Of course it would have been absolutely bloody earth shattering if you were really Draco..."

"Damn..." Tonks muttered. "I was hoping it'd take you a bit longer to catch on... How'd you know?"

Blaise smirked up at her. "Other than the fact that Draco wouldn't have gotten into a bath with me naked, let alone _kissed me_ in a million years? Well, this little bauble is a dead giveaway..." He said, looking down and brushing his finger over her tiny bellybutton ring.

Tonks scowled at the ring. "Bloody thing! It's about the only thing I can use for a contraceptive charm what with how much I change day to day, but it's getting to be a bit of a nuisance."

Blaise chuckled. "I'd imagine. Why don't you just make yourself sterile? I mean you can do anything you want with your body, right? Why not just like not have a cervix or something when you're a girl? I'm sure there are little 'plumbing' tricks you could use to take care of things safely. That way there'd be no chance you'd get pregnant. I would think that would be simple for you..."

Tonks blinked. "Bloody Hell! I never even thought of that! That _would_ be simple really. Brilliant!"

"Besides, that charm is just for girls. You could still knock a girl up if you shagged her in male form I'd wager!"

Tonks' eyes shot wide as her jaw dropped. "Blimey!" She breathed. "I definitely never thought about _that!_" She gave a loud laugh, then shook her head. "Definitely need to take care of things myself. I don't know of any charms that work for both!" She said, reaching down and removing the little silver ring. She tossed it on the ledge of the tub, then leaned back. "How bout now? Could I pass your inspection without that?"

"Um... no. Sorry, but you're still missing some things."

"Like?"

"Like your eyes. They're just gray. His are mixed now."

She huffed. "That's not his natural state, which is what my body duplicates. I'm not sure how to do swirling eyes. I don't exactly have a spirit to help me out."

"And you're missing his mark..."

"He has a _mark?_" She asked, her eyes wide in alarm.

He chuckled. "Not a _dark_ one. The mark from his marriage to Ginny. They're a matched set now. Well, their marks are mirrors of eachother actually, but the same otherwise. Scripty kind of thing. It's probably hard for most people to see since he's so pale. I've only really seen it with wraith sight, but if it's like Balthys' mark, it's a shimmery white like the unicorn horn that put it there. It has some ancient elvish declaration of eternal love or some such twined in it. Half legible one direction, the other half the other. Of course it's so ancient I can only make out a bit. The language has evolved some over the millennia. It runs right along here..." he said, reaching over and brushing his hand under her navel. He smirked as the light touch stirred her 'attention'. He resisted the temptation to touch her any more, moving away. "Change into someone else."

"Why?" Tonks said mischievously, drifting after him.

"I don't feel right messing about with him... _you_ like this. He got mad enough at me already and I wasn't even doing anything wrong... if he found out you were looking like _this_..." Blaise said, a hint of remorse in his voice as he couldn't keep his eyes from drifting down, gazing through the clear water. He really _was_ impressive...

Tonks drifted closer still, pinning him against the side and pressing up against him. "Who's idea do you think this _was?_" she whispered softly.

Blaise stared at her incredulously. "He wouldn't..."

"He would." She replied, "Well, ok, it was actually Forester who first suggested it, but Draco agreed..."

"He did...?" Blaise asked, trying to keep his mind on task as that face he had adored for so long smiled at him; those long, slender yet strong fingers that he had always fancied looked to belong to an artist sliding over his wet skin.

"He did..." She whispered. "I wouldn't lie to you. Not about this. Not after seeing how much Draco's anger hurt you. This is his way of apologizing... _but_... he did make me promise to give you one little message first."

"Message?" Blaise asked dazedly as she rubbed that wondrous body up against him.

"He said to tell you 'I don't want to know!'." She replied with a smirk.

Blaise let out a happy groan of longing, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her passionately...

> > > > > > > > > > >

"Whoa..." Ron said, coming to a stop abruptly.

Pansy put her hand over her mouth, snickering.

Blaise and Tonks reluctantly broke the heavy snogging session they'd been enjoying, looking over at them.

"Draco better not find out you're messing with his body!" Ron said with a grin.

Tonks let out a little disappointed sound. "Why does everyone know it's me so easily?"

Pansy giggled. "'Cause Blaise wouldn't mess around with Draco even if Draco wasn't terminally straight!"

"Sure fooled me..." Tonks said mischievously, nipping at Blaise's neck.

"Ya, well he might want to, but he never would. Not since Draco got married at least. He wouldn't do that." Pansy said without any hint of a doubt.

"Not to mention if he did, Ginny would be wailing on him about now..." Ron added with a chuckle.

Blaise smiled warmly, snuggling up to Tonks a bit more. It warmed his heart to know that his lovers knew him so well. "I was just working something out of my system. Draco knows. He said it was ok."

"You're kidding!" Pansy said incredulously.

"Long story." Tonks said quickly as she saw Blaise's smile falter at the prospect of telling them what had happened earlier. "Let's just say Draco was a prat and realized it, so he felt guilty and agreed."

"Where's Forester?" Carys asked, looking around curiously.

"Wandered off." Tonks replied as Blaise looked around, only now realizing the incubus was indeed gone. "Said he didn't feel like knocking on your door and begging for a spare partner, so he went hunting." She snuggled up to Blaise more. "I'm curious... why does that feel so much better when I'm a boy?" She asked him before anyone could question her further on the subject.

"Prostate." Blaise said with a satisfied grin.

"Ah..." She said, kissing him again.

Ron and Pansy smirked at eachother. After a minute, Pansy cleared her throat. "Not to interrupt, but it's ten, so we were going to get cleaned up before brunch. Care to join us?"

Tonks broke the kiss, her eyes shooting open. "Ten? Bloody Hell..." She said, releasing Blaise and quickly getting up.

Pansy averted her eyes, but Ron and Carys were staring. Blaise was a _really_ good kisser...

"Damn..." Carys said softly. "Kinda sucks that I'm related to him..."

Ron made a little inarticulate sound of agreement.

Tonks smirked, patting Ron's cheek. "Sorry. Only Blaise was authorized."

Carys slipped her arm around Ron and cuddled up to him. "You should ask that demon for permission. Neither of us are related to _him_..." She said mischievously.

Ron blushed brightly.

"Can I borrow some clothes?" Tonks asked Blaise as her form returned to the goth girl Forester found so fascinating. She found her knickers and pulled them on. "I didn't exactly pack before coming here.

"Sure." Blaise replied, settling back on the bed and looking thoroughly contented. "You know where the closet is. Take whatever you want."

"Thanks!" She said, hurrying to the closet door. She was back out in just a moment with a bundle of clothes under one arm. She hurried past them and out into the common room. When she returned, she had her matching bright blue lace bra on covered only by her auror's robe. "Sorry to run off like this. I had an absolutely lovely time. We really must do this again. Very soon. On a regular basis." She said with a giggle. She hopped on the bed, giving Blaise a parting kiss, then bounced back up. She gave Ron a quick kiss, followed by Pansy and Carys. The girls blushed and giggled.

"What's the rush?" Blaise asked curiously.

"Only got about an hour left and... there's something I've always wanted to do, and now I can, so gotta run."

Carys' eyes shot wide and she let out a little squeal of laughter.

Tonks pressed her finger against her smirking lips. "Shhh..." She said with a glint in her eye. Then she leaned closer. "Why don't you show Blaise that little trick you showed me earlier...?"

Carys giggled, her blush returning.

"See ya!" Tonks said merrily, pulling her robe somewhat closed and bounding out of the room.

> > > > > > > > > > >

A/N - Well _crap_. I just found a WONDERFUL resource. The Harry Potter lexicon (www dot hp-lexicon dot org . Absolutely bloody marvelous. Unfortunately, I also discovered a few mistakes I made along the way. That sux. I changed some in my working copy as they were minor, but I'm not fixing everything. When I repost the edited version I'll just say it's slightly AU. For one, I'm not going through and changing Blaise's appearance and apparently Narcissa didn't attend Hogwarts in the same year as Lupin! She would have been like a 6th year when Lupin was a first year! Agh. (Lucius/Narcissa attended 1965 - 1972, James/Lilly/etc. 1971 - 1978, for Snape it just says 1970's). Oh well. I'm not cutting them out at this point just because it conflicts with the facts ;P Anyhow, the Lexicon is an absolutely brilliant resource, **_BUT_** don't go running off to look at it unless you've read **_all six books!_** It has _serious_ spoilers, as the info from HBP has already been added, and trust me, it's WAY too hard to avoid. I'm gonna have to read HBP just so I can look through the site without having to clap my hand over my bloody eyes every few minutes and backing up a page! ;)

I know some of you might be all "Why didn't you write some Blaise/Draco(Tonks) smut? Well, I'm afraid it's just too hard keeping the Draco visual going when having to refer to him as _Tonks_ and _her_ all the time. Besides, Ginny might belt me one if I did ;P

Riddle'sDarkAngel5 - Will I end this in the next chapter or two? **_ROTFLMAO_**. um... if you didn't get that, it translates roughly into "Sorry, but probably not that quick." If I were THAT close to the end I wouldn't even _think_ about pausing it for the prequel. I'm not totally sadistic! Ok, well maybe... but I wouldn't anyway ;P

OhSnap - For Snape I think only of the movies. He's much nicer (and easier on the eyes!) in those. I'm a big Alan Rickman fan too, so I'd probably love him even if he started like killing people or something ;) It's weird cause I know Alan is very nearly twice my age, but in that getup he truly does look mid-thirties (big kudos to hair, makeup and costume! Keep it up guys!) and he looks utterly shaggable to me (especially in HP1). Admittedly, I'm more comfortable pairing him with someone _older_ (which is probably why they haven't gotten more attention before), but this just kinda happened. Ah these crazy kids... what can ya do?

Wiccan-witch88 - AGH! well, I'll give it a shot... the 'couples' in this story: Draco/Ginny (of course!), Molly/Arthur (always!), Ron/Pansy/Blaise, Narcissa/Lupin, Snape/Hermione, Harry/Delse, Fred/Kulia/George, Percy/Penelope, Balthys/Eryn, Vincent/Diamond ;P I think that's it really. I hope I can be forgiven if I've forgotten any. The rest aren't in serious relationships.


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